Sponsors sought for refugee families awaiting asylum hearings
Al Otro Lado and Matthew 25, two organizations that offer legal and other services to migrants and refugees in Southern California, have located a number of parents who were separated from their children while attempting to apply for asylum in the United States, and then deported without being reunited.
With the endorsement of Bishop John Harvey Taylor, the organizations are asking the diocesan community to help them locate U.S. citizens or legal residents to volunteer as sponsors for some 18 families so that they can enter the United States, have their children returned to them, and await hearings for their asylum applications.
The need is urgent and immediate. While sponsors make a commitment to be financially responsible for and host the family for a minimum of six months, Al Otro Lado and Matthew 25 have established networks that can help with both of these requirements. The majority of these families already have relatives who can host them, but who may not have the legal status to qualify as sponsors. A list of frequently asked questions about sponsorship is here. For more information, or to volunteer, email Alexia Salvatierra.
Tags: Immigration & Refugees
