Help Us Ensure Asylum-Seeking Families Forced to Remain in Mexico Have Legal Representation at Their Immigration Hearings
More than 6,000 people requesting asylum in the U.S. have been returned to Tijuana where they must remain during the lengthy asylum process. JFS, on behalf of SDRRN, has launched a legal services hotline for these asylum seekers, and our attorneys have been able to represent some of them in court. But we want to do more.
With your help, we can raise $115,000 to hire a full-time attorney to represent asylum-seekers forced to remain in Mexico. Together, we can connect vulnerable families to critical legal services so they can continue their asylum journey in safety and with dignity. Learn More
All donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000 thanks to a generous donor.
Donate to Help Protect Asylum Seekers
San Diego is the largest land border crossing in the world and has been a highly active location for deportations, rights violations, and abuse by Customs Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The SDRRN was activated to respond to increased immigration enforcement activities within San Diego County and humanitarian issues arising at the border, including widespread family separation and unjust deportation of asylum seekers presenting at the Port-of-Entry.
To view the Core Partners, Legal Partners, and Participating Organizations, please click here.
We Need Your Support
Families are arriving in our community in desperate need of our help. They have traveled hundreds, if not thousands of miles to flee violence, suffering, and persecution in their homelands in search of a safer, better life.
Immigration authorities are releasing these families after being vetted by Homeland Security in San Diego and giving them the right to live in the U.S. while they await the outcome of their application for asylum. Learn more in our Newsroom.
Your Support is Vital to Running the Migrant Family Shelter
A migrant shelter was started in late October 2018 to provide meals, medical care, legal services, and travel aid to 200 individuals; nearly 50-60 families a day. Funds are needed for the shelter to maintain its daily operation and provide basic necessities, such as food, blankets and bedding, portable showers, baby/children needs, and toiletries. The funding will also help SDRRN provide free legal representation for these families and fund bond fees.
DONATE NOW
Donate Needed Items
All shelter guests – babies, infants, children, and adults – discard their old clothes for health and hygiene reasons and are provided with new underwear, clean clothes, and shoes. Before they leave to reconnect with loved ones, asylum-seeking families are provided with additional clothes for what is often a multi-day bus ride.
You can donate these needed items to the locations below:
Good Samaritan Episcopal Church 4321 Eastgate Mall, San Diego 92121
Drop Off Hours
Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.
Our Lady of Guadalupe – Barrio Logan
1770 Kearny Ave, San Diego CA, 92113
Drop Off Hours
Monday- Friday 9am-4pm
Saturday & Sunday 9am-2pm
We have also set up an Amazon wishlist where you can donate requested items that will help families begin their journey in the United States.
In The News
Family of US Citizen Crosses Border to Claim Asylum
August 22, 2019
After four months in Tijuana, the wife and children of a US citizen were allowed to continue their asylum case in the US. They stayed in our Migrant Family Shelter before reconnecting with family and preparing for immigration court.
Click here to read the story from CBS 8
Jewish and Latino State Lawmakers Visit San Diego Migrant Family Shelter
August 12, 2019
Members of the Jewish and Latino legislative caucuses toured our Migrant Family Shelter and an ICE detention center to get a first-hand look at the difficult journey asylum-seekers face.
Click here to read the story from The Jewish News of Northern California
Remain in Mexico: Migrants Face Uphill Climb to Get Out of Program
August 12, 2019
Without attorney representation, migrants are having a hard time preparing for their asylum interviews if forced to Remain in Mexico. And some face grave dangers if forced to stay in Mexico and need protection. “Fear of Return” protection is very difficult to come by.
Click here to read the San Diego Union-Tribune storyAsylum Seekers Are Targeted Under the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP)
June 29, 2019
Migrants who are returned to Mexico to wait for their court date under the MPP are at a high risk for kidnapping, human trafficking, and extortion. Our immigration attorney Luis Gonzalez talks about the danger asylum-seekers, particularly women with young children, face during their stay in Tijuana. The legal team at JFS is dedicated to representing vulnerable families as they search for a better life in the United States.
Click here to read the San Diego Union-Tribune storySan Diego Nonprofit's Legal Help a Tiny Dent in Asylum Aid Needed
June 28, 2019
This frontpage Union Tribune story investigates the challenges and importance of legal representation for asylum seekers who fall under Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), otherwise known Remain in Mexico.
Click here to read the San Diego Union-Tribune story
