Detained while trying to earn a living, while exercising the right to protest, and while reporting to immigration court. These are just some of the harrowing stories of how current policies are terrorizing immigrant communities. Nonprofits that serve immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are more critical than ever.
Longtime SFF grantee Centro Legal de la Raza, an Oakland-based nonprofit, advocates for immigrant rights and offers a range of services to help immigrants navigate the increasingly fraught immigration process. SFF recently spoke with executive director Monique Berlanga and deputy director Maciel Jacques to learn how Centro Legal de la Raza is supporting Alameda County’s immigrant community.
What role does Centro Legal de la Raza have in responding to current immigration policy?
Monique Berlanga: We are being asked to move faster, stretch farther, and adapt constantly—but we can only do that through strong coordination. We serve as the backbone for coalitions across housing, workers’ rights, and immigration in Alameda County. In the immigration space, we bring partners together to align strategy, share resources, and respond quickly to the needs of the community. Our leadership helps ensure the collective response is effective and grounded in equity. We also leverage our legal expertise by providing direct services and through strategic legal action to challenge unjust systems.
What are you hearing from the community right now?
Monique: Fear is driving people into the shadows. We’ve seen significant drops in participation at food distribution sites and school-based programs. One community member told me her elderly mother—who used to take daily walks—now doesn’t feel safe leaving her home. That sense of fear and instability is widespread, deeply affecting community health, education, and trust.
How is Centro responding to current immigration policy?
Maciel Jaques: We’ve reactivated the Alameda County Immigration Legal & Education Partnership (ACILEP), a rapid response and education network led by Centro Legal. Our partners include Faith in Action East Bay, Street Level Health Project, Spanish-Speaking Citizens’ Foundation, and Eden United Church of Christ. Together, we:
- Respond to reports of ICE activity across Alameda County
- Provide verification, legal screenings, and emergency legal support
- Offer Know Your Rights education in multiple languages
- Accompany and support families through crisis moments
When a community member calls our hotline, we don’t just take a report—we mobilize. We verify, show up, and offer legal and emotional support, especially if someone is detained.
What is your long-term strategy for the next four years, and what initiatives are currently underway to benefit the community in the future?
Monique: Our long-term strategy is about building community power, not just reacting to crisis. While we continue providing high-volume legal services, we’re also focused on defending against evictions and wage theft, collecting and analyzing data on immigration enforcement patterns, and pushing for local policy change that embeds justice and dignity in Alameda County institutions.
Immigrant communities need more than just immigration legal support. They need stability, housing, healthcare, and a voice. That’s why we’re working across issues, building coalitions, and planning for transformation—not just survival.
How can our communities support Centro Legal de la Raza and the work you are doing for the immigrant community?
Maciel: We urgently need funding right now. This is a critical moment. Our communities are under attack, and we’re doing everything we can to meet their needs with limited resources. Even so, the impact is real: people are staying in their homes, families are reunited, and community members are asserting their rights.
Imagine what we could do with more. More resources mean more legal staff, more outreach, and deeper partnerships. This is how we protect our communities—and how we build something stronger for the future.
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Supporting Centro Legal de la Raza provides critical legal support and other essential services to immigrant communities, offering a vital lifeline when immigrants face potential detainment. To support this work, donate here.
Centro Legal de la Raza was founded in 1969 by a group of Latino law students at the University of California, Berkeley, who saw a need for legal services rooted in the community, embedded in the community, by the community, for the community.
SFF is proud to support Centro Legal de la Raza and other organizations that provide critical assistance to the immigrant community in the face of increasing challenges and an ever-changing political environment. Learn about more organizations on the frontlines in the fight for justice and equity in our Immigrants and Refugees Give Guide.
