The Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s (ILRC) mission is to work with and educate immigrants, community organizations, and the legal sector to continue to build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. It’s team in the San Joaquin Valley provides training and technical assistance to legal service providers, education and civic engagement opportunities to immigrants and community partners, and policy advocacy at the local, state, and federal level. Program Associate Magaly Garcia-Kummert shared, “We work to strengthen the network of support for immigrant families and to advance immigrant rights in the region and beyond.”
Immigrant community members in the San Joaquin Valley often lack access to quality legal services due to financial and transportation challenges. Given the vacuum of legal services, particularly in rural areas, immigration fraud is prevalent. In addition, many immigrant community members are fearful to reach out for needed services because they believe they are not eligible due to their legal status or that doing so may negatively impact their immigration case. Attorney Allison Davenport explained, “Access to trustworthy information and legal support is key to combat fraud and ensure people understand their rights and legal options.”
IRLC has been collaborating with students, faculty, and staff of UC Merced in different capacities. Most recently, they coordinated a series of legal workshops to take immigration legal services to communities in order to reach more community members. These legal workshops, a collaborative effort between the Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative (CVIIC), the ILRC, and faculty and graduate students from the School of Public Health assist in screening community members for immigration benefits and providing support on immigration applications. UC Merced faculty and staff also regularly participate in ILRC’s quarterly Merced County Immigration Round Table, which brings together service providers and advocates from different sectors, and have shared research findings and exchanged information and resources with partners from the region.
As a result of the advocacy of many
partners, state funding was secured for the Immigration Legal Fellowship Program, which supports the training and mentorships of a cohort of new attorneys who are placed at immigration legal services organizations in underserved areas. The Fellowship addresses the dire need for removal defense services for individuals in immigration court proceedings, supports the development of the next generation of immigration legal advocates, and strengthens the capacity of the community legal services organizations. The first cohort of Fellows are now working as immigration attorneys and the second cohort of Fellows are currently placed at organizations in the Central Valley, Central Coast, and Inland Empire.
A primary goal in the San Joaquin Valley is to ensure that every community member can receive high quality immigration legal services regardless of their income or zip code. Closing the justice gap in the San Joaquin Valley will enhance community access to employment, education, health care, and other public benefits as well as strengthen civic engagement in our region.
