Opportunities

CICW Statement in Support of Immigrant Communities Impacted by LA Wildfires

January 13, 2025 – The Center on Immigration and Child Welfare Initiative stands in solidarity with those affected by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, CA, sharing in the collective grief of the individuals and families whose lives have been profoundly impacted. It has been deeply painful to witness the immense trauma Angelenos are enduring as they face evacuations, the loss of homes and livelihoods, and the uncertainty that follows such destruction.

We wish to especially recognize the unique challenges faced by immigrant communities during this crisis. Mixed-status families, children of immigrants, undocumented workers, day laborers, and their communities are navigating compounding vulnerabilities, including housing insecurity, precarious employment, and the fear of seeking emergency services. Many mixed-status families in California may be hesitant to seek assistance due to fears about immigration enforcement. These struggles mirror the challenges and resilience these communities displayed during the COVID-19 pandemic, where immigrants often stood as first responders and frontline workers. Once again, they are demonstrating incredible strength by helping to clean up neighborhoods, rebuild homes, and care for others.

Amid this turmoil, an immigration raid occurred on Wednesday, January 8^th in Bakersfield, CA, compounding the distress already felt by these communities. Customs and Border Protection agents conducted a large-scale raid in unmarked SUVs, detaining individuals outside locations such as a Home Depot and a gas station frequented by field workers. This raid—reportedly the first of its scale in California since the election of Donald Trump—took place just one day after Congress certified the presidential election on January 6. The fear and confusion caused by these actions, for both immigrant families and the local businesses that rely on their labor, serve as a stark warning of the potential consequences of policies prioritizing mass deportations.

There are meaningful ways we can support those affected. Below are links to several organizations offering direct assistance to immigrants and their families in Southern California:

• The Pasadena Community Job Center is serving as an Emergency Center for the day laborer community, providing temporary shelter, food, water, and emergency kits.
• The Mutual Aid LA Network (MALAN) has created a public Google spreadsheet with information about food, shelters, animal centers, sources of PPE, as well as volunteer opportunities and places to donate. You can also donate directly to help the group distribute resources on the ground.
• Al Otro Lado is collecting essential supplies for displaced people and migrant workers impacted by the fires.
• National Day Laborer Organization Network (NDLON) is supporting the day labor community with temporary shelter, food, water, and emergency kits at the Pasadena Community Job Center. NDLON-affiliated day laborers have started to clean up debris and offer residents support in finding safety. NDLON is accepting donations through their “Support Immigrant Workers Impacted by the Los Angeles Fires” campaign.
• Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo (CIELO) and the Instituto de Educación Popular del Sur de Los Angeles (IDEPSCA) work to support essential workers, like day laborers, housekeepers, domestic workers, nannies, and others, and will certainly be a resource hub for many now facing housing and employment uncertainty because of the wildfires.
• CIELO is an Indigenous women-led non-profit organization that provides services to Indigenous immigrant families. Their donation form can be found here: https://mycielo.org
• World Central Kitchen is also active in the region. The team is collaborating with local restaurants and food service providers to help get meals for emergency fire responders and anyone affected by the wildfires. Donate to help here.
• The Salvation Army is also accepting donations online to help provide emergency aid, shelter, food, and other support for first responders and wildfire victims across Southern California.
• Brewjeria Wildfire Relief Donation Drive – Pico Rivera, CA
• Eastside Cafe Space & Donation Drop Off – El Sereno, Los Angeles, CA

CICW Research Workgroup: SSWR 29^th Annual Conference Presentations

Members of the CICW Research Workgroup will be presenting the following oral paper, symposium, and roundtable at the SSWR 29^th Annual Conference.

Oral Paper: Building the Capacity of Social Service Systems to Serve Unaccompanied Immigrant Transitional Age Youth (TAY) during the Precarious Transition to Adulthood & Illegality

• Author: Kristina Lovato, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of California, Berkeley, CA
• Date & Time: Friday, January 17, 2025: 5:30 PM-7:00 PM (PT)
• Location:Columbia, Level 4 (Sheraton Grand Seattle)

Roundtable: Immigration Policy in the Wake of the 2024 Election: Impacts to Immigrant Communities and Finding a Path Forward

• Organizer: Kristina Lovato, PhD, University of California, Berkeley
• Date & Time: Thursday, January 16, 2025: 3:15 PM-4:45 PM (PT)
• Location: Columbia, Level 4 (Sheraton Grand Seattle)
• Speakers/Presenters: Tatiana Londoño, MSSW, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles; Kerri Evans, PhD, University of Maryland Baltimore County; Robert Hasson, PhD, Providence College, Wendy Cervantes, Center for Law & Social Policy and Cindy Liou, Esq, Kids in Needs of Defense

Symposium: The Importance of Parents’ Wellbeing, Parenting, and Other Family Practices in the Current Socio-Political Immigration Context

