FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 25, 2024
CONTACT: Madison Allman| press@acaciajustice.org
[SACRAMENTO, CA] – Hortencia Rodríguez Sandoval, director of community partnerships and state and local policy at the Acacia Center for Justice, released the following statement in response to California Fiscal Year 2025 budget agreement, which excluded renewed funding for the Children’s Holistic Immigration Representation Project (CHIRP):
“We acknowledge the difficult choices that must be made to close the largest budget deficit in state history and commend the Governor and Legislative leaders for working together to protect critical immigration legal service programs. However, we are deeply disappointed that CHIRP was not included in this budget agreement.
“For the last two years, the Children’s Holistic Immigration Representation Project has mobilized community support and resources to provide critical trauma-informed care and legal services to unaccompanied children and youth who call California home. Our dedicated network of legal service providers and advocates have equipped children across the state to register for school, receive health services, and secure necessary support alongside their legal representation in immigration court. It is a huge setback that CHIRP services would cease to be offered with no alternative to the children and youth who depend on them.
“California has led the nation with innovative, immigrant-inclusive, and evidence-based policies; now is not the time to halt progress. While we continue to push for humane, just solutions for unaccompanied children seeking safety, we urge Governor Newsom and the legislature to join coalition partners and philanthropy leaders to explore all remaining avenues in supporting immigrant communities in California and restore funding for CHIRP.”
Learn more about CHIRP here: An Innovative Project for Unaccompanied Kids in California.
###
