CVIIC Instills Hope for Local Immigrants Throughout Divisive Times

As local immigrant families face mounting pressure from the Trump administration’s immigration policies, they are confronted with impossible choices of attending life-saving doctor’s appointments, going to work, buying groceries, or the chance of deportation from a place that many have called home for decades.   

Since 2024, the Central Valley Immigrant Integrative Collaborative (CVIIC) has proudly acted as a lifeline for immigrants facing daunting questions and choices about their rights and safety. With 11,000 Facebook followers, CVIIC responds to questions to educate the immigrant community about their legal rights and help them navigate difficult decisions to enable them to make informed choices.  

CVIIC serves a seven-county region from Kern to Stanislaus counties and hosts weekly workshops across the Central Valley to provide answers for immigrants in rural areas including Los Banos and Lost Hills. The collaborative brings pro-bono attorneys to the workshops to aid with DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and green card renewals and U.S. citizenship applications. Law firm consultations alone typically range from $200-$300, but CVIIC provides legal services at no charge to recipients. “Our main priority is for immigrants to know their rights, even though rights are not being respected. We all have rights. Everyone has the right to remain silent,” said Eleazar Valdez, CVIIC Outreach Programs Coordinator. “We let communities know not to be afraid and give them presentations on their legal rights. Hopefully, some people will be able to exercise their rights in case they have an encounter with ICE.”   

CVIIC also encourages and coaches immigrants on creating Family Preparedness plans to establish caregivers for their children in case the parents are detained by ICE. The organization also highly recommends parents obtaining dual citizenship for their children and supports them through the application process, so children can travel to Mexico if their parents are deported.    

The collaborative has also worked to improve economic opportunities for local immigrants. Dr. Jesus Martinez, CVIIC’s Executive Director, developed an entrepreneurship program for DACA recipients to help young people who were potentially losing their DACA status in 2019 due to a Trump administration policy. DACA recipients must have impeccable records and are given a two-year work permit as part of the federal policy. Given the difficulty of acquiring DACA status, supporting its participants through an entrepreneurship program was necessitated by CVIIC. After securing a grant for the program, curriculum was taught through 10 Zoom courses, detailing information on how to apply for a business license in the city you reside in and how to create a Google Business Profile, among other topics. To date, there have been more than 10 cohorts with hundreds of program graduates.   

Everyone is waiting for confirmation if the DACA policy will continue, but Eleazar is hopeful that it will be. “DACA renewals hold a special place in my heart. Even though it takes a substantial amount of time, CVIIC charges nothing for this service,” Eleazar said. “I’m very happy that we’re able to provide this service for free.” Eleazar sees DACA as only a fraction of the solution to equitable rights for the immigrant community, however. “At the end of the day, DACA is only a bandage. We need immigration reform that is inclusive, including everyone in the U.S.,” he said. “There are people, who have lived here for 30 or 40 years, without legal status. Parents have died, and people are unable to travel back to Mexico. We need to change that.”  

Eleazar is proud of how CVIIC has uplifted the immigrant community members. “The community is very grateful. They let us know on social media, sending us emotional messages on Facebook and in Google reviews,” he said. “CVIIC’s efforts have resulted in a lot of work but so many people are acknowledging it. We’re doing something right.”  

To support CVIIC’s invaluable work, visit here to donate and CVIIC’s Facebook page for updates on workshops, entrepreneurship courses, and a potential conference this summer.