Arizona Resources
This list of resources was developed by members of the Episcopal Asylum & Detention Ministry Network. To suggest a resource for this list or an edit to this page, please contact [NAME/LINK TO EMAIL].
Resources by Topic
Casa Alitas (https://www.ccs-soaz.org/agencies-ministries/detail/alitas-aid-for-migrant-women-and-children): The Casa Alitas Program serves migrant families who have left their home countries to escape violence and poverty. We provide hospitality and humanitarian aid, medical services, short-term shelter and help to reunite with family members in the U.S.
In Arizona, the Border Patrol typically turns them over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE provides them with documentation and orders to report to an immigration hearing. Recently, the Border Patrol began releasing some families without going through ICE. This has resulted in an increased number of families being released into the community who need our assistance.
ICE or Border Patrol drops the families off at the Casa Alitas Welcome Center. Sometimes as many as 250 guests arrive at our hospitality centers in a day.
Staff and volunteers greet the travelers and help them contact family members in the U.S. They may also help them to get a confirmation number for a plane or bus ticket, which family members have purchased.
Casa Alitas provides a safe place to rest, rehydrate, eat, and care for their children. We also provide a change of clothes, hygiene items, and a chance to wash up. As needed, volunteer medical providers offer skilled and caring medical support for our guests, assuring they are healthy enough to continue traveling to their families within the U.S.
Families receive travel bags before they leave. Bags may include food, water, toiletries, hygiene items, diapers and baby food, if necessary. We also provide blankets and small toys for the children for the plane or bus ride. Bus rides typically last 2 to 3 days.
Travelers who are unable to leave immediately spend the night at one of our shelters, staffed by volunteers and Catholic Community Services.
Kino Border Initiative
Voices from the Border
| Sunnyside Foundation
2054 E. Ginter Rd. Tucson, AZ 8570 520-437-1163 |
Sunnyside Foundation holds various funds that are designed to strategically invest in various sectors that contribute to more empowered students, teachers, and families in Tucson’s Southside. Includes the Emergency Relief Fund providing cash assistance gift cards for refugee and immigrant youth, and the Immigrant Relief Fund providing cash assistance for immigrant families. |
| La Frontera Family Passages
504 W 29th St Tucson, AZ 85713-3353 520-838-5617 |
Provides a family-strengthening program for refugees and immigrants. Services are provided in their first languages, and includes support for adjustment to the US social system for those who are new to this country. Class meets once per week for up to 13 weeks. Ongoing family support is available after graduation. |
| Iskashitaa Refugee Network
3809 E. 3rd St Tucson, AZ 85716-4611 520-440-0100 |
Provides services to refugees and asylum seekers. Services include English as a Second Language lessons, family mentoring, food preservation workshops, and garden art program. |
Leaving Home: Immigration Through the Eyes of Children – a desert retreat
leavinghomeretreat.org
| Clinical Amistad
101 W. Irvington Rd. Bldng 3-C Tucson, AZ 85714 520-305-5107 |
Provides free primary health care, preventive services, and education to those in need and without access to health care throughout the greater Tucson area. |
| Catholic Charities Community Services
5151 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85015-3224 1-855-316-2229 |
Our legal services include: •Application for Citizenship •Petitions to bring relatives to the United States •Applications for Work Authorization •Information about pending immigration and naturalization cases •Legal representation in political asylum and deportation •Petitions for battered spouses and childrenServices include:· Employment authorization· Travel documents· DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) · Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) · Petitions/U Visas/ T Visas · Affidavit of Support · Fiancée Visa · DACA renewals · Green Card renewals · Family-based petitions · Adjustment of status · Cancellation of removal · Consular processing. |
| Catholic Community Services of Southern AZ
140 W Speedway, Suite 130 Tucson, AZ 85705
Immigration Legal Services 520-670-0819 |
We invite permanent residents of Pima, Pinal, Graham, Santa Cruz, Yuma, Cochise, and Greenlee counties to apply for United States Citizenship using Catholic Community Services naturalization services. If you meet the following requirements, you can receive free preparation services for naturalization:
· You must be 18 years or older. · You must have been a green card holder for five years (three years for those married to a United States Citizen) · You must live in one of the above-mentioned counties. |
| Catholic Community Services of Southern AZ
140 W Speedway, Suite 130 Tucson, AZ 85705
Immigrant Survivors Legal Assistance 520-670-0819 |
Immigrants who have been victimized in the United States or abroad are helped through the Immigrant Survivors Legal Assistance (ISLA) program, to make themselves whole and obtain legal status in the United States. Through a grant with the US Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women, ISLA attorneys and paralegals work with immigrant survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault on their immigration cases.
How to participate:We accept people who contact us directly. Staff of shelters and community advocates may refer individuals. We can serve residents of Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Cochise, and Yuma Counties with the attorneys traveling to meet with clients in all counties. |
|
IRC – International Rescue Committee
4425 West Olive Ave. #400 Glendale, AZ 85302 602-433-2440 |
The International Rescue Committee provides opportunities for refugees, asylees, victims of human trafficking, survivors of torture, and other immigrants to thrive in America. Each year, thousands of people, forced to flee violence and persecution, are welcomed by the people of the United States into the safety and freedom of America. These individuals have survived against incredible odds. The IRC works with government bodies, civil society actors, and local volunteers to help them translate their past experiences into assets that are valuable to their new communities. In Phoenix and other offices across the country, the IRC helps them to rebuild their lives. |
| Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest
2502 E.University Dr., Suite 125 Phoenix, AZ 85034 480-396-3795 and 3364 E. Grant Rd. Tucson, AZ 85716 520-748-2300 |
Our services include:
· Pre-arrival housing · Case management · Navigating transportation and basic public services |
| Catholic Community Services of Southern AZ
140 W Speedway, Suite 130 Tucson, AZ 85705 520-623-0344 |
Migration & Refugee Services (MRS) of CCS – Tucson provides resettlement services to welcome refugees into their new lives and community. The services include case management, links to employment, job readiness training for adults, transportation, housing, short-term financial assistance, English as Second Language class for adults, and school registration for children.
In cooperation with the U.S. Department of State and the Arizona Office of Refugee Resettlement, MRS welcomes families who have legally entered the United States and have escaped persecution in their home countries. Over the past 40 years, refugees from Southeast Asia, Bosnia, the Middle East, and Africa have successfully relocated to Tucson and taken advantage of the opportunity to work and raise family in a safe and caring community. |
| The Welcome to America Project
1711 W. University Dr. #158 Tempe, AZ 85281 602-490-0088 |
WTAP serves refugees who have recently been relocated to the Phoenix area through the US State Department. These refugees are supported by local resettlement agencies that help with their transition. These families have usually been in refugee camps for 10+ years and come from countries all over the world. The refugees we help are on a special visa and can ultimately become US citizens and are expected to become self-sufficient within 6 months of arrival. We collect home items, clothing, and bicycles to families. Volunteers are needed to sort and organize donations, (cleaning products, personal grooming products, household goods, kitchen items, toys)repair bicycles, load trucks and deliver items to families. |