• Symposium Organizer: Maryam Rafieifar, PhD, University of Texas at Arlington
• Date & Time: Friday, January 17, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM (PT)
• Location:Seneca, Level 4 (Sheraton Grand Seattle)
• Discussant:Robin Hernandez-Mekonnen, PhD, Stockton University
• Presenting Authors:
  1. Tatiana Londono, MSSW, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of California, Los Angeles
     Impact of Migration Trauma Exposure on Parent-Child Relationships Among Families from the Northern Triangle of Central America
  2. Cheryl Aguilar, PhD Candidate, Smith College
     What about the Parents? Exploring the Impact of Immigration Separation and Reunification on the Wellbeing and Sense of Self of Central American Parents
  3. Maryam Rafieifar, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Arlington, Hui Huang, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Texas at Arlington, and Catalina Canizares Escobar, PhD, New York University
     Parenting Stress in Immigrant Families: Roles of Social Support and Household Dynamics
  4. Kelechi Wright, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Houston
     Immigrant Perspectives on the Nature of How Child Welfare Prioritizes Culture and Family
  5. Morgan Pardue-Kim, PhD Candidate; Kerri Evans, PhD, Assistant Professor; Celene Viveros Garces, Research Team Member; and Melissa Edmondson Smith, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore.
     Former Unaccompanied Refugee Minors’ Experiences As Parents: A Collaborative Approach

Launch of the Dataset of World Refugee and Asylum Policies

Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement • January 16, 2025 • 10am EST

This event will launch the Dataset of World Refugee and Asylum Policies (DWRAP), which is the first global dataset of asylum and refugee policies, and will discuss the tool’s features and uses for exploring policy questions.

Words Matter: The Impact of Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric and Policies on Clinicians and Patients

Migrant Clinicians Network (October 2024)

This three-part webinar series explores the impact of anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies on clinicians and patients from BIPOC communities, and provides practical strategies and insights to improve clinical practice, challenge stereotypes, and advocate for policies that promote health equity.

CICW 2024 Post-Election Statement

Center on Immigration and Child Welfare Initiative (November 11, 2024)

The Center on Immigration and Child Welfare Initiative shares in the collective feelings of grief, uncertainty, and disillusionment in the wake of last week’s 2024 election results. We are deeply troubled by the incoming Trump administration’s promised policy agenda that directly threatens the safety, wellbeing, and futures of millions of children in immigrant families and other vulnerable communities.

For more than a decade, immigrants and their families have been the target of increasingly punitive policies, xenophobic rhetoric, and baseless myths. The CICW was born out of a response to this harmful sociopolitical environment that has endangered the foundations of child protection and well-being, and we remain deeply committed to the fight for a humane immigration system and immigration policies that protect children and families regardless of immigration status.

We are inspired by and stand in solidarity with our fellow advocates, partners, and communities who share in this work with us; and we look to the future with a renewed resolve to surmount these impending challenges and create a country where children of immigrants thrive in their families and communities. The CICW stands with immigrants and marginalized groups as we continue to mobilize for social justice, build power within our communities, and put forth practice-informed research, trainings, and policy work to ensure that all individuals’ rights are protected, regardless of immigration status.

CICW Research Workgroup to Present at SSWR 2024

Society for Social Work and Research • January 15th-19th, 2025

Members of the CICW Research Workgroup will present at the upcoming 2025 SSWR Annual Conference in January, including:

• A symposium on The Importance of Parents’ Wellbeing, Parenting, and other Family Practices in the Current Socio-Political Immigration Context, featuring Maryam Rafieifar, Kerri Evans, Morgan Pardue-Kim, Cheryl Aguilar, Tatiana Londoño, Kelechi Wright, and Robin Hernandez-Mekonnen.
• A roundtable on Immigration Policy in the Wake of the 2024 Election: Impacts to Immigrant Communities and Finding a Path Forward, featuring Kristina Lovato, Tatiana Londoño, Kerri Evans, Robert Hasson, and policy experts Wendy Cervantes (CLASP) and Cindy Liou (KIND).

Conducting Tele-Mental Health Assessments for Immigration Cases

Girasol • November 5th • 12pm-2pm CT

This online workshop will review how to conduct mental health assessment and write reports to support immigration relief cases.

All We Carry Film Screening Recap

Center on Immigration and Child Welfare (October 8, 2024)

On October 8th, 2024, Berkeley Social Welfare and CICW co-hosted a powerful documentary film screening of, All We Carry, directed by Cady Vogue, which follows a family’s extraordinary journey as they flee persecution from narcotraffickers in Honduras and endure months in US detention. Upon release, they are sponsored by a synagogue in Seattle and move into a borrowed beachfront home, all while they await their asylum verdict. Over three years, the family navigates countless life-altering and every-day moments where memory, joy, and grief collide.

CICW Director, Dr Kristina Lovato, moderated a panel discussion in which local social service providers and faith communities shared strategies for advocating for, and promoting, immigrant rights and justice. The panelists included:

• Dr. Allison Tanner, Pastor of Public Witness, Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church
• Cady Voge, Director, Producer, and Cinematographer, All We Carry
• Yuliana Wiser-León, Newcomer Navigation Center Director & Padres Unidos Grants Manager, Eden Church
• Julie McDevitt, Integrated Behavioral Health Clinician, La Clínica de La Raza

Students, faculty, and community members enjoyed this timely discussion on promoting immigrant’s human rights amidst the current socio-political climate.

ISS International Conference: Throughout time, across borders: Navigating child protection and restoring family links

International Social Service • October 9, 2024 • 9am – 6pm CET 

This ISS International Conference will explore issues related to children on the move, family based care, the future of child protection and social work, and more.