 Members of the Valladares family outside the first CARECEN, located at Beverly & Bonnie Brae. |
1983 The Central American Refugee Center (former name of CARECEN) is founded by a group of Salvadoran refugees whose mission is to secure political asylum for the thousands of Central Americans fleeing the brutality of the Salvadoran civil war. CARECEN receives non-profit status. During its first year, CARECEN relies entirely on the efforts of volunteers and a small staff that provides legal services, basic English language instruction, food, clothing, and referral information for emergency housing, employment and medical care to the local community of war refugees from Central America. CARECEN organizes a Congressional delegation to investigate the El Centro Detention Center and its human rights abuses of detainees. The delegation pressures the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), now the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) to improve conditions. In El Salvador, war and human rights abuses continue to intensify. |