Al Otro Lado

Thank you to the Center for Constitutional Rights for honoring our Border Rights Project Director Nicole Elizabeth Ramos with a Tigerish Award, given to individuals who courageously fight for social justice. We are proud to stand alongside such extraordinary advocates and look forward to celebrating our collective dedication to toppling systems of oppression!

Al Otro Lado is offering legal assistance to asylum seekers who meet the following criteria: 🔹Must live in Los Angeles County 🔹Must be low-income  🔹Your asylum case is NOT scheduled before the Immigration Court, OR 🔹Your case was terminated by the Immigration Court so that you could apply affirmatively before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) To schedule a consultation, please call us or send a WhatsApp message to 323-681-4946 or email [email protected].  *Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so act fast and contact us soon!  *************************************** Al Otro Lado ofrece asistencia legal gratuita a los solicitantes de asilo que cumplan los siguientes criterios: 🔹Debe vivir en el condado de Los Ángeles 🔹Debe ser de bajos ingresos 🔹Su caso no debe de estar frente a la corte de Migración/juez de Migración, O 🔹Su caso fue cerrado por la corte de Migración para que pueda presentar su solicitud de asilo ante el Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de los Estados Unidos (USCIS) Para programar una consulta, llámenos o envíe un mensaje de WhatsApp al 323-681-4946 o envíe un correo electrónico a [email protected] *El espacio es limitado y los cupos se llenarán por orden de llegada, ¡así que actúe rápido y contáctenos pronto!

Last week, Bet Tzedek's Employments Rights Project (ERP) team held a Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement (DALE) Clinic in our office! Volunteers worked with Bet Tzedek, Al Otro Lado, and the CLEAN Carwash Worker Center to process intakes and assist car wash workers who may be eligible for labor-based deferred action, a temporary protection from deportation. They can also now apply for employment authorization. This policy encourages individuals who are not U.S. citizens to come forward and report labor-based violations and exploitation. Non-citizens are most likely to face wage theft, labor exploitation, and labor trafficking. Thank you, ERP team, for holding this important clinic and for continuously fighting to protect the rights of our workers! #workersrights

Last summer Al Otro Lado & HAITIAN BRIDGE ALLIANCE alongside nine courageous asylum seekers, filed a federal lawsuit challenging the government’s illegal practice of turning away asylum seekers from U.S. ports of entry, and instead forcing them to try to obtain appointments to be processed through a complicated and deeply flawed smartphone platform known as CBPOne. The Biden Administration attempted to dismiss our lawsuit in an effort to deny asylum seekers, Al Otro Lado and Haitian Bridge Alliance our day in court. But last night, a federal judge ruled in our favor. Our fight will continue at trial! Since its inception, the CBP One app has served as a means for the government to avoid its legal obligation to process asylum seekers upon arrival at US ports of entry, leaving the most vulnerable & marginalized people seeking safety to wait for up to 10 months in some of the most dangerous cities in the world. Thousands of asylum seekers are unable to access the app through no fault of their own-- because they do not speak one of the three languages supported by the app, because they don’t have a newer smartphone, a stable internet connection, or electricity. Nor does the app have accommodations for people who cannot read, or have a disability or serious medical condition that makes navigating the app impossible. As our Border Rights Project Director Nicole Elizabeth Ramos said, “While the government denies that a CBP One turnback policy exists, the amount of money that it spends on litigation to prevent refugees from being processed upon arrival at U.S. ports of entry belies their true intention, which is not safer, more efficient asylum processing, but rather to deter, delay, & deny access to the only legal process that refugees have to save their lives. The decision of the federal court on the government's motion to dismiss explicitly recognizes that we have alleged sufficient facts & harm for this case to move forward, & we look forward to presenting our evidence at trial, evidence supplied by the words & actions of CBP officers themselves.” This win would not have been possible without our stellar counsel from Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS), American Immigration Council, and Center for Constitutional Rights!

Yesterday, the Biden Administration once again showed us what the Democrats are really all about. Spoiler alert-- it looks very similar to the policies that Democrats decried under the Trump Administration. Instead of taking steps to protect the right to seek asylum at the US-Mexico border, the Biden Administration took three steps forward on the road to destroying decades of enshrined international and domestic asylum law. By extending indefinitely the harsh asylum restrictions at the border originally introduced in 2024, the Biden Administration is knowingly sentencing untold numbers of refugees to death. The restrictions, introduced in June 2024, previously blocked asylum access unless daily U.S.-Mexico border encounters fell below 1,500 for seven days. Yesterday's update extends this to 28 days and includes unaccompanied minors from non-contiguous countries, increasing the likelihood of surpassing the threshold and prolonging asylum suspensions. “CBP is the largest U.S. federal law enforcement agency, larger than all other federal law enforcement agencies combined. The idea that the agency would be "overwhelmed" by processing 1,500 asylum seekers per day is preposterous, especially given the fact that the agency employs over 45,600 agents and officers, said Erika Pinheiro, Al Otro Lado’s Executive Director. “The move to extend Biden's border restrictions is not driven by any legitimate public safety or capacity concerns, but rather is driven by xenophobia; it is a misguided attempt to garner political points at the expense of the humanity and safety of vulnerable refugees exercising their legal right to seek safety in the United States.” Read more here ⤵️: https://lnkd.in/gczH94vf

