Mid October 2026 FLPIR Newsletter

Friends of La Peña Immigrant Rights is hosting a free event on Sunday, October 25, 2026, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley (3105 Shattuck Ave.). The event will focus on what is going on at immigration courts and highlight volunteer opportunities that attendees may be interested in. This is extremely important because of all the recent changes in the immigration courts and the huge increase in activity at the Concord Court.

There will be three main speakers:

• Jeremiah Johnson, former (fired) immigration judge from SF. Since he was fired, he has gone to the border to witness conditions faced by migrants and to a village in Guatemala to meet with the family of the last person to whom he had granted asylum

• Kyra Lillien, former (fired) immigration judge from Concord, currently Senior Counsel at Van Der Hout, LLC.

• Ali Saidi, Director, Stand Together Contra Costa, Deputy Public Defender Immigration Attorney with the Office of the Public Defender

Spanish interpretation will be provided. 

After the speakers, people will have the opportunity to explore volunteer opportunities with FLIPR that focus on supporting immigrants in court. Potential volunteers can learn more about the specific programs and potentially sign up to begin the process of volunteering.  

After the tabling, the main speakers will have a panel discussion and answer questions from the audience. 

We are trying to reach a wide audience, especially people who live in the East Bay. We are especially encouraging people who are English/Spanish bilingual to attend. Please feel free to share this newsletter with people you think may be interested. 

We hope to see you on October 25!

Thanks so much. 
Friends of La Peña Immigrant Rights