** Border Angels
Newsletter
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Thank you for having us!
Shout out to NAU Young Dems for hosting our
Water Drop Directors Jacqueline Arellano and James Cordero!

Thank you for welcoming us and giving us the opportunity to shed some light on our work and the work that needs to be done.

Gracias!
Border Angels Executive Director & SDIRC Chair Dulce Garcia and CIPC Economic Policy Manager Sasha Feldstein discuss who qualifies for the CalEITC.
Click the link below to watch the Facebook Live and get informed!

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Free Them All hosted a discussion about medical neglect and abuse inside the Otay Mesa Detention facility as it connects to larger trends in detention across the US.

Thank you for having our own Vanessa Ceceña, Cristina Malo and Ruth Mendez of Detention Resistance, and Marcela Hernandez of Detention Watch Network. They discussed organizing efforts within detention centers and how organizers are building a case to “free them all.”
Thank you to everyone who joined Border Angels in this critical discussion on border wall construction and its impact to border communities on Kumeyaay land with Daniel Watman of Friends of Frienship Park and Kumeyaay Educator Dr. Stan Rodriguez!

Missed it? Click the link below to watch!

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** Program Updates:
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Before the winter is over, we continue to go out to the coldest areas of the mountains and desert where we leave warm supplies in addition to food and water to counteract the freezing/sub-freezing temperatures the winter carries in these areas.

These areas have had snow this season, and while the winter does not last too long in Southern California, it does hit hard for its brief period. Our groups were able to leave dozens of care packages, and cleaned up over 60lbs of trash from our public lands.

For questions and more info please email us at [email protected].
Donate Now! ([link removed])

Although Migrant Protection Protocols have been ended, an estimated 25,000 individuals still remain with active cases in the “Remain in Mexico” program. Of those, the first 25 individuals were allowed entry into the U.S., and the rest are scheduled to continue entering in small numbers according to their arrival time ion Mexico.

Currently, hundreds of asylum seekers wait outside the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, hoping to be allowed entry into the United States as part of President Biden's new policy. Although they will not be let in without registering first, desperation, misinformation, need for safety, and so many other factors drive these families to wait and camp along the border.

Irving Mondragon, and other staff members of our supported Casa de Luz shelters, cook and deliver food all the way from Playas de Tijuana at least twice a day for the migrant families camped outside El Chaparral, starting with the children. We are so grateful to them and to your continued support which allow to continue caring for our migrant families. Although we feel great joy to see a small glimmer of hope after 4 years of suffering, there is still an enormous amount of work to be done, and we need your support more than ever. We thank you for standing with us and will maintain you updated as we continue this process.

ADELANTE!
We are so grateful to Matias from Al Otro Lado for informing us and our shelter directors about all the updates and development with both the MPP and asylum seeking process. We are looking forward to another longer and in-depth presentation in the coming weeks.

We also take this time to shout out the dedication of all our directors who actively look to inform and assist their shelter residents in every way they can. Although there are some improvements with this administration, the work is far from over.

We continue to demand that everything promised to our immigrant communities and asylum seeking hermanxs be upheld. So many families have been in Tijuana seeking better opportunities and fleeing violence and it is up to us to amplify their voices.
Donate Now! ([link removed])
Thank you so much to our Day Laborer Outreach coordinator Osvaldo, Jessica and Tanya for supporting 69 day laborers on the first Saturday of this month. They were able to visit two locations and responsibly distribute care packages including snacks, hand sanitizer, toothbrushes, some much needed moral support, and so much more.

We are so grateful to their work and taking the time to put these packages together. We continue to try to find the best ways to support day laborers wether it be documenting their experiences and complaints, or finding the most useful items to donate. Thanks to Osvaldo and his team’s work on the field, we are able to better cater to of all their needs.

We thank them for always approaching this community with care and respect, as well as advocating for a community so beloved to us. Interested in donating? Visit our link in bio or email us at [email protected] to donate assembled care packages with: masks, neon tshirts and hand sanitizers. For more info or questions please feel free to email us!
Donate Now! ([link removed])
Angel of the week
Irving is part of the direction of Casa De Luz Tijuana shelter. A collective and inclusive space formed by the LGBTQI+ migrant community in search of the wellbeing of all humans, with the sole objective of letting people be their authentic selves, providing assistance to those who have migrated. He is passionate and caring, and an inspiration to us all, reminding us to always be kind, inclusive, and lead with love.

Just last week, he provided meals for asylum seekers as they await the changing process. Him and his crew traveled to El Chaparral port of entry at least twice a day to assist the families. He truly exemplifies our mission, and we are so grateful to know him.

Want to nominate someone? Email us at [email protected] to tell us why!
Fundraiser Update

Our friends Eric & Paula from Bikes4Good started their 30-45 day and 1700 mile long Baja bike journey yesterday Monday February, 15th! They will cycle the length of Baja California, Mexico, to raise awareness and money for our organization. We are so grateful for their partnership, and invite you all to follow their journey via the link below:

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BA SHOP

Purchase your own “Tu Vida Vale” t-shirt, stickers and pins!

Get your limited edition merchandise now before it runs out & check out our other merchandise while you're expoloring!

Design by Misael Ruiz
Click below to shop!
Shop Now! ([link removed])


** Other ways to support
Border Angels
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One of the best ways to help Border Angels’ mission is holding a fundraiser on our behalf! It is because of the support of all our followers and countless fundraisers we were able to accomplish so much of our life-saving work last year.

