June 2026 FLPIR Newsletter
On Sunday, June 14 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Friends of La Peña Immigrant Rights (FLPIR) will host a free community workshop at La Peña Cultural Center focusing on ICE detentions and what we can do to end ICE detention now! Join us for a deeper dive into this complex topic with expert panelists who will share up-to-date information from a legal and activist perspective.
Speakers:
Natalia V Santanna, Esq., Founder of Santanna Law Offices, PC
Stacy Suh, Program Director at Detention Watch Network
Rev. Canon Anna Carmichael, Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin Detention Ministry
Jose R., former detainee, SJRAISE
We will also have action tables set up to make whistle kits, write letters, and fill backpacks for immigrants in detention.
Please bring the following items to the event to help fill backpacks: travel-size toothpaste, shampoo, and lotion; toothbrush, soap, deodorant, comb/brush, bottle of water, granola/protein bar, dried fruit, socks, small notepad & pen.
Registration is required; space is limited.
Event is free. Suggested donation to be made at the door: $5.00 - $20.00.
A Huge Thank You to the Art Without Borders Team!
Photo credit: Lia Roozendaal Photography
The art sale went beyond our wildest dreams…there was a huge turnout; at one point the line to get in stretched down the whole block. Together we raised around $15,000 for the Multicultural Institute to support their work on behalf of day laborers and immigrants in the Bay Area! There was amazing energy in the room, the music was fantastic, everyone there contributed to a feeling of love, unity and solidarity.
Many thanks to event organizers Lisa Kokin, Marcy Goot, Aram Hodess, Dobee Snowber and Kathy deRosas; musicians David Shakiban and Friends; and everyone who helped to make this event a success! A huge thank you from the bottom or our hearts to the over 130 artists who so generously donated their art to make this happen.
“Art Without Borders” continues for two more weekends!
The sale will continue for the next two weekends at the open studio of Dobee Snowber (Lisa Levine's studio in the Ford Building) in Jingletown in Oakland. The Jingletown Art Walk will be held June 6-7 and June 13-14 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., so you will have an additional chance to purchase some of the incredible artwork from “Art Without Borders.” Please pass the word! We hope to sell even more art to a different audience during the four days of open studios.
Take action: Upcoming opportunities
Art by Rachel Liebman, who accompanies immigrants during court hearings and ICE check-ins with Faith in Action and court observers who work in conjunction with the Attorney of the Day program.
Volunteers Needed to Observe Immigration Court Proceedings with Concord Court Watch
Observe hearings to help assure due process rights in the courtroom are respected. A minimum commitment of 4 daytime hours, once per month is required. To sign up and receive training, email immcourt@gmail.com.
Request a “Know Your Rights in Healthcare” workshop
Do you work in healthcare? Would you like a “Know Your Rights in Healthcare” presentation at your work location? We can provide a one-hour training for your staff and colleagues or tailor the presentation to your needs.
Contact us via this Know Your Rights Training Request Form.
Welcome Navigator Program at the Concord Immigration Court
With the expansion of the Concord Immigration Court, there is a growing need for additional Spanish speaking volunteers for the Welcome Navigator program. Welcome Navigator volunteers provide non-legal, compassionate support to people attending immigration court, especially those who are unrepresented by an attorney. This is an extremely impactful and rewarding volunteer opportunity The role focuses on:
Welcoming individuals and families to the court
Sharing resource packets and basic information
Explaining what community resources may be available
Helping collect basic information for follow-up support when requested
Offering presence, dignity, and calm in an often overwhelming environment
After watching on-line training, volunteers get an in-person orientation at the court. Then they sign up for shifts that fit their schedule. Generally the shifts are about 3- 4 hours, either mornings or afternoons. To sign up and receive training, email immcourt@gmail.com.
Assist immigrants with Habeas Corpus
Volunteers are needed to join a pro bono Habeas Corpus team of lawyers, paralegals, translators, intake interviewers, proofreaders, and people with tech skills (who convert courtroom audio files to text) who together prepare and file legal pleadings in federal court to seek the release of detained immigrants. No immigration law experience is required. Lawyers can be practicing or retired. Volunteers with no paralegal experience can be trained. Both Spanish speaking and English speaking volunteers are needed. While the majority of applicants are from Latin America, we are also getting appeals for help from detainees from Africa and Southeast Asia. Mentorship for all volunteers is provided as needed. All work is done online, so volunteers can live anywhere.
Due to the time and training that goes into preparing volunteers, please only sign up if you have serious interest.
More ways to get involved:
Give out Know Your Rights cards
Outreach to businesses
Help with Asylum Applications
Adopt a Corner
Help with events