In: The New York Times
May 21, 2023
The San Diego Rapid Response Network (SDRRN) Migrant Shelter Services, which is operated by JFS, is assisting Afghan refugees who were U.S. allies during the war but were left behind when American troops left Kabul in 2021. Thousands are fleeing the country, fearing retaliation from the Taliban. Many know the Biden Administration is clamping down on immigration but are risking the perilous journey from South America through the Darien Gap, which is being advertised on TikTok, Facebook, and WhatsApp by smugglers claiming it is safe. Once in Border Patrol custody, they are considered “aliens,” subject to deportation. The Afghans qualify for humanitarian parole in the U.S., but few have been approved.
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March 28, 2023
The Biden administration’s tough new border policies have created a dangerous bottleneck in border towns, with Mexican shelters reporting massive overcrowding and increasingly desperate conditions involving tens of thousands of people. The policies have sharply reduced the number of migrants crossing into the U.S. “The number of people in our care has been halved since the start of the year,” said Kate Clark, senior director of immigration services for Jewish Family Service of San Diego, which operates the SDRRN migrant shelter.
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February 6, 2021
Frontpage story in The New York Times reports how JFS is creating the model for how to welcome the stranger while protecting public health during a pandemic.
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UCSD Study Uncovers Systematic Abuses of Asylum-Seeking Families in Immigration Detention Facilities
September 4, 2019
“These findings raise serious due process concerns,” said Kate Clark, JFS Senior Director of Immigration Services. “If asylum-seeking families are not being given vital instructions about their immigration proceedings in a language they can read or understand, how can we expect them to navigate an already complex legal process that is increasingly stacked against them?”
Media Coverage:
AP Story | New York Times | Business Insider | KPBS | NBC | ABC 10 News | Telemundo 20 | Times of San Diego | Voice of San Diego | The San Diego Union-Tribune
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July 10, 2019
Kate Clark, Senior Director of JFS Immigration Services, discusses the impact of the “remain in Mexico” program.
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March 5, 2019
The New York Times highlights the medical challenges migrants face as they cross the border in San Diego and other parts of the country.
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