Despite relentless advocacy and proven success, CARECEN-LA is Disappointed with the Governor's May Revised Budget that would Cut Funding for Successful Immigrant Programs 

Sacramento Press Conference Video: 

Sacramento, California- The California Governor released his May Revised Budget Bill, which entails cuts to funding for immigration legal services, including California State University and Temporary Protected Status. If the Legislature approves, this would be an approximate reduction from $7 million to $1.8 million and from $10 million to $0 respectively. Yesterday, CARECEN-LA, Immigrant Defense Advocates, the California Immigrant Policy Center, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Senator Maria Elena Durazo, and other legislators held a press conference at the state capital to respond to and voice concerns over the impact of these cuts.  

In Response the Central American Resource Center has issued the following statement: 

“Immigration legal services are a lifeline to numerous immigrants and are also key to keeping families together and protected said, Martha Arevalo, CARECEN-LA Executive Director”.  “We are deeply disappointed in the Governor’s proposed budget; at a time when we should be strengthening our immigrant safety net to push back against rising anti-immigrant attacks, we cannot afford to take a step back. Programs such as the CSU and TPS immigration legal services have built on critical infrastructure in California to be able to serve young students and populations under attack. We cannot scale down our services when the need is prevalent. We call on the Legislature to continue to uplift and take action to fill this needs gap in the budget process.”. 

“California is home to over 75,000 TPS holders, many of whom have made California their home for over 20 years," said Orlando Zepeda TPS Holder and CARECEN Legal Client. “The California TPS community is utterly disappointed with the Governor's office's decision to cut funding for TPS. As a client of CARECEN, which has been the service provider for my family for years, we are concerned about what will come following these cuts. The TPS community faces attacks federally, and now at the state level, but our community is resilient and never stops advocating and fighting for our families. We applaud the Latino Caucus for taking the lead in advocating for our families”. 

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