California Immigrant Policy Center

As part of the , we were at the California State Capitol advocating for our communities!

Take action by contacting your lawmakers and urging them to pass

https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/

We're one week away from Budget2SaveLives' Budget Advocacy Breakdown session!

Bruno Huizar, our Supervising Policy Manager, will be speaking with other advocates providing an overview of this year's final state budget & lessons learned from this year's advocacy.

RSVP: bit.ly/b2slbudgetbreakdown

Last week we had our annual staff retreat in Los Angeles. We were able to come together, strategize on our campaigns, and plan for the upcoming year ahead.

Grateful for our team!

Thank you Speaker Robert Rivas, Senate pro Temp Mike McGuire & California Governor Newsom for protecting our vision by rejecting the cuts to IHSS for undocumented Medi-Cal recipients; we look forward to working with & to address the remaining gaps and exclusions in Covered California.

The California Endowment and The California Wellness Foundation will be hosting a webinar discussing 'The 2024 State Budget & Its Impact on Communities of Color' on Wednesday 7/10 at 10am.

We are excited to be joining the conversation where Masih Fouladi, our Executive Director, will be representing CIPC and talking about the state budget and its impacts and implications specifically on immigrant communities in California.

Register at bit.ly/policyperspectives

CIPC issued a statement regarding former President Trump’s false and inflammatory comments about immigrants at the presidential debate last night.

Immigrants make the United States a stronger nation and xenophobia has no place in American politics. Of this, there is no debate.

Read our full statement at cipc.me/debatestatement

We are proud to join in the launch of , a new statewide campaign dedicated to expanding access to professional licensing and entrepreneurship opportunities for all Californians regardless of their backgrounds, immigration status, or English language proficiency.

Despite successful advocacy in past years to expand access to professional licensing and entrepreneurship opportunities, more work must be done to ensure that language access, restrictions on accumulating professional experience, and other barriers do not prevent immigrants from realizing their professional dreams. Every individual should have the opportunity to support themselves and their loved ones on their own terms.

Learn more and join us at: bit.ly/joinem4a

“We have a long way to go to equitably fund and support immigrants in California. Immigrants are close to a third of the population, and trust me, they are not getting a third of the funding when it comes to services within the budget.” - Masih Fouladi, CIPC Executive Director

Newsom’s budget plan saves vital programs for immigrants, but kids and hungry seniors may suffer The state budget deal preserves funding for immigration legal clinics at Cal State campuses and In-Home Supportive Services for the undocumented.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and the legislative leaders recently released the details of their agreement on the state’s budget package for 2024-25.

Here is our statement in reaction to the budget agreement. For our full statement which includes more details, go to cipc.me/budget

Happy Juneteenth!

On this day we commemorate the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. We also celebrate the resistance, resilience, and joy of Black communities who continue to fight for the dignity and equity of our communities, and recognize that our freedoms are all intertwined as we move towards our collective liberation. Onwards! ✊🏽

CIPC mourns the passing of Rev. James Lawson Jr., a civil rights icon, leader, professor and pastor. We are indebted to his leadership in the civil rights movement, which helped end segregation and better this nation. His legacy continues to inspire our work to bring equity, inclusion and justice to all immigrants, people of color and marginalized communities. Rest in power.

No child should face life in a new country alone. California’s CHIRP program is working to fix that.

Since CHIRP started in September 2022, the program has provided legal representation and case management support in education, mental health, medical, food access, and housing assistance to hundreds of children. CHIRP ensures these children receive the trauma informed care they need.

CHIRP is an important investment in the future of some of California’s most vulnerable children, but the program is under threat. Join us in calling on California Governor Newsom's office to renew CHIRP and safeguard unaccompanied children in CA ➡️ tinyurl.com/CACHIRP

Check out this new Op Ed written by Andrea Amavisca, our Government Affairs Manager, and Jackie Gonzalez, Policy Director at Immigrant Defense Advocates.

"Immigration legal services are a lifeline for one of the most vulnerable and important populations in our state. Elected representatives can honor migrant workers and speak about the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion, but the true test of their commitment is how they treat them in the most challenging times."

Read more at:

As Trump touts mass deportations, California must boost immigration protection programs | Opinion With the threat of a Trump re-election, Gov. Gavin Newsom must use this opportunity to maintain funding for immigration protection programs.

June is National Immigrant Heritage Month. Join us in celebrating all immigrant Californians and their contributions!

CIPC was established to protect and advance immigrants' rights in our state and ensure that all Californians - regardless of immigration status - have the resources they need to thrive! Keep an eye on this space throughout the month to find ways you can support our mission and campaigns uplifting immigrant communities!

