Immigrant and Refugee Service Opportunities
in the San Diego/Baja California Area
The following organizations, which have worked with the UCSD
Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, provide services,
shelter, and other material assistance to low-income immigrants
and refugees in San Diego County and/or Baja California. They
welcome volunteers in various roles. For further information,
contact the organization directly.
American Friends Service Committee
3850 Westgate
San Diego, CA 92105
Tel#: (619) 233-4114
Fax#: (619) 233-6247
Contact Person: Christián Ramírez, Program Director
San Diego branch of a national organization that provides
legal services to immigrants and monitors human rights violations
occurring in the San Diego/Tijuana border area.
American Immigration Lawyers Association (San Diego
Chapter)
c/o Larrabee and Zimmerman, LLP
P.O. Box 919016
San Diego, CA 92191-9016
Tel#: (858) 642-0420
Fax#: (858) 642-0431
Contact person: Sharon
R.Mehlman, Chair
San Diego branch of a national association of immigration
lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and
reasonable immigration law and policy, and advance the quality
of immigration and nationality law and practice.
Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition
San Diego, Calif.
Tel#: (619) 336-0770
Contact person: Brian McGoldrick, Staff Attorney
The Coalition seeks student volunteers to assist in: (1) creating a legal network of volunteers and pro bono attorneys to help with representing victims of human trafficking, including intake, assistance with immigration visa needs, and dealing with any pending criminal violations and ultimately civil remedies provided by state and federal law; (2) creating a legal resource center on human trafficking for use by attorneys, law enforcement and social service providers; (3) developing educational tools for community and ethnic organizations to help identify victims of trafficking; (4) working both nationally and internationally to develop laws criminalizing human trafficking.
California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
15 South Coast Highway
Oceanside, CA 92054
Tel#: (760) 966-0511
Fax#: (760) 966-0291
Contact person: Claudia
Smith, Executive Director
The Foundation monitors the activities of the Border Patrol
and advocates protection of migrants' rights.
Carlsbad Migrant Housing Coalition
Law Offices of Michael Wischkaemper
1808 Aston Ave., Suite 240
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Tel#: (760) 438-1222
Fax# (760) 438-7888
Contact person: Michael
Wischkaemper, Chair
This organization of community activists, lawyers, and developers
is seeking new approaches to housing homeless low-income migrants
who work in local agriculture, construction, and services.
Casa Cornelia Law Center
315 Laurel Street
San Diego, CA 92101
Tel#: (619) 231-7788
Fax#: (619) 231-7784
Contact person: Carmen Chavez, Executive Director
The Center offers legal services to undocumented immigrants who are victims of domestic violence. It also provides services for those who are seeking political asylum. In addition, it offers representation to unaccompanied minors who are in INS detention.
Casa del Migrante en Tijuana, A.C. (Centro Scalabrini)
Calle Galileo 239, Col. Postal
Tijuana, B.C. 22350
Address in San Diego:
P.O. Box 430387
San Diego, CA 92143
Tel#: (011-526) 682-51-80
Fax#: 682-6358
Contact persons: Padre.Luis Kendzierski, Program Director; Hno.
Gioacchino Campese, C.S., Sub-Director
Provides temporary lodging and food to migrants in Tijuana.
Casa Familiar
Tel#: (619) 428-1115
Fax#: (619) 428-2802
Contact person: Andrea
Palacios Skorepa
Provides a wide range of social services to youths
and adults (both immigrants and U.S.-born residents) in the
community of San Ysidro, south of downtown San Diego, on the
border with Mexico.
Catholic Charities
349 Cedar Street
San Diego, CA 92101
Tel#: (619) 231-2828
Fax#: (619) 234-2272
Contact Person: Executive Director: Sister
RayMonda DuVall, CHS
Provides material assistance to immigrant families in San
Diego.
Centro de Protección Legal
2859 El Cajon Blvd., Ste. 1-C
San Diego, CA92104
Tel#: (619) 584-8424
Contact persons: Marco Cisneros and Silvia González.
Provides assistance to immigrants in filling out forms of
various types.
Community HousingWorks
4305 University Ave., Suite 550
San Diego, CA 92105
Tel.#: (619) 282-6647, ext. 313
Fax: (619) 640-7119
Contact person: Sue
Reynolds, Executive Director
This large NGO provides housing assistance to low-income
immigrants and refugees in North San Diego County and in central
San Diego; develops new housing projects, provides rental housing,
and makes mortgage loans.
The Flying Samaritans
Fallbrook, CA
Tel#: (760) 940-1028
Contact person: Nash
Williams
Provides basic medical care to Mexican migrants arriving
in Baja California, especially indigenous migrants from Oaxaca
and other parts of southern Mexico. Operates weekend clinics
in Ensenada, Rosarito, Tecate, and other Baja California cities.
Transportation provided from pick-up points in San Diego County.