We’ve put together everything you need to know from ideas to instructions of how to start yours in our Fundraising Toolkit.

Click the link below to get started:
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You can make a difference and donate today.

Please make checks payable to:

Border Angels
2258 Island Ave
San Diego, CA 92102
DONATE TO BORDER ANGELS ([link removed])
BORDER ANGELS LINKTREE ([link removed])
Venmo @border-angels ()
Paypal ([link removed])


** BA in the News
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** Prevention Through Deterrence: The Guiding Strategy of U.S. Immigration Enforcement
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By Casey Ticsay

" “What doesn’t get talked about is the blood on Democrat and Republican hands,” said Jacqueline Arellano, who directs the Border Angels Water Drop Program alongside James Cordero. “People need to become aware of the history, bipartisanship, and human rights violations that have been occurring at the border and the American apathy behind them.”

In response to the staggering rise of migrant deaths and disappearances in the borderlands, Border Angels volunteers hike into the California desert—leaving food, clothing, and gallons of water along high-traffic migrant paths. It’s not easy. Extreme temperatures ranging from searing heat in the summer to freezing cold in the winter make the journey difficult. But the need to provide supplies is crucial and can be lifesaving in areas where migrants are most at risk of exposure, dehydration, and hypothermia."

Read the full article, click the link below

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** 25 Asylum-Seekers Coming Into U.S. From Mexico Cross Border in San Diego County
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The first crossings of asylum-seekers with active immigration cases under the Biden administrations plan took place at a U.S.-Mexico border crossing in San Diego County

By The Associated Press

"Dulce Garcia, who was brought to the U.S. as an undocumented child and is now the Executive Director of the nonprofit citizenship group Border Angels, called the moment bittersweet because thousands will be left in Mexico.

“For the last few years, [the United States] closed the doors, we rejected people who are really vulnerable coming from horrible traumas and we essentially re-traumatized them by saying they had to wait on the Mexican side of the border.”

While Garcia acknowledges it will be a long road for significant progress, and that change has been promised before with little follow-up, she finds optimism in the language used in Biden’s orders, and even in recent meetings with Customs and Border Protection officials here in San Diego."

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** Activistas: El daño causado por EEUU a solicitantes de asilo es "irreparable"
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Por Agencia EFE

"Los Ángeles, 19 feb (EFE News).- El daño causado por Estados Unidos a los solicitantes de asilo “es irreparable”, resaltaron este viernes defensores de los inmigrantes al darse los primeros pasos para desmantelar el programa Protocolos de Protección a Migrantes (MPP), medida insignia de la Administración del hoy expresidente Donald Trump.

“Fue una tortura lo que Estados Unidos hizo. Traumatizamos nuevamente a personas que ya habían sufrido mucho”, dijo a Efe Dulce García, directora de la organización Border Angels, que presta ayuda a los migrantes en la frontera entre California y México.

"En los dos últimos dos años el daño causado por Estados Unidos a los solicitantes de asilo es irreparable", añadió la activista."

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** Stay Informed
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** First migrant facility for children opens under Biden
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By Silvia Foster-Frau

"CARRIZO SPRINGS, Tex. — Dozens of migrant teens boarded vans Monday for the trip down a dusty road to a former man camp for oil field workers here, the first migrant child facility opened under the Biden administration.

The emergency facility — a vestige of the Trump administration that was open for only a month in summer 2019 — is being reactivated to hold up to 700 children ages 13 to 17.

Government officials say the camp is needed because facilities for migrant children have had to cut capacity by nearly half because of the coronavirus ([link removed]) pandemic. At the same time, the number of unaccompanied children crossing the border has been inching up, with January reporting the highest total — more than 5,700 apprehensions — for that month in recent years."

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** Ban on New Foreign Workers Left U.S. Jobs Unfilled, Even in Covid Downturn
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Visa restrictions last year were partly intended to keep more jobs open for Americans as unemployment surged

By Alicia A. Caldwell
"The U.S. closed the door to nearly all incoming foreign workers last year ([link removed]) . The causes were Covid-19 restrictions that locked global borders and Trump administration policies that drastically reduced work visas, with the exception of farmworkers. The effect was an unexpected experiment in one of the country’s most hotly debated issues—the relationship between the labor market and immigration.

The preliminary finding: Even with skyrocketing U.S. unemployment, businesses that relied on foreign workers and were able to remain open during the pandemic struggled to fill jobs, employers said."

Continue to read the article, click the link below
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** California to spend $28M to help arriving asylum-seekers
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By Elliot Spagat

"SAN DIEGO — California is freeing up as much as $28 million to help immigrants arriving from Mexico and being released in the U.S. until their court dates, a sharp contrast from other border states that have emerged as foes of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.

The funding, expected to last through June, comes as Biden unwinds former President Donald Trump’s policy to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico until their court hearings. It will pay for hotel rooms for immigrants to quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic before going to their final destinations throughout the U.S.

Money also will go to Jewish Family Service of San Diego to provide food, transportation and help with travel logistics. The state will fund health services for the short stays, including COVID-19 testing."

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Make a difference and donate today.

Visit our website: www.borderangels.org ([link removed]) ([link removed])

Please make checks payable to:

Border Angels
2258 Island Ave
San Diego, CA 92102
BORDER ANGELS LINKTREE ([link removed])
Venmo @border-angels ()
Paypal ([link removed])

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