Yesterday we were in Washington DC at the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference where Benyamin Chao, our Policy Manager, spoke on the panel with our partners from California and ÓRALE! Everyone should have access to food - no exceptions!

President Biden signed an executive order today allowing him to deny people their right to seek asylum at the southern border when certain conditions are met. Here is CIPC's statement from Masih Fouladi, our Executive Director.

Governor Newsom recently proposed dangerous cuts to many California care programs in his proposed budget. These cuts would have potentially devastating impacts on aging, disabled, and undocumented communities.

Join us and other advocates in Los Angeles and San Francisco this Thursday, June 6 at 11AM to let Governor Newsom know that these budget cuts should not move forward and we must take action.

Carlos Alarcon, CIPC’s Health & Public Benefits Policy Analyst, will be speaking at the Los Angeles event!

RSVP: tinyurl.com/NoBudgetCutsRallyLA

June is Pride Month! CIPC remembers the violence and struggles q***r folks have experienced, and celebrates the contributions, resilience, and lives of all LGBTQIA+ folks!

The state Senate and Assembly just released a joint legislative budget proposal. Here is our statement from CIPC Executive Director Masih Fouladi.

Read the full budget plan at bit.ly/legbudgetplan

We’re so excited to have Andrea Amavisca, our Government Affairs Manager, recognized as one of Capitol Weekly’s rising stars! Go Andrea! 👏🏽

Rising Stars: Andrea Amavisca of the California Immigrant Policy Center - Capitol Weekly Raised as the child of immigrant parents in Imperial County, a rural agricultural region in Southern California nestled along the Mexico border, Andrea Amavisca always understood the value of immigrant rights. While she continues to work in that space, she is now working more closely on where LGBTQ+...

Don't Cut Health Care for Our Most Vulnerable

Join us, Nourish California, Senator Melissa Hurtado and Assemblymember Miguel Santiago on 5/28 at the State Capitol in Sacramento at 3pm for the coalition's press conference where we will be letting California Governor Newsom know that we object his proposed delay of the expansion of CalFresh for people aged 55+. When we say , we mean no delays!

We call on the Governor and legislature to prioritize the wellbeing of Californians and use every tool necessary to avoid cuts and delays to core services that disproportionately and immediately impact immigrant Californians and communities of color.

CIPC is looking for a Senior Communications Specialist and a Senior Statewide Organizer to join our team! Consider applying or share with your networks if you know someone who may be a good fit!

Full job description and application at cipc.me/jobs

Over the last two days, our economic justice policy team participated at the California Coalition for Worker Power’s “Worker Power Assembly” in Sacramento, where together with the coalition, Senator María Elena Durazo , Assemblymember Ash Kalra , and Assemblymember Liz Ortega , we called on the state to:

1) Codify the California Worker Outreach Program (CWOP) so that all Californians can understand and protect their rights at work. !

2) Protect California workers’ right to receive remedies from workplace rights violations such as wage theft by protecting the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) from corporate backlash, and pass to strengthen PAGA!

Yesterday we were in Sacramento with Immigrant Defense Advocates, Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) Senator María Elena Durazo, Central American Resource Center (CARECEN-LA), Community Justice Alliance, Acacia Center for Justice and lawyers to urge California Governor Newsom to protect investments in CA’s immigration legal services that provide services to thousands of Californians each year.

"We have to stand against decisions that push our communities back into the shadows and leave them to fend for themselves," said State Senator María Elena Durazo

Immigrants rights advocates speak out against proposed California budget cuts Advocates said there could be $33 million in potential cuts to immigration legal service programs.

Black workers are still being faced with anti-Blackness and discrimination in the workplace daily. And even though there are Federal and state protections for protected classes, enforcement of these protections is not happening! Together, we're paving the path towards an equitable workplace for all.

Join us in supporting SB 1340 and advocating to move forward to the Senate Assembly because every worker deserves respect, dignity, and a voice. Let's empower our local agencies to fight discrimination and ensure justice is served.

Sign a letter in support at socalblackworkersunited.org/sb1340

This Mother’s Day, CIPC is joining UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy, ACLU, ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties & Jewish Family Services of San Diego to demand CBP stop detaining pregnant, nursing and postpartum parents and their families.

No parent should be forced to give birth in jail or detention.

Join us: bit.ly/CBPMothersDayPetition

Happy May Day! CIPC at the annual May Day rally today with partners and leaders supporting workers everywhere. Immigrant rights are workers rights! ✊🏽