Last month, Innovation Law Lab’s Director of Strategy Isa Peña visited San Diego & Tijuana, a region that has been very important to our work to defend people’s access to the US asylum system, including through our participation in the California Welcoming Task Force.

Together with Ian Philabaum, Co-Director of our Anticarceral Legal Organizing program, and Alex Mensing, our Communications Manager, who are both based in the region, Isa met with many incredible local advocates and groups doing tremendous work. She also volunteered with asylum-seeker welcoming processes with Al Otro Lado and the California Welcoming Task Force as well as Border Angels and the Chaparral Humanitarian Alliance, meeting people who fled danger & are part of a far-too-small number of people who get exceptions to the cruel & unlawful Title 42 blockade against asylum.

People seeking asylum crossing into the US, accompanied by the Chaparral Humanitarian Alliance

During Isa’s time here, we participated in a vigil organized by Defend Asylum TJ in Tijuana and a press conference organized by the California Welcoming Task Force next to the US-Mexico border wall to call for a humane asylum system and an end to Title 42.

We are so grateful everyone who took time to meet with us, whether for work or simply to get to know each other, including staff with AFSC-San Diego , Haitian Bridge Alliance , UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy, Jewish Family Service of San Diego, Border Line Crisis Center, Al Otro Lado, Border Butterflies , Alma Migrante , Border Youth Collective , Border Market , AFSC Latinoamérica y El Caribe , Psicologos Sin Fronteras , United Deported Veterans, Border Angels, APALA San Diego, ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties , Proyecto TransLatina , Refugee Health Alliance at UCLA, International Rescue Committee , and Immigrant Defenders Law Center .

The situation at the border is dire for the people we serve who are fleeing terrible violence. We must end Title 42 and other deadly policies like Remain in Mexico, and we must guarantee equity, justice and inclusivity for all, including those seeking safety in the US.

We look forward to continuing to collaborate work together towards this vision. Here are some photos to enjoy from Isa’s visit to the region:

Law Lab team with members of the UCLA Center for Immigration Law & Policy in Tijuana	Law Lab Team with Kate Clark of Jewish Family Services of San Diego
Vigil-Protest organized by Defend Asylum Tj in Tijuana on May 22, 2022 to end Title 42	Isa & Alex of Law Lab at Defend Asylum Tj vigil on May 22, 2022
Nicole Ramos of Al Otro Lado speaks at California Welcoming Task Force press conference in San Diego at the border on 5/23/22	Law Lab team with Jamie Arangure of Proyecto TransLatina in San Diego
Isa Peña, Ian Philabaum & Alex Mensing of Innovation Law Lab at the US-Mexico border	Law Lab team with Nicole Ramos of Al Otro Lado at US-Mexico border
Law Lab team with Ian Seruelo of APALA San Diego and Robert Vivar of Unified U.S. Deported Veterans at US-Mexico border	Law Lab team with Joan Agoh of Justice Action Center at US-Mexico border
Law Lab team with Pedro Rios of AFSC-San Diego at US-Mexico border	Law Lab team with Guerline Jozef of Haitian Bridge Alliance, Lindsay Toczylowski of Immigrant Defenders Law Center, and Ricardo who is seeking asylum, at the US-Mexico border

Shout out to Joan of Justice Action Center for several of the photos above!