In Spanish: Community Lawyers - Helping Immigrants in SoCal

Defensora de Latinos

Luz Herrera fomenta asesoría legal para latinos

Attorney Luz Herrera

• Martha Sarabia |
• 2011-03-06
• | La Opinión

Estudió en dos de las universidades más prestigiosas del país, Harvard y Stanford, pero ni eso logró que Luz Herrera se olvidara de sus orígenes.


La abogada, nacida en Ensenada, México y criada en Compton, creó su propio bufete de abogados en la mencionada ciudad californiana, conocida por su alto nivel de crimen y de pobreza.


Sin preocuparse por generar altos ingresos en su despacho, desde el inicio en el 2002, ayudó de manera gratuita a aquellos que no podían pagar sus honorarios.


"Realmente la comunidad tiene muchos problemas legales y no tienen a alguien que les ayude", dijo.
Al ver esta problemática, en el 2005 fundó Community Lawyers, Inc, una organización sin fines de lucro que provee asistencia legal gratuita a personas de bajos o moderados recursos.


A través de esta asociación, los clientes con casos pendientes reciben asesoría profesional en talleres o individualmente. En algunas ocasiones, dijo, los beneficiados emplean al abogado que les ayudó, y este les cobra menos que lo habitual u ofrece planes de pago.


"Lo que quiero es que este sea un modelo nuevo de como proveer servicios legales", comentó.
Reconoció que como ella existen pocos abogados latinos y por eso decidió regresar a la escuela pero con una nueva ocupación.


"Dejé mi bufete privado para ir a dar clases a los estudiantes que se están preparando para ser abogados y para que estos el día de mañana ayuden a otros latinos de la comunidad. Somos muy pocos los que vamos a la escuela de derecho y menos los que vamos a la especialización y vemos la necesidad de tener más abogados latinos", agregó la catedrática de 38 años de Thomas Jefferson School of Law en San Diego.


Como parte de esta posición, añadió, sirve de mentora a estudiantes que pertenecen a minorías, desde hispanos a aquellos que pertenecen a la comunidad homosexual.


"Tuve oportunidades magníficas pero lo más bonito es poder ayudar a alguien más, regresar a la comunidad y usar esas conexiones. La meta debe de ser comunitaria, no individual... Mi misión es ayudar a la gente", aseguró sobre lo que la motiva a ayudar a otros.


También aseguró estar organizando clínicas de servicios legales para aquellos que quieran iniciar organizaciones no lucrativas o negocios tanto en el condado de San Diego como en Los Ángeles...link


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more on Luz Herrera


From Tijuana to Compton Via Harvard Law

Not Everyone in Orange County Hates Undocumented Immigrants

Orange County is a strange place. Its like outer space, with buildings popping up amid the cactus in a kind of unnatural way. I've been here a couple of days and often think about the nearby ICE raids as I see the immigrant workers at the hotel I stay at.

It is so illogical to terrorize the people that keep the county going. Maybe the Orange County Register sees this...


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Friday, October 5, 2007
Editorial: Immigration raids unite sides in uproar
Elsewhere, lawsuit halts feds' plan to order companies check workers Social Security numbers.
An Orange County Register editorial

It is almost impossible to avoid the suspicion that the recent flurry of arrests by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is more symbolic than substantive. Unfortunately, the raids are more likely to exacerbate polarization than to develop a consensus.

Some 1,300 immigrants have been apprehended the past two weeks in Southern California, and, judging by news reports, the campaign has been nationwide. Meanwhile, a program to mail notices to 140,000 employers, informing them that some of their employees' Social Security numbers do not match government records and they would do well to investigate the workers and fire them if they turn out to be illegal immigrants, is on hold, thanks to a lawsuit filed by the AFL-CIO and the ACLU, joined by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several business groups.

The suspicion is that the Bush administration, frustrated that its "comprehensive" immigration reform failed to get any traction in Congress, is engaging in conspicuous enforcement with the idea that if business relationships are sufficiently disrupted, support for its proposals or something similar will grow. However, the raids instead are providing something for all sides to complain about.

For those who see recent immigration as alarming, arresting 1,300 people – or even some 30,000 nationwide, as figures for the year to date suggest – is but a drop in the bucket compared with the 12 million or so illegal immigrants most authorities believe are in the country now. For those who see immigration as mostly beneficial, the fact that of 62 people arrested in Orange County, for example, only eight were fugitive criminals, and seven were fugitives, suggests that the enforcement net has been cast indiscriminately, creating havoc for people who, despite their immigration status, are working and contributing.

It will probably be a long time, if ever, before a consensus emerges around our editorial position, that the quotas for immigrants are too low, and the best approach would be to allow anybody who wants to come to immigrate (except terrorists and those with infectious diseases), but making it clear that they are not eligible for any government benefits until they have lived, worked and paid taxes here for a reasonable period of time.

But we keep hoping.




for link to article click title to this post

Orange County ICE Raid Hotline - 714-973-7806

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/AIM/a3621~Telephone-Posters.jpg


Monday, August 6, 2007
Hot line will tell of immigration raids
Coalition wants to notify people where and when immigration raids will take place, and create a support system for deportee targets.

SANTA ANA – Responding to a refusal by city leaders to declare the city a sanctuary for illegal immigrants, more than a dozen people gathered outside City Hall on Monday night to denounce recent immigration raids, accusing federal officials of "terrorizing" immigrant communities and breaking up families.

A coalition of local immigrant rights groups, including the Orange County Alliance for Immigrants Rights and the Front Against the Raids, announced a planned program to create a hot line that will notify people where and when immigration raids will take place. The program would also coordinate a support system for the families of deportee targets.
"We want to have a more organized effort to counter these attacks," said Jaime Conteras, a 20-year-old Filipino immigrant who now lives in Santa Ana. "We cannot let people trample on our rights."

Similar to programs being put together in Los Angeles County, organizers said, the hot line – in which volunteers will track details and update callers about ICE raids - will also direct relatives of detainees and deportees to legal assistance, along with information on what to do in case of a raid.

The activists urged people to call the hot line, at 714-973-7806, to report immigration raids, detentions, missing people or any abusive power by ICE or local law enforcement.

for complete article:
http://www.ocregister.com/news/immigration-raids-people-1800111-santa-haley

thanks again to Immigration Prof Blog for noting this