Save the date for an urgent and impactful webinar on October 17, featuring Nicole Elizabeth Ramos, Director of our Border Rights Project. Family separation is still happening under Biden! Join us to hear the latest developments and discover how you can take meaningful action to stop these injustices. Thank you VECINA for letting us be a part of this. 💛

*Elvin recently came to our weekly legal clinic for asylum seekers in Tijuana with his three-year-old son, *Miguel. As a single father in migration, Elvin was already facing significant challenges that were further complicated by his son’s disability. Since birth, Miguel has suffered from a medical condition that makes it incredibly painful for him to walk, which has meant that for much of the pair’s migration, Elvin carried Miguel in his arms. While we continue to fight against CBP’s illegal policy of forcing asylum seekers to wait for months on end to obtain a CBP One appointment in order to be processed, we will also continue to help individual asylum seekers and families to confront barriers in their daily lives while they remain trapped in this waiting period. Seeing how much of a difference a stroller would make in the family’s life, Al Otro Lado team members Jose and Meghan secured a stroller for Elvin and Miguel the following day. After carrying for months the psychological weight of being forced to migrate, and anxiety about the future, along with his son in his arms, Elvin can now rest a little more, while also ensuring that Miguel remains safe. At Al Otro Lado, our mission extends beyond providing knowledge about rights and updates on immigration and asylum policies; we are dedicated to addressing the immediate needs of the refugee community we serve, offering assistance such as medications and medical equipment, temporary emergency housing, nourishing meals, clothing, diapers, and even providing strollers when necessary🤗. #FeelGoodFriday *Names changed to protect identity

Al Otro Lado is offering legal assistance to asylum seekers who meet the following criteria: 🔹Must live in Los Angeles County 🔹Must be low-income  🔹Your asylum case is NOT scheduled before the Immigration Court, OR 🔹Your case was terminated by the Immigration Court so that you could apply affirmatively before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) To schedule a consultation, please call us or send a WhatsApp message to 323-681-4946 or email [email protected].  *Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so act fast and contact us soon!  *************************************** Al Otro Lado ofrece asistencia legal gratuita a los solicitantes de asilo que cumplan los siguientes criterios: 🔹Debe vivir en el condado de Los Ángeles 🔹Debe ser de bajos ingresos 🔹Su caso no debe de estar frente a la corte de Migración/juez de Migración, O 🔹Su caso fue cerrado por la corte de Migración para que pueda presentar su solicitud de asilo ante el Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de los Estados Unidos (USCIS) Para programar una consulta, llámenos o envíe un mensaje de WhatsApp al 323-681-4946 o envíe un correo electrónico a [email protected] *El espacio es limitado y los cupos se llenarán por orden de llegada, ¡así que actúe rápido y contáctenos pronto!

The International Refugee Assistance Project, Al Otro Lado, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, and HAITIAN BRIDGE ALLIANCE just published a groundbreaking report on climate displacement in the Americas that provides definitive evidence that climate change and environmental disasters are impacting people fleeing their home countries. The report is based on thousands of firsthand accounts from people seeking safety in the U.S. 🔸43% of respondents from the Americas reported experiencing environmental disasters such as hurricanes, droughts, extreme heat, and floods in their home countries. 🔸64% of respondents who experienced disasters in their home countries faced more than one disaster. These events led to the destruction of homes, livelihoods, and physical infrastructure. 🔸29% of respondents who answered a question about specific impacts reporting significant income loss or crop failure due to environmental disasters. These economic losses often lead to food insecurity. Read the full report here ⤵️. https://lnkd.in/gdTFBxDu

Want to see a live demo of Pathfinder while learning how we keep vital immigration data secure and private? Join me, Al Otro Lado , and Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS), and nearly 100 attendees as we present how we safeguard critical information while unlocking fair access to justice via cutting edge data tools. Many thanks to the California Access to Justice Commission for hosting and supporting our collective efforts to level the playing field for all immigrants. RSVP Here 👉https://lnkd.in/gfAnwcjC 🤔What’s the agenda? 1. Insights into Cutting-Edge Data Technology Projects to advance access to justice. 2. Advancing Justice Via Data, Advanced Analytics, and AI (especially PII!!!) 🔐 3. Networking with Field Leaders 4. Tips and Tricks for Data Security and Privacy. FYI Kristen Henderson Daranee Petsod Dayanara Salazar Hollie Webb Nicole Elizabeth Ramos Perris Richter Mobile Pathways Aryah S. Sophie Alcorn Sophie Owens Kate Courteau Patricia Toothman Sima Thakkar William Ryland Milli Atkinson