Literacyworks
Immigrant Resources / Recursos para inmigrantes
At a time when fear and uncertainty weigh heavily on immigrant communities, access to clear, reliable, and empowering information is more important than ever. Literacyworks is committed to ensuring that all individuals—regardless of immigration status—have the resources, knowledge, and support to navigate life in California and the United States with confidence and dignity.
Our Immigrant Resources page is designed to connect undocumented residents with critical information about their rights, access to education, legal protections, and essential community services. Whether you are seeking guidance on workplace protections, educational opportunities, or legal support, we are here to help.
Education is a powerful tool for self-advocacy and empowerment. Through our work, we have witnessed the resilience and determination of immigrants who, despite challenges, pursue their dreams of education, employment, and security for their families. We stand with you in this journey, ensuring that knowledge and opportunity remain within reach.
Explore the resources available and know that you are not alone—your community is here to support you.
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En un momento en que el miedo y la incertidumbre pesan sobre las comunidades inmigrantes, el acceso a información clara, confiable y empoderadora es más importante que nunca. Literacyworks se compromete a garantizar que todas las personas, independientemente de su estatus migratorio, tengan los recursos, el conocimiento y el apoyo necesarios para desenvolverse con confianza y dignidad en California y los Estados Unidos.
Nuestra página de Recursos para Inmigrantes está diseñada para conectar a los residentes indocumentados con información fundamental sobre sus derechos, acceso a la educación, protecciones legales y servicios comunitarios esenciales. Ya sea que necesite orientación sobre protecciones en el lugar de trabajo, oportunidades educativas o apoyo legal, estamos aquí para ayudar.
La educación es una herramienta poderosa para la autodefensa y el empoderamiento. A través de nuestro trabajo, hemos sido testigos de la resiliencia y determinación de los inmigrantes que, a pesar de los desafíos, persiguen sus sueños de educación, empleo y seguridad para sus familias. Estamos con usted en este camino, asegurando que el conocimiento y las oportunidades sigan estando a su alcance.
Explore los recursos disponibles y recuerde que no está solo: su comunidad está aquí para apoyarlo.
LEGAL RIGHTS
Know Your Rights ResourceS
National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
English
Español
Know Your Rights resource provides general information on what to do if you are stopped, arrested, or detained by immigration or other law enforcement.
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Este recurso tiene información general sobre qué hacer si usted es arrestado o detenido por inmigración.
The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is one of the leading advocacy organizations in the U.S. dedicated to advancing and defending the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their loved ones.
Immigrant Defense Fund
Know Your Rights with ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Conozca Sus Derechos con ICE
English
Español
We Have Rights Videos
English
Español
An empowerment campaign to prepare for and safely defend our rights during encounters with Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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Una campaña de empoderamiento para preparar y defender de manera segura nuestros derechos durante encuentros con la agencia de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE).
Red Cards / Tarjetas Rojas
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
Download and Print the Red Card HERE
All people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. The ILRC’s Red Cards help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations, such as when ICE agents go to a home.
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Todas las personas en los Estados Unidos - sin importar su estatus migratorio - tienen derechos y protecciones bajo la constitución del país. Nuestras Tarjetas Rojas ayudan a los inmigrantes ejercer esos derechos y protegerse en muchas situaciones, como cuando agentes de inmigración visitan nuestras viviendas.
Red Cards/ Tarjetas Rojas
Catholic Charities
Download and Print the Red Cards HERE
LOCAL RESOURCES
Undocumented Students Support
Foundation for California Community Colleges
For information, click here
As national discussions about immigration grow more intense, FoundationCCC is offering resources for undocumented students. These resources aim to help them achieve their educational goals and ensure that campuses remain accessible to all students, regardless of their immigration status.
Free Immigration Services
California Community Colleges
For information, go here
Free immigration legal services are available to students, staff and faculty affiliated with the Community Colleges. Priority for services is given to undocumented students, staff and faculty. The immigration legal service providers offering services at the 65 campuses have developed scheduling, intake, and reporting processes that ensure student information remains confidential and protected. While all legal providers offer legal consultations and basic immigration benefit application assistance, some providers may offer additional services.
