Blog
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Oasis, in partnership with Immigration Equality, filed a comment on July 8, 2024, against Biden’s newest asylum ban or Interim Final Rule (“IFR” or “Rule”). Detailing accounts of our clients’ lives in their countries or origin, our comment highlights how dangerous this rule will be for asylum seekers who are LGBTQ+ and may be living with HIV (LGBTQ/H).
As a mother of a trans woman, Ortencia was drawn to Oasis because of our mission supporting LGBTQ+ immigrants, and the fact that social services navigation is integrated into our trauma-informed process.
Every year, law students have the opportunity to intern with Oasis during the summer, fall, and spring semesters. They work directly with our clients under attorney supervision to help prepare asylum and other affirmative immigration cases, declarations and affidavits, and represent clients at their asylum interviews before USCIS. Our current Law Student Interns are Mars B., Michele Canny, Chase Morgan, and Thomas McDowell.
Oasis, in partnership with Immigration Equality, filed a comment on July 8, 2024, against Biden’s newest asylum ban or Interim Final Rule (“IFR” or “Rule”). Detailing accounts of our clients’ lives in their countries or origin, our comment highlights how dangerous this rule will be for asylum seekers who are LGBTQ+ and may be living with HIV (LGBTQ/H).
This year, our Central Valley clients took the lead in organizing and directing Oasis’ participation in the Fresno Pride Parade. With support from our Fresno team, clients came together to brainstorm themes, select music, and design a parade experience that truly represented their identities and shared experiences. The result was nothing short of extraordinary. While the Central Valley has historically been a conservative region, our clients’ leadership and bravery continue to transform hearts and minds in a powerful celebration of community and pride.
We are looking for leaders who have the capacity to join our dynamic Board of Directors! As our clients have intersecting identities, and as our service model incorporates best practices from both legal and social services, we welcome diverse candidates to apply to join our Board. This is an opportunity to apply your existing skills and expertise to benefit LGBTQ+ immigrants and to work collaboratively as you learn from, and with, Oasis’ Board of Directors and Executive Director.
Hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, including those from LGBTQ/H communities, are detained annually in U.S. immigration detention centers operated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These detention centers are notorious for their inhumane treatment of detainees. LGBTQ/H people face particularly severe abuse including high incidences of physical and sexual violence, prolonged solitary confinement, and inadequate medical care, among other systemic abuses.
Numerous studies have shown that the undocumented status of LGBTQ+ immigrant parents increases significant negative outcomes for their children–from physical and mental health, to education, and more. Oasis Legal Services provides critical legal and wraparound support services to ensure LGBTQ+ parents can create family stability without fear of deportation, and access vital support services to ensure their family’s wellbeing.
Yesterday, President Biden unleashed two assaults on the human right to apply for asylum: (1) a Presidential Proclamation that immediately suspends the right to apply for asylum for people at the Southern border who do not enter the U.S. at a port of entry, and (2) an interim final rule that seeks to make this suspension procedure permanent. Under the proclamation, the Southern border is in effect now closed to asylum seekers. Oasis is appalled by these new restrictions on asylum, which will affect queer and trans asylum seekers of color disproportionately.
Despite their contributions to the United States, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities continue to face systemic discrimination and racism. Learn about the significant achievements of AAPI communities through data from the “U.S. Immigration Policy Center” and the “National Partnership for New Americans”, and the critical importance of ongoing advocacy and support beyond AAPI Heritage Month.
What does $10 mean to you? To LGBTQ+ immigrants, it means the world. Give OUT Day provides an opportunity to engage in the transformative power of collective giving. Donate to Oasis this month and help us provide life-saving services to our clients. Transform lives with just $10 and support queer and trans immigrants.
Oasis Legal Services has been selected to receive a transformative $2 million award from MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving for our work supporting LGBTQ+ immigrants. This grant will allow our Affirmative Asylum Program to be 100% free for clients. Additionally, our Residency and Naturalizations Programs will be free to LGBTQ+ immigrants living with HIV.
Since Oasis’ founding in 2017, our volunteers and staff have prioritized sending each of our active clients an annual birthday card. As our client community continues to grow, we made the decision to involve our amazing supporters and volunteers. To kickstart 2024, we hosted our first volunteer birthday card event at the beautiful 1951 Coffee Company in Berkeley.
After fleeing persecution, navigating a new country and culture can be a lonely experience. Join us in celebrating our wonderful clients by writing and decorating birthday cards for them. Students, service providers, and professionals are highly encouraged to come. This is an opportunity to meet others from the Oasis community and expand your network.
“LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and immigrants are among the most targeted and exploited, and this bill would create insurmountable obstacles for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers to present their case and find safety,” said Adam Ryan Chang, Executive Director of Oasis.
Medical marijuana use can offer therapeutic advantages, including relief from intense chronic pain, the treatment of conditions like narcolepsy, and more. However, because marijuana remains prohibited at the federal level, immigrant community members are sometimes forced to choose between medical relief and jeopardizing their immigration status. Ari Jones, our Residency & Naturalization Programs Director, explores this frustrating situation…
Are you our next Social Services (SoS) Program Director? Oasis is seeking an MSW to head up our dynamic SoS program, which provides life-saving wraparound services to LGBTQ+ immigrants throughout their immigration journeys. The SoS Program Director will supervise a team of staff & MSW interns, build strong partnerships with other social service providers throughout California, and collaborate closely with the legal team to ensure our clients' holistic needs are addressed. You can click here to view the full job description.
