Posts Tagged ‘immigration’
In a city of immigrants, three men share their stories
Oakland is a city of immigrants. According to information provided by Census.gov, in 2018, Oakland had a population of about 429,000 people, with about a third of the population being from another country. But those census figures may not be accurate. “I think the challenge is that many of them are living in the shadows,…
Read MoreOakland protesters rally at State Capitol against deportation of Cambodian refugees
Oakland protesters rally in Sacramento against deportation of Cambodian community members.
Read MoreOakland naturalization ceremony welcomes new Americans
Over 1,100 people from 86 different countries took the oath to become United States citizens at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland on Wednesday. In a warm and thunderous atmosphere, with friends and family whistling and singing, California Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), the keynote speaker, said, “I am so grateful to welcome all of you, my…
Read MoreEast Oakland Catholic organization celebrates the canonization of Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero
Members of the Oakland Catholic Worker gather for a backyard Sunday mass to commemorate the Salvadoran archbishop’s canonization.
Read MoreOakland’s Mam community celebrates their first cultural festival
Oakland’s Mam community, an indigenous group originally from Guatemala, celebrated their first cultural festival on September 15.
Read MoreFruitvale undocumented workers share their stories at community forum
At the Peralta Hacienda Historical Park earlier this month, undocumented day laborers told their immigration stories.
Read MoreMay Day march through downtown Oakland calls attention to labor, immigration and police issues
Papery doves of peace hovered above Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, among people carrying colorful signs and banners demanding the end of immigration raids and deportations. “No ban, no raid, no wall—sanctuary for all!” people chanted from a flatbed truck as different groups from throughout the Bay Area gathered at the plaza on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate May Day, also known as International Worker’s Day.
Read MoreFor East Bay immigrants, notary fraud is a common legal threat
Notary fraud is a common set-up in which notaries unlawfully give legal advice to immigrants, and in many cases, pretend to be immigration attorneys. The scam often involves the notary reviewing a victim’s case, choosing which legal documents are appropriate for their case, helping complete these documents, and submitting them to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Office—all acts only lawyers have the authority to do.
Immigration experts and advocates say that notary fraud is one of the biggest issues facing the undocumented community. “It is also a big problem in the East Bay and surrounding areas in Northern California,” said Barbara Pinto, an immigration senior staff attorney at the Centro Legal de la Raza, a legal service agency for immigrants’ rights, located in Oakland.
Read MoreEast Bay women build a net of support to help cope with the fear of deportation
Every morning in front of Melrose Leadership Academy, the same choreography is repeated: the uproar of the children arriving at the school displaces squirrels and birds to the cherry and palm trees that adorn the sidewalk. At this public school, in the sanctuary city of Oakland, people exchange greetings in Spanish. The first poster near…
Read MoreGrant gives Oakland schools funding for refugee students
Grant will provide academic support for literacy, career pathways, and community safety and engagement
Read MoreAfter warning of immigration raids, Oakland mayor brings the city into the national spotlight
Over 200 undocumented immigrants were arrested and detained across Northern California during ICE Raids two weeks ago. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf gave an unprecedented public warning before the raids and has come under the national spotlight for her actions.
Read MoreOne year later: How Trump’s travel ban affected people in the East Bay
U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this summer on whether its third version violates federal immigration law or the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition against religious discrimination
Read MoreLina Park named executive director of the Korean American Community Foundation
Lina Park was recently named the executive director of the Korean American Community Foundation of San Francisco. She discusses her new role, the community’s biggest hidden issues and cultural taboos.
Read MoreOakland officials and advocacy groups prepare for possible immigration raids
In Oakland, city officials and immigration advocacy groups are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best after an alarm was sounded earlier this month, notifying the Bay Area that federal immigration officials could be planning massive raids on undocumented immigrant communities in the coming weeks. On January 16, the San Francisco Chronicle reported…
Read MoreWorkshop helps prepare undocumented immigrants for possible ICE raids
On Thursday morning at the youth center at Skyline High School in Oakland, about 10 women sat around a table and practiced shouting. “I want to speak with my lawyer!” demonstrated Antonio Medrano, the chapter chair of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California’s Berkeley/North East Bay chapter. He stood in front of…
Read MoreRefugee advocate with criminal past changes life, helps others
Nghiep Ke Lam remembers when he learned that “violence is okay.” He was around 8 or 9 years old and was living in San Francisco, California. He still often thinks of the moment when six bullies surrounded him and told him, “You have two choices.” The first choice was to fight with one of them;…
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