Plenty of help for immigrants that don’t have documentation

It is one of the agencies immigrant families visit for their food pantry. When rumors about Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions circulate, fear prevents families from leaving their homes.

“We’re a small community, and a rumor travels very fast,” Judith Guerrero, Coastside Hope’s executive director, said. “You can feel the effect of the rumor. Kids don’t go to school. We have a pantry in our office that’s open on a daily basis, and on that day, the pantry might see less folks.”

Coastside HOPE also offers immigration services and classes. It does not have attorneys on staff, but Guerrero said it works with experts from the Department of Justice accredited representatives on immigration programs and with professionals from the nonprofit Immigration Institute of the Bay Area for office visits and legal advice. It can help with filing Fiancé or K Visas, employment authorizations and submitting petitions to remove conditions for residence and alien relatives.

The nonprofit Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County helps low-income families with legal status applications for humanitarian relief. The applications are for people who experienced abuse and children neglected and abandoned by their families.

Jenny Horne leads the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County’s LIBRE (Linking Immigrants to Benefits, Resources and Education) Program, handling petitions under the Violence Against Women Act, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, U Visas and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. 

While their organization is not an immigration law firm, she confirmed an “enormous change” in how cases proceed for its immigrant clients seeking status.

“The main idea of [LIBRE] was public benefits oriented to make sure that people were not unwarrantedly afraid to apply for necessities like food stamps, Medi-Cal, etc.,” Horne said. “We ended up having more clients contact us about immigration relief than about benefits.”

Rapid response

The county’s Rapid Response Network, a coalition of organizations providing legal and social assistance, aims to protect immigrants against Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. Initially created in 2018 to “[represent] San Mateo County residents in removal defense,” the network expanded from providing legal assistance to becoming a task force that verifies reported ICE presence in the neighborhood and educates immigrants about their legal rights.

Horne said that ICE had arbitrarily arrested some of her clients in the past, including those who had followed every instruction and required immigration appointments. They collaborate with the Rapid Response Network to find allies who will accompany people to their appointments.

“Detaining someone that has followed all the rules and has literally come to their court hearing as ordered is very different from arresting someone for committing a crime,” Horne said. “Changing the rules after someone relies on the rules not only seems unfair, it also makes our government less trustworthy and ultimately our society less safe.”

Earlier this year, the Trump administration issued Executive Order No. 14159, which expanded expedited removal to allow the deportation of people without status. In the past, the process was used to involuntarily remove people apprehended while crossing the border into the United States. Recently, the process has been observed in areas away from the border, such as immigration courts.

“Immigrants that are arrested in [San Mateo County] tend to be held only briefly in San Francisco and then transferred rapidly out of the area,” Horne said. “They do that because one  of the few remedies available for detained immigrants who were previously released on their own recognizance and have not violated the rules is filing a habeas petition to get ask a court to order them to be released.”

Citizenship interest

With the federal government’s stance on immigration shifting, Guerrero confirmed her organization saw an increase in applications to become U.S. citizens this year. She said becoming a citizen is key “now more than ever,” especially since gaining citizenship allows one’s voice to be heard and influence policies with the right to vote. 

Coastside HOPE and the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County said they follow the Rapid Response Network’s protocol if community members report ICE sightings in their neighborhoods. During outreach efforts, the organizations hand out “red cards” that outline legal rights and what to do if residents encounter federal agents.

“I think San Mateo County has done a wonderful job of trying to defend their residents or protect people from unfair abuse,” Horne said. “I think San Mateo County is a good, good place, relatively compared to what I’ve heard of from other places.”