As 2023 draws to a close, we reflect on the profound impact the Oasis community has had on LGBTQ+ immigrants and the important task of continuing and expanding our efforts in the new year. The reality is that despite an estimated 60,000 undocumented LGBTQ+ immigrants in California, only 4% of LGBTQ+ funding in the U.S. supports LGBTQ+ immigrant issues (that’s 4 cents for every $100). For this reason, we rely heavily on community support to help sustain our life-saving work…
Personas de todo el mundo están saliendo a las calles en forma de marchas y protestas para expresar su apoyo al pueblo de Palestina y contra la opresión de los palestinos por parte del Estado de Israel. Si es inmigrante y se pregunta si puede participar en estas manifestaciones, la respuesta corta es que sí. Pero para poder participar de manera segura y evitar problemas con las autoridades policiales y de inmigración, Oasis ha creado esta guía para ayudarlo a prepararse y comprender mejor sus derechos mientras protesta.
When immigrants apply for certain immigration benefits in the U.S., they expect to receive their approved paperwork in the mail. However, often, applicants do not receive these documents at all. OLS and other legal experts provide information on the consequences of these missing documents, and what someone can do when their green card, work permit, or other important immigration paperwork is lost in the mail.
Join Oasis Legal Services for a free training for mental health professionals! This training is intended for mental health providers interested in providing mental health evaluation reports for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers. The event will provide an introduction to asylum law as well as a review of why mental health evaluation reports are needed in LGBTQ+ asylum cases. We will also cover how to conduct the mental health evaluations for asylum seekers and how to draft mental health evaluation reports
We are thrilled to introduce you to the newest addition to Oasis’ Fresno team, Vasmer Vang. As a queer, Hmong, non-binary native of Fresno, CA, Vasmer's journey is deeply intertwined with Oasis’ mission. Their personal connection to supporting LGBTQ+ immigrants and people of color in the Central Valley is at the core of what they do.
Join us for the 2023 Regional Conference on Immigration Integration hosted by CVIIC on November 15 in Fresno, CA. This annual event will feature insightful panels by over 70 organizations and agencies dedicated to addressing priority issues in immigration services. Oasis’ Social Services Coordinator Juana Echeveste-Davis will present in a panel moderated by our Executive Director, Adam Ryan Chang, about the importance of joint, culturally responsive social and legal services. Free registration required. Don't miss out!
Nearly 25 years ago, Oasis client Ruby made the difficult decision to leave her native Mexico to escape a life of violence and discrimination and pursue protection in the United States. Ruby is just one of many transgender individuals who have had to flee their country of origin to seek refuge on a daily basis in the U.S. After a long road and years of challenges in this country, Ruby was awarded her citizenship in May 2023!
Join us at our 6th Annual Community Celebration as we honor our clients’ journeys through asylum and beyond, celebrate the supporters that have helped us to build a safe haven for LGBTQ+ immigrants, and discuss what the Oasis community has in store. Early Bird tickets are on sale now for $150 - take advantage of this discounted pricing today! Starting August 22, individual tickets will be $200 per attendee.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) Accredited Representative Program was created with the intention to increase access to the legal profession for those from non-traditional legal backgrounds and provide more inclusive legal representation as a result. Oasis currently has five Accredited Representatives supporting our clients — four in Berkeley, and one in the Central Valley. A recent convening of DOJ reps from Oasis and organizations throughout the Bay Area offered a chance to reflect on this program and its impact on the community.
Asylum seekers already face abuse and exploitation when escaping their home countries and this new rule increases structural barriers to the asylum protections guaranteed to them under long-standing US and international law. This rule converts asylum into a privilege for the wealthy and makes it unattainable for the communities that Oasis serves – LGBTQ+, Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income members of the community.
Asylum Legal Advocate and DOJ Accredited Representative, Anuar Arriaga Esquivel, represented Oasis on an advocacy trip to the state capital in Sacramento. Oasis Legal Services joined the California Welcomes Coalition and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) to advocate for various proposed bills that benefit the well-being of immigrants. Anuar reflects on the trip, and his journey from undocumented to advocate.
As we enter Oasis' sixth year of existence, we hope you join us as we look back on the past year, celebrate our clients' journeys, and reflect on our team's successes through the 2022 Impact Report. Click below to read on about the work that you made possible!
Oasis Legal Services (Oasis) represented a client in a pre-litigation settlement with nationwide chain restaurant Shake Shack, resolving our client’s complaint of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on gender identity, gender expression, and transgender status. Shake Shack will pay the former employee, an Oasis client, $20,000 and update its policies relating to retaliation, harassment, discrimination, and bullying.
In a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Oasis client Jack* challenges the prolonged delays in renewing his work authorization, leading to the loss of his job, driver's license, and health insurance. Facing an almost seven-month wait for renewal, Jack's struggle sheds light on the urgent need for a nationwide injunction to address the backlog and prevent further hardships for asylum seekers. In this blog post, we highlight the systemic issue of USCIS failing to timely renew work authorizations for asylum seekers, jeopardizing their employment and well-being.