Demand for immigration legal services spikes at California colleges

The Heberthausen Asylum Support Group helps incoming migrants and refugees find housing, jobs and learn the German language to integrate with society and work towards citizenship.

With a lack of government aid and interference, border communities are stepping up to care for both migrants and local residents through efforts like The Sidewalk School and Casa de la Esperanza — nonprofits that offer shelter, programming and resource centers for migrants and locals in need.

Erie Neighborhood House welcomes migrants being bussed from Texas to Chicago with resources like food and clothing, medical care, legal support, and case management. The organization has helped more than 3,000 migrants since August 2022.

LGBTQ asylum seekers face a unique set of problems coming to the United States, often from places where gender expression and sexuality are strictly regulated. Four organizations across the US, Mexico, and Canada are filling this unique niche. For example, AsylumConnect created an app of resources on how to apply for asylum and a catalogue of LGBTQ-friendly services and organizations in the US for them to learn about. All four aim to validate LGBTQ asylum seekers and keep them safe.

About half the states in the US don’t allow undocumented students to receive in-state tuition. In Georgia, a state law banned undocumented students from enrolling in the top five universities in the state. In response, three University of Georgia professors created “Freedom University.” “Here, we’re working together because we’re struggling together.” Students don’t get course credit, but they get SAT prep, and recommendation letters. Many have gone on to attend university out of the state.

The United States’ refugee resettlement program provides language classes, job training, housing help, and support in applying for federal benefits, among other services, to refugees placed by the agency. However, the same type of assistance is not provided for all types of migrants, such as asylum seekers.

Shelters for Hope converted an abandoned motel into a migrant resource center called the Centro de Esperanza and provides meals, legal assistance, clothing, and shoes to families seeking asylum in the United States. Shelters for Hope sees between 150 to 200 people a day and can currently house about 30 people.

Sakhi for South Asian Women in New York has significantly increased their outreach during the coronavirus pandemic, connecting clients to services and resources. The group conducted 1,500 wellness calls and needs assessments in local South Asian communities and increased their caseload and cash assistance to clients. The group, who publishes their content in nine languages, also helps clients who do not have documentation pay for groceries and medications through their Sakhi Solidarity Fund. For clients who need help with family law and immigration issues, Sakhi can connect them to pro bono legal partners.

Student Circus is an online platform which is demystifying the job application process for international students in the United Kindgom. The website was started by two international students who were having a hard time job searching, mainly because many employers didn't list whether they sponsored job visas or not. The service is offered for free to students from select universities.

Carmen Carcelen lives in northern Ecuador with her husband, eight children, and hundreds of Venezuelan migrants who are fleeing poverty, violence, and hyperinflation at home. Carcelen has been providing food and shelter (and even foot rubs) to over 8,500 migrants for two years now. Carcelen says that she is spurred to action by her Christian faith, but welcomes any donations because it is currently financed on her husband's small income.