The Immigration Institute of the Bay Area is bringing immigration legal services to the San Mateo County coastside, partnering with local nonprofit Coastside Hope to meet the rising need for legal advice that has come alongside the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — faced with deportation quotas and virulent anti-immigrant rhetoric from the president — have been detaining and arresting increasing numbers of immigrants without criminal records, including at their immigration appointments and places of work.
The Immigration Institute of the Bay Area, which has seven different offices in six Bay Area counties and offers free and low-cost services, has been working to meet the increased need for immigration legal services coming as a result of federal policies, said Amanda Alvarado-Ford, Redwood City deputy directing attorney for the institute.
“We’re seeing an increase in calls. People, when we’re giving initial consults, are crying on the phone. People are asking what’s going to happen to their children if they get deported,” she said. “They’re just in panic over this.”
Coastside Hope has long provided immigration services to clients in addition to basic needs and safety net services like emergency rent and food assistance, Executive Director Judith Guerrero said.
Given the current immigration landscape, however, having an attorney from IIBA in addition to the accredited Department of Justice representative already working with Coastside Hope has been an asset for clients.
“Having an attorney come to our office consistently throughout the month, adding additional support — it’s filling the gap,” Guerrero said.
Alvarado-Ford and other members of the IIBA office can provide consultations, assess clients for viable paths to naturalization, provide removal defense services in some cases, and accompany clients to hearings and appointments. Attending those appointments has become a more harrowing process for many undocumented individuals after Trump’s election.
“Now everyone is seeking counsel for simple things,” Guerrero said. “If you asked someone a year ago if they felt worried about going to surrender or provide biometrics, they would say no. Now … there’s that fear of someone around the corner, waiting.”
It’s disheartening to see employed, family-oriented immigrants being detained or living in fear without a viable pathway forward to legal status, Alvarado-Ford said. She encouraged individuals seeking legal counsel to remain wary of potential scammers seeking to take advantage of the situation.
“What we're seeing now is folks who are hard-working, family-oriented, upstanding community members being targeted,” Alvarado-Ford said. “As we do in any crisis situation, like what we're going through with the current immigration landscape, we are seeing community members coming to us after being defrauded or overcharged.”
Guerrero also encouraged individuals seeking immigration legal services to ask for proof of accreditation and good standing before paying for services.
Those interested in using the IIBA-Coastside Hope partnership should call (650) 523-3538. Currently, an IIBA attorney is in-office for legal services on Wednesdays between 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
(2) comments
"virulent anti-immigrant rhetoric" you say. I believe you mean anti-illegal immigrant rhetoric. As a legal and now a naturalized immigrant, I take offense to your distortion of the facts. I wished the lawyers would turn their attention to pointing out that these illegal migrants have no right to be here and should be forced to return home either on their own or by ICE.
Perhaps personnel from these seven different offices in six Bay Area counties can work with ICE to remove those who have perpetrated violent crimes? Or should ICE take note of this article and surveil these seven different offices in six Bay Area counties?
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