Want to help immigrants in Arizona? Donate to these organizations

Immigration lawyer Delia Salvatierra was in Arizona when Senate Bill 1070 passed. She saw how the law, which resulted in aggressive enforcement of federal immigration law by local authorities, turned the state into a national object of ridicule and shame.

But after this year’s election, Salvatierra thinks SB 1070 was just a warm-up for a new era of discrimination and hate. Last week, voters approved Proposition 314 — dubbed the “Secure the Border Act” — which again tasks local agencies with policing immigration.

Compared to its predecessor, Proposition 314 is “worse,” Salvatierra said.

“If voters really understood what it is that they passed, I’m not sure they would have done so,” Salvatierra said. “We all want the border to be a secure place for Americans so that people who don’t belong get in our great country. That’s a no-brainer, regardless of what side of the aisle you’re on. We all want the best for our country. But this law creates a police state on immigration issues with no mitigating factor for people who have lived here for decades and have dual-citizen families.”

When SB 1070 passed in 2010, she said, there were guardrails. The Obama-era U.S. Department of Justice was suing the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office over racial profiling under Sheriff Joe Arpaio. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down parts of the law, which also had sparked boycotts and had a detrimental economic impact on the state.

This time, the brakes are out. Former President Donald Trump has retaken the White House, promising mass deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants. The federal courts, including the Supreme Court, are stacked with Trump appointees unlikely to rein him in.

The crackdown on immigrant and Latino communities will be real and cruel, and fighting back will be difficult. To do so, Salvatierra and others recommend donating time and money to local and national organizations that assist immigrants, refugees and their families.

Want to help out? Here are nine organizations doing that work.

Neighborhood Ministries

Based in Central Phoenix, Neighborhood Ministries offers all-encompassing services for community members and immigrants, including legal and mental health resources, grocery assistance, rent assistance, programs for unaccompanied minors and foster homes for immigrant children.

Friendly House

A staple in Phoenix’s immigrant community for more than a century, Friendly House offers immigration and legal services, emergency services, early childhood and adult education and workforce development help.

Catholic Social Services

Catholic Social Services offers a wide range of services and resources for refugees and immigrants, including a program that “helps reunite those in the United States legally with minor children and spouses who remain in their country of origin.”

Chicanos Por La Causa

As an “advocate for underserved individuals and communities,” Chicanos Por La Causa was formed in the 1960s by a grassroots group of student and community activists. Today, it primarily focuses on assisting community members in housing, education and health services. It also offers immigration services at low or no cost to “meet the needs of someone in any stage of the immigration process” and helps reunite families.

American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona

With a crackdown on immigration, you can expect challenges to immigrants’ rights, which have been a “critical issue” for the ACLU of Arizona for decades as it helped challenge discriminatory laws and law enforcement.

The organization said in a statement that it is committed to fighting Proposition 314 for the rights and dignity of people in the state who may be discriminated against.

“Proposition 314 will not fix the flaws in our immigration system, nor ‘secure the border’ in the way its proponents have represented,” said Noah Schramm, border policy strategist for the ACLU of Arizona. “What it will do — if the courts ever allow it to stand — is break families apart, exacerbate racial profiling, and increase criminalization of immigrants and communities of color.”

The Florence Project

According to its website, the Florence Immigrants and Refugee Rights Project has “pursued empowerment and justice for detained immigrants in Arizona” for more than 30 years. It provides free legal, social and advocacy to immigrants facing detention and potential deportation.

Arizona Center for Empowerment

A sister organization of the Latino political organizing group Living United for Change in Arizona, the Arizona Center for Empowerment has a department that provides services for immigrant communities, including English and citizenship classes, computer literacy and help with immigration processes.

International Rescue Committee

Although not solely a local organization, the International Rescue Committee has operated in Phoenix since 1994. It helps place refugees fleeing violence or persecution, asylees, victims of human trafficking and survivors of torture. The committee’s primary foci are promoting health, education and economic well-being, as well as ensuring the safety of refugees.

“No matter who is president, the IRC will help families through each step of the resettlement journey,” the group’s website states.

U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

The organization provides “legal, social and health services to refugees, unaccompanied migrating children, trafficking survivors and other immigrants in all 50 states.”