About $1.5 million in public-private funds is now available to support groups that are assisting Orange County residents who lack legal representation as they navigate the immigration court system.
Described as one of the first programs of its kind, the Orange County Liberty Fund was announced Wednesday, Aug. 27. It is using a network of legal providers, volunteer groups and community organizations to provide resources to low-income immigrant and refugee communities in Orange County.
“At a time when immigrant families face vicious abuse from unjust federal policies, and at an absence of due process, I felt compelled to assist all our families,” OC Second District Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said Wednesday, during an announcement event at the county administration building with funding partners, grantees and advisory members. “Over the last year, we’ve come together to discuss how the legal empowerment model could support communities impacted by abuse, terror tactics and family separations.”
But providing legal services was simply not enough, said Carlos Perea, executive director of the Harbor Institute for Immigrant and Social Justice, one of fund’s advisory groups.
“We saw that there were other things we could fund to amplify our impact,” he said, “and that’s where the idea of Liberty Fund came about. Which is looking at a public-private dollar fund that focuses on empowering the communities rather than just serving them. Specifically, funding organizations that are in the front lines and oftentimes resource-limited.”
The money raised so far includes $500,000 from Sarmiento’s Second District discretionary funds and private philanthropic partners, including the Weingart Foundation and St. Joseph Fund. Grant recipients will be determined by the Liberty Fund Advisory Council, made up of various public-private stakeholders, which are expected to share progress and document the impact of these grants to the public.
The nonprofit Charitable Ventures of Orange County will oversee and distribute grant funds as the network’s fiscal administrator.
Examples of funding for legal empowerment strategies include hotlines for reporting immigration activities, know-your-rights education programs, community-driven campaigns, and legal representation. Organizations that directly serve impacted communities, such as Viet Rise, the Orange County Rapid Response Network and the Arab American Civic Council, are among some of the initial grant recipients.
The fund will help families navigate the legal process, and ideally work pre-emptively to assist families who have not yet been impacted, Sarmiento said.
By educating immigrant families, he said, they can understand what rights they have and what exposures they may be subjected to.