SAN DIEGO — Catholic Charities, in the Diocese of San Diego, continues to work on several fronts to support immigrant families, parishes and schools in the face of unprecedented actions from the federal government.
Fulfilling its Gospel mission, the organization has provided emergency assistance to the most vulnerable in the community for more than a century, working lawfully with the public sector and community partners. The organization has offices in San Diego and Imperial counties.
The U.S. government is conducting a massive campaign to detain and deport undocumented immigrants, including at work sites. For example, heavily armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided a popular restaurant in the South Park neighborhood of San Diego on May 30 while diners were eating, handcuffed all employees and detained four of them.
Catholic Charities has launched a Children’s Task Force that helps families prepare legal documents at no cost to ensure their children are taken care of in the event the parents are deported. Parishes and Catholic schools in the diocese can request this service for the families they serve.
The organization is providing up-to-date briefings to parishes and schools to prepare them for a potential immigration enforcement action at their premises.
The organization’s staff, which includes an attorney, can assist individuals and families through its Refugee and Immigration Services program.
In January, the organization launched a webpage in English and Spanish to inform undocumented immigrants about their rights and prepare them and their families for potential detention by immigration authorities. The page is found at emergencysafetyplan.org which has information in English and Spanish.
Meanwhile, the new federal administration eliminated a program to enable immigrants from around the world that had reached the border to apply for asylum. In June, it banned travel into the United States from 12 countries and severely restricted entry from seven more.
The administration also has slashed funding to assist immigrants and refugees legally in the country — funding that it had provided for decades.
As a result of these actions, Catholic Charities has been forced to downsize its Migrant Respite Shelters in the San Diego and Imperial Valley region that assisted asylum-seekers to reach their final destination as they awaited their immigration hearing.
Catholic Charities is transitioning its shelters into a smaller-scale operation. This new location will serve as a “Community Hub” — offering legal assistance, supportive services, self-sufficiency programs, and outreach for migrants and refugees. The Community Hub will also welcome collaboration with community partners, non-governmental organizations, and faith-based ones to provide additional support and resources to those in need.
The organization also has had to cut staffing in other programs. By the end of June, it has eliminated around 70 positions across its operations.
For immigration-related matters in English or Spanish, Catholic Charities may be contacted by phone at (619) 287-1270 in San Diego or (760) 370-3914 in the Imperial Valley, or by visiting the website ccdsd.org/immigrant-services.
