Media Coverage
New fund to help undocumented immigrants affected by Sonoma County fires
A coalition of immigrant service providers and advocates have launched the UndocuFund for fire relief in Sonoma County to provide direct assistance to undocumented Sonoma County residents who are victims of the Northern California fires.
Undocumented immigrants face challenges after Wine Country fires
Javier, a service-industry worker who asked to be identified only by his first name because he is fearful of being targeted for deportation, cannot seek most traditional federal disaster aid to cope with the loss of his home and possessions. Meanwhile, some undocumented residents have lost out on work because of the fires, and cannot apply for benefits designed for this scenario.
The New York Times: As Fires Move On, Wine Country Wonders Whether Immigrants Will, Too
Many of the foreign-born workers the region depends on are undocumented and do not qualify for most disaster aid. They may struggle to find affordable housing. ... “To function, we have to be able to retain the immigrant workers in the area,” said Cameron Mauritson, who grows grapes on 350 acres in Sonoma County for 60 wineries. Losing them, he said, would be “catastrophic to our economy.”
