Monthly Newsletter: JUNE

Deepening our commitment to the work of welcome

Opening Doors has welcomed newcomers to Northern California since 1993 and while our clients are the primary beneficiaries of our work, we believe that our impact extends to the broader community as well.

We're always striving to shift the narrative around newcomers to foster greater appreciation and support from the welcoming community.

We're so pleased to announce our greatest effort yet to engage the region in the work of welcome while amplifying the rich contributions of immigrants, refugees, and survivors of trafficking – a new website!

This new website is the product of a strategic planning process that deeply engaged both board and staff and was created to further guide our work for the next three years. It expresses our deep commitment to include the region in the work of welcome while amplifying the rich contributions of refugees and immigrants.

In addition to a revised mission statement and our first vision and values statements, the 2022-2024 Strategic Plan outlines four distinct goals:

1. Strengthen support to newcomers on their path to stability, self-sufficiency, and belonging.
2. Recognize and invest in the growth and success of all staff.
3. Grow the welcoming community.
4. Build our operational capacity, including improved revenue.

This new website reflects our ongoing progress toward our third goal of growing the welcoming community by emphasizing a client-centered approach to how we talk about our programs and a demonstrated commitment to amplifying why this work matters.

The Work of Welcome: Policy Alerts

Judge Blocks Biden from Ending Title

42

On May 20, a federal judge blocked the Biden administration from ending the use of Title 42 on May 23.

Faith organizations joined advocates nationwide in lamenting the continuation of the policy, which some lawmakers are trying to maintain indefinitely. 

Advocating for New Alternatives to Enforcement

In a recent blog post, Dayana Maldonado from the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), highlighted the harms of immigration enforcement and potential solutions.

“Rather than criminalizing immigration, the U.S government should invest in community-based approaches that serve the human needs of immigrants, strengthen communities, and provide pathways for those seeking citizenship."

Getting the Big

Picture about Mass Migration

Immigrant justice isn’t just about immigration reform–it’s about addressing the root causes of mass migration, including U.S. foreign policy.

Check out this resource from St. Columban JPE on root causes and this article in Foreign Affairs on the inevitable movement of people across the Americas, which calls for a “new, hemisphere-wide approach to migration.”

Welcoming refugees.

Defending immigrants.

Supporting survivors.

Enriching communities.

Opening Doors for all.