We are a group of parents and teachers that help families in California schools facing the threat of deportation access qualified legal and community resources, and those in immigration detention get released on bond. This includes long-time California residents, newly arriving families and unaccompanied minors enrolled in California schools. Our work is currently concentrated in the East Bay: Oakland, Hayward, Berkeley, Fremont, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Union City and other school districts in Alameda County.
We support immigrant families through the following:
Legal Access
We leverage trusted school-based networks to connect immigrant families to qualified legal resources. Our network of teacher and parent volunteers work with East Bay legal service and community organizations to ensure students and their families have accurate information regarding their rights under current city, state and federal law, and any changes in those laws as they happen. We work with school district leadership to make families aware of school sanctuary policies and connect families in need of legal representation to qualified attorneys. We do this through school-based workshops and legal clinics, mailings and phone/text banking. We also help find qualified legal representation for parents of East Bay students being held in out-of-state immigration detention centers.
Immigration Bond
We are piloting a first-of-a-kind school-based immigration bond fund in California’s East Bay. Any student, parent or sibling in an Alameda County public school can access the fund if detained by ICE or CBP, either in the interior or at the border. Families either contact the fund directly after learning about our services through a school-based workshop/legal clinic, or are referred by the district or one of our legal services partners. These bonds are refunded when the case concludes – regardless of outcome. All that is required is that the individual released on bond appear at all scheduled court hearings. Once the bond is refunded, those resources are available to help cover the bond cost of other East Bay families in need.
Community Support
We pair every family with a volunteer case manager – another East Bay parent or teacher with experience navigating the immigration bond system. The case manager helps remind the family of all scheduled immigration hearings, provides transportation assistance if needed, and helps connect the family to other legal, mental health or community resources they might need.
For more information, call our family support line at (510) 241-3545 or email us at info@immigrantfamilies.org