Across the country, aggressive federal immigration enforcement is creating fear, instability, and uncertainty for immigrant families. Recent reports show that ICE arrested approximately 51,000 people in July of this year, the highest monthly total reported during the current administration, while expanded enforcement tactics have left families worried about what could happen at work, at home, at church, on the way to school, or even on their way to a court-mandated appointment as part of their legal immigration journey. And this fall, in California we find ourselves bracing for another surge of raids.
But, here in Marin, Canal Alliance is responding with the urgency, care, and practical support this moment requires.
These aggressive actions by ICE and our federal government do not just create fear. When a parent, spouse, roommate, or primary breadwinner is detained or deported, families can lose income overnight. Rent becomes impossible to pay. Legal costs mount. Children experience the trauma of separation. People are forced into impossible choices between housing, food, transportation, and protecting their families.
That is why Canal Alliance’s response is both immediate and long term. We are helping community members understand their rights, prepare for possible ICE encounters, access trusted legal support, stabilize their households, and stay connected to community.
In the past year, Canal Alliance has provided immigrant rights education to more than 5,000 community members through 91 trainings and events, while also distributing more than 1,000 whistles through our Whistlemania campaign to strengthen community preparedness, emergency response, and mutual support. These trainings and resources help families know what to do if ICE comes to their door, how to prepare emergency documents, how to protect loved ones, and how to make informed decisions in moments of crisis.
At the same time, our Immigration Legal Services team (ILS) continues to help families pursue greater safety and stability through legal pathways. Over the past year, we have expanded capacity for our ILS team, including adding a public charge attorney, who will counsel clients on how to safely apply for public benefits for which they qualify, and creating a role for a pro-bono attorney coordinator position, who will expand the capacity of our immigration services department by overseeing pro-bono attorneys. Over the past year, the ILS team helped 32 clients secure green cards, supported four people in gaining citizenship, helped 149 clients receive work permits, and provided immigration case management services to 350 people.
Director of Immigration Legal Services, Joana Castro Simonini, summarized this work, noting, “For immigrant families, legal status means more than paperwork. It means greater safety, the ability to work, the chance to remain together, and the opportunity to plan for the future with dignity. I could not be prouder of our team, and what we were able to accomplish this year for our clients.”
Canal Alliance is also meeting urgent needs created by enforcement actions. Based on our longstanding experience as immigration services provider and deep trust with the local Latino immigrant community, Canal Alliance was selected as a Marin County partner of the San Francisco Foundation’s Stand Together Fund; and has already distributed $150,000 to 45 families in Marin impacted by ICE arrests, detention, deportation, and related immigration crises. This support has helped families stay housed, cover basic needs, pay legal expenses, and navigate the financial fallout of sudden family separation. In the year ahead, we will distribute an additional $100,000 to community members facing similar crises.
Behind these impactful numbers are families trying to hold their lives together. Amalia Saborio, a case manager for Canal Alliance, shares, “Providing these grants is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Our team could tell countless stories, but among the 2026 recipients that came to us for support were a pregnant mother of twins whose spouse was deported; a renter whose roommates were detained, leaving him unable to cover the full cost of his home; the parent of a disabled son struggling to make ends meet; and father trying to cover attorney costs before an important immigration hearing. And while each of their stories is different, the need is the same: trusted support when it matters most.”
One of the recipients of the Stand Together Fund financial relief awards, Naia*, is a single mother from El Salvador and was referred to Canal Alliance by her sister. Having had to prioritize paying her lawyer’s fees for her family’s immigration process over her family’s rent, she came to Canal Alliance with a recent eviction notice in hand and terrified for her children and future. Canal Alliance staff let her know was eligible for relief funding and cut her check quickly. While she ultimately did lose her apartment, she was able to use the funds to secure a new place for herself and her family, as well as needed school supplies for the kids.
When asked what the grant meant to her, Naia shared, “I don’t even have the words to express it. I’m infinitely grateful. When I received help, I cried tears of happiness. It gave me room to breathe.” In reflecting on what might have happened without this support, she continued that maybe she and her children, “Would [be] sleeping in a car, or maybe one of my children would have had to stay with my sister. I don’t know. That’s something I ask myself all the time.”
These stories – and these outcomes – reflect who Canal Alliance is and what our community needs now. We connect families with critical resources, direct assistance, reliable information, and coordinated services to help them stay safe and rebuild their lives. We also recognize that lasting change requires more than direct service alone. Through education, legal support, social services, preparedness, advocacy, and partnership, we are working to counter fear with knowledge, isolation with connection, and crisis with coordinated care.
We are deeply grateful to the San Francisco Foundation and to every donor, partner, staff member, volunteer, and community leader who makes this work possible. Together, we are helping families weather difficult moments while building the stability, resilience, and belonging they need for tomorrow.
Because when our community stands together, we can continue to counter fear and racism with education, unity, preparation, and compassionate support.
*Client names have been changed for their safety and privacy.