Toro Dreamers Success center and CARECEN partnership still going strong. Photo by Dylan A. Bryant
By Dylan A. Bryant, Staff Reporter
The Toro Dreamers Success Center (TDSC) is continuing their collaboration with CARECEN, the largest Central American organization, that has been providing immigrant integration services and programs since 1983. The TDSC and CARECEN collaboration, which aims to provide legal services to undocumented and mixed-status students at CSUDH, began approximately three years ago. The TDSC, which opened in 2017 and marked its five year anniversary last in January remains aligned with their mission to advocate and support the approximately 500 undocumented students at CSUDH and their families.
CARECEN, which has offices in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, and San Bernardino began working with the TDSC to provide free services which include things like DACA renewal applications,VAWA/U-VISA, family petition and parole application, among others which can be found on their website.
Having CARECEN services and representatives on campus was made possible due to the CSU’s 2019-2020 budget which allocated funds for immigrant legal services at higher education institutions like CSUDH. According to the CSU website, “the project funds initially were provided through a one-time allocation of $7 million.”
CSUDH students, faculty and staff are not the only ones that qualify for these free legal services, their immediate family members which include parents, siblings, children, and spouses also qualify. According to their website, even alumni that graduated after spring 2020 still have access to these free services, although their families are no longer covered after graduation.
According to Lauren Flores, a CARECEN attorney, although CARECEN works with the TDSC, they are separate entities and everything that the clients share with an attorney is confidential and not exchanged or reported with anyone, even the TCSC itself. She hopes that CSUDH students are more open to taking advantage of these resources knowing there is guaranteed privacy along the way. “We don’t share any of the information we receive from the student with TDSC,” Flores said.
CARECEN services are easy to receive and appointments are through Zoom phone calls and in -person beginning Monday. Prior to the first appointment, CARECEN attorney asks clients questions about documentation, identification, and preparation for what is expected moving forward.
According to Flores, talking about personal information regarding immigration can be difficult as this is a heavy topic to touch on, as some enter the United States at a young age. “Questions we ask are about your entry in the United States, parents immigration status,” Flores said. “Sometimes in immigrant communities it’s something that is not really discussed,” she said.
The TDSC Program Director, Ana Miriam Barragan, has an optimistic outlook for the center. She hopes that in five years the service in the center will increase not just for those affiliated with CSUDH, but also to the surrounding community. “I’m hoping [we] start to provide more services to community members …I know that CARECEN, their main office, already does that… I also hope for more advocacy to be able to provide funding for people to be able to pay for their legal fees as well, not just the free service.”
One person behind the scenes of TDSC and the legal work that CARECEN is doing on campus is Estefania Campo, a legal advocacy fellow. She helps manage appointments and helps the team by sending out reminders to clients via phone and email.“I’ve always wanted to support the [TDCS] ,” said Campos. “There is a lot of true impact and opportunity to make an impact for the immigration community,” she added.
For more information on upcoming events, workshops provided by the TDSC visit their Instagram. If you are interested in taking advantage of CARECEN’s legal services click HERE.
