Asylum is a Human Right
Cross-Border Initiative
Our Services
ImmDef’s Cross-Border Initiative team provides access to information and representation to people seeking asylum at the Southern border. In the face of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, social group, or political opinion, people are forced to leave their homes in search of safety to seek asylum. Due to anti-immigrant policies, our team has become the face of welcome to those in need on both sides of the border.
The Cross-Border Initiative Program (CBI) provides free access to legal consultations and representation, legal education, and holistic social services to detained and non-detained immigrants in San Diego region and at the U.S./Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana. They have assisted vulnerable people seeking safety from persecution through varying shifts in immigration border policies including the Migrant Protection Protocols known as the Remain in Mexico program, Title 42, the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways Final Rule known as the Asylum Ban, and more. Continual changes to border policies have led to the degradation of our asylum system which has created dangerous and difficult realities for people in need. This team works tirelessly to advocate for immigrant rights with local government, the Department of Homeland Security, and local coalitions and partner organizations. The CBI team is a proud partner of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium, the California Welcoming Task Force and more.
Legal Representation and Legal Consultations
ImmDef implements a universal representation model that applies to our clients fighting against removal in immigration court. We will represent any adult or family that qualifies for our services on a merits-blind basis. We represent people with removal cases based in San Diego immigration court and provide legal consultations to people seeking asylum in the United States while forced to wait in Mexico.
We believe that all people in immigration proceedings deserve a fair opportunity to pursue their asylum claims. We represent detained people at their Credible Fear and Reasonable Fear Interviews before USCIS. We also advocate to free our clients from immigrant detention and represent clients before immigration judges for bonds and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for parole.
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ImmDef’s CBI program conducts consultations at the border to bridge the physical gap between us and our potential clients. In 2023, the CBI team directly represented dozens of individuals and families in legal proceedings and conducted hundreds of legal consultations.
Legal Education
The United States immigration system is well-known for being difficult to access and understand. People seeking asylum are in dire situations, vulnerable to danger, and face indefinite waiting periods due to the Asylum Ban and CBP One application. Our team visits shelters and community centers in Tijuana to empower asylum-seeking families and individuals with accurate legal information. In 2023, the CBI team conducted 12 Know-Your-Rights presentations to an estimated 8,000 of people in Mexico.
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Without a permanent welcoming infrastructure in border towns, people arrive to the United States in need of vital humanitarian assistance. In 2023, the CBI team welcomed more than 200,000 people seeking asylum who would otherwise have been abandoned on the streets of San Diego during bussing from anti-immigrant state governments. We provide holistic support beyond legal information such as basic transportation assistance, emergency food, water, basic first aid, internet access, and assistance with transportation and shelter.
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We deliver full-scale deportation defense, which includes advocacy in immigration court, before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Our services include advocacy with Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and contacting partner organizations to match families with potential sponsors. Our specialized legal services minimize risks of family separation and detention. We monitor conditions and treatment of detained clients, including border patrol stations, publicize information, and file complaints where the rights of our clients are being violated.
Holistic Support
Comprehensive Advocacy