Translators are especially needed, and students with interest
in health care. Click here to read
an article on activities.
Las Casitas: Earth Shelter and Solar Power Teaching Initiative
Tel#: (760) 212-0044.
Contact persons (based in Carlsbad): Coleen
Lassegard
Anna Hoyle, (760) 796-4220.
Trains homeless migrant farm worker men to serve as future
trainers in earth shelter construction methods. Provides farm
workers with small solar power kits to enable them to have access
to lights, television and cell phone recharging in the camps.
Also organizes self-help shelter building projects by migrant
farm workers (see www.calearth.org for information on
the construction technique). Volunteers work on weekends with
project trainers and migrants at a demonstration project in
Fallbrook.
Lori Saldaña, Office of (California State Assembly)
1557 Columbia Street
San Diego, CA 92101
Tel#: (619) 645-3090
Assemblymember.Saldana@assembly.ca.gov
Contact person: Annie Dierickx, anne@antelecom.net
Assemblywoman Saldaña seeks student interns to work in her district office on issues relating to immigration and U.S.-Mexico relations.
Interfaith
Community Services
550 West Washington Ave., Suite B
Escondido, CA 92025
Tel#: (760) 489-6380, ext. 221
Fax#: (760) 740-0837
Contact Person: Jeannie
Winton, Director of Volunteer Services
A non-sectarian social service agency based in northern
San Diego County that provides a broad range of social services
to immigrants.
JOB (Justice Overcoming Boundaries)
521 E. 8th street
National City, CA 91950
Tel#: (619) 474-8916
Contact person: Rev. Patricia Andrews-Collari
A San Diego county wide inter faith community organization
that seeks to promote equity and justice. Affiliated with
the Gamaliel Foundation.
La Maestra Family Clinic
4185 Fairmont Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
Tel#: (619) 280-1105; 285-8134
Contact person: Zara Marselian, Executive Director
A non-profit community clinic in downtown San Diego that
treats 80-100 immigrants per day for a wide range of medical
problems.
Latino Integration
701-B Seagaze Drive
Oceanside, CA
Tel#: (760) 721-1723 - Direct line (760) 500-9922
Contact person: Gracie Fusaro,
co-founder
A non-profit organization that helps Spanish-speaking immigrants
to navigate many kinds of legal paperwork required by public
agencies and private businesses.
Migrant Workers Lunch Program
Solana Beach Presbyterian Church
Lomas Santa Fe & Stevens Blvd.
Solana Beach, CA 92075
Tel#: (858) 509-2581
Contact persons: Pastor Galdino Don Juan
The program distributes lunches to 150-200 homeless migrant
workers each week in Carmel Valley, Encinitas, Carlsbad and
Solana Beach.
San Diego County Medical Society Alliance
3130 Fifth Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103
Tel#: (619) 298-4782
Contact persons: Alicia Munoz,
co-President; Rodrigo Munoz
This organization helps immigrants to navigate the health
care system in San Diego County.
San Diego Human Relations Commission
Central San Diego
Tel #: (619) 236-6413
Contact person: Kathleen
Dene, Assistant Executive Director
The Commission is an agency of the City of San Diego
that works with community groups, public and private agencies,
and law enforcement to address issues of interracial, inter-religious,
and intercultural conflict, including domestic violence
affecting immigrant and refugee women.
San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program
San Diego
Tel#: (619) 235-5656, x110, x115.
Contact persons: Cheryl Martínez and Rebeca Pedroza.
Offers pro bono legal services to immigrants, low income
clients and battered immigrant women. Always looking
for motivated volunteers to help with clinics and conduct
research.
1st Special Response Group
San Francisco Bay area, but operates in "virtual" manner
throughout California
Tel#: (650) 618-1499
Contact person: David Kovar
Moffett Federal Airfield
Moffett Field, CA 94035-0230
This NGO provides international search and rescue services.
They are launching a project to rescue undocumented migrants
from death in southwestern desert areas and welcome interns
based in San Diego.
Survivors of Torture, International
P.O. Box 151240
San Diego, CA 92175-1240
Tel#: (619) 278-2400
Fax#: (619) 294-9405
Contact persons: Kathi
Anderson, Executive Director
David Gangsei,
Clinical Director
Provides psychological counseling, arranges housing,
and other services to refugees who have fled violence and
political/religious/gender persecution in the Middle East,
Latin America and Asia. Opportunities for data analysis.
Water and Winter Stations Project
P.O. Box 86598
San Diego, CA 92138
Tel#: (619) 269-7865
Contact person: Enrique
Morones.
In summer, maintains water stations in the Imperial Valley
desert to avert migrant deaths due to dehydration and heatstroke;
in winter, set up storage bins with heavy clothing, food and
water in mountain areas of San Diego County to reduce deaths
due to exposure and hypothermia. Volunteers are welcome every
weekend during the applicable seasons.