Basic immigration legal assistance includes:
• Legal Consultations to Screen for Immigration Relief
• Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Renewals
• Family-based petitions
• Naturalization/Citizenship applications
Education and Outreach activities (e.g. webinars) cover topics such as:
• Avoiding fraudulent legal services
• Know Your Rights Presentations (KYR)
• Family Preparedness/Childcare Safety Plans
• Public Charge information
Services not currently funded (referrals may be provided):
• Removal Defense
• Asylum Applications
Higher Education Legal Services
Schedule a FREE (Opens in a new window) appointment! You can choose English or Spanish.
Free immigration legal services and case support for students, staff, and faculty on California community college campuses statewide or virtually.
DACA Filing Fee Assistance Fund
To apply, click here
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has created a $3 million Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) filing fee assistance fund for individuals across the California Community Colleges. The fund will cover the $495 DACA application filing fees for students, faculty and staff affiliated with a California community college.
The Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA)
Click here to go to Petaluma Website
The Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA) helps immigrants, refugees, and their families join and contribute to the community. IIBA provides high-quality, affordable immigration legal services, education, and civic engagement opportunities.
Click here to watch Video
Catholic Charities
Click here to go to Website
As one of the top Department of Justice-accredited organizations in the nation, our team offers counseling and support to help you achieve citizenship, defend yourself against abuses of power, and ensure you can thrive in our community.
Immigration Legal Services Offered: Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties. Northern California residents outside of these counties are also welcome to apply.
• DACA Renewal
• DACA Advance Parole
• Free Citizenship Classes
• Family Based Petition
• Green Card Renewal
• U Visa, T Visa, and VAWA Services
Sonoma Immigrant Services
Click here to go to Website
Sonoma Immigrant Services is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2019 and now Recognized and Accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice. Located in Sonoma Valley, our mission is to strengthen the community through education and advocacy, including immigration legal services.
NATIONAL RESOURCES
Resource Hub for Undocumented and Immigrant Families
The Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS)
Click here to go to the Resource Hub
CMS compiled the resources and tools created by trustworthy organizations and directed to undocumented and immigrant families and communities, and advocates working with them. If you would like to suggest a resource, please send an e-mail at info@cmsny.org.
FAMILY RESOURCES
Step-by-Step Family Preparedness Plan
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
Click here to go to the Family Preparedness Plan
Every family should have a Family Preparedness Plan in case of an emergency. It is critical for immigrant families to think ahead and set more concrete plans for immigration emergencies that can arise. For example, this Resource Toolkit goes into detail about different childcare options available in case of an absent parent, where to find trusted immigration services in your community, and how to prepare to assert your constitutional rights in the presence of an immigration officer.
This toolkit , in English and Spanish (go to the bottom of the page for Spanish), is divided into sections that provide guidance on family preparedness planning, regardless of immigration status. It also provides additional advice to undocumented and/or mixed-status families.
A NOTE FROM THE CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES SYSTEM ON Undocumented Students
At a time when members of our undocumented communities are grappling with fear and uncertainty, the California Community Colleges has launched a number of initiatives to reassure everyone that our campuses will remain safe, welcoming places for people from all backgrounds to learn.
California’s community colleges embrace diversity in all forms. We believe all people have the right to access quality higher education. College-bound undocumented students are courageous, resilient and resourceful. They often work to pay for school and help their families. Many have lived in California for most of their life and have attended elementary, middle or high school in the United States.
That’s why the California Community Colleges is proud to offer numerous services and protections to undocumented students, including those who are protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. Our system does not capture information on undocumented students and our colleges will not release personally identifiable student information related to immigration status unless required by judicial order. The Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges has encouraged local districts to consider the system’s values when creating policies and practices related to undocumented students, leading many of our campuses to created Dreamer Resource Centers and host “know your rights” clinics.
It is vital that undocumented residents of California know their rights. For example, Assembly Bill 540 created a new exemption from the payment of out-of-state tuition for students who have attended a high school in California for three years and have earned a high school diploma or equivalent. The legislation was critical because without it, undocumented students attending a California community college would be paying thousands of dollars in tuition each year as non-residents or international students.
California is home to an estimated 2.5 million undocumented immigrants, and protecting our undocumented communities not only is the right thing to do, it is the economically wise thing to do. DACA recipients will contribute $460 billion to the U.S. economy in the next decade.
The California Community Colleges remains committed to standing with DACA recipients and other undocumented immigrants and providing them with educational opportunities.
