 CARECEN joins immigrant rights organizations to protest Govenor Pete Wilson's anti-immigrant initiative that culminated with Proposition 187. |
1993 With the war officially over, the Salvadoran community in Los Angeles undergoes major shifts in identity. CARECEN changes its name to the Central American Resource Center to reflect that the ‘refugee’ period is over and people are building permanent roots in Los Angeles. Legal and education programs begin to reflect the transition. CARECEN’s continued commitment to human rights and democracy in El Salvador leads to additional death threats against staff, break-ins and other forms of harassment against the organization. CARECEN strengthens its resolve. With a global recession taking a strong toll in California, race and class tensions increase across the state. CARECEN and other organizations begin planning responses to indications that Governor Wilson will launch a major anti-immigrant initiative on the 1994 ballot, Proposition 187. CARECEN in conjunction with other legal service providers, files CARECEN v. Reno, a lawsuit challenging conditions and treatment of detainees at the San Pedro detention center. CARECEN provides legal assistance for 602 detainees in 1993. CARECEN achieves a partial victory for the extension of Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Salvadorans, which grants 18 months of safe-haven and work authorization for 187,000 Salvadorans in the U.S. With the assistance of approximately 200 pro bono attorneys, CARECEN represents DED applicants who have complications in their cases with INS. CARECEN advocates for the development of democracy in El Salvador. CARECEN’s human rights department holds the Salvadoran government accountable for the delays in its implementation of the Peace Accords and holds the U.S. government responsible for foot-dragging in the peace process. |