Alameda County Interim Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs

• September 2016: Welcoming County Resolution

Board designates Alameda County a Welcoming County for immigrants and refugees - led by the late Supervisor Wilma Chan.

• December 2016: Ad Hoc Committee created

Supervisors Chan & Haggerty establish committee supporting immigrant & refugee communities.

• December 2021: Ad Hoc Committee final report

10 recommendations provide a roadmap for ongoing support - including creation of an Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs (recommendation #6).

• January 2025: ACT Ad Hoc Committee created

Alameda County Together (ACT) for All Ad Hoc Committee formed with renewed urgency.

• February 2025: $876,500 emergency relief approved

Following federal pause on refugee resettlement, BOS funds IRC, JFCS-East Bay & JFS-Silicon Valley for housing, transportation, employment & case management services.

• March 2025: $3.5 million approved for immigrant and refugee justice

$3.5 million commitment to bolster county efforts in deportation defense, immigrant rights education, community mutual aid, and preparedness.

• August 2025: OIRA recommendation reaffirmed

Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs proposal reaffirmed at ACT Committee.

• October 2025: $4 million contract extension and pilot budget authorized

$3.57 million approved for emergency immigrant and refugee support, plus $450,000 in Measure W funds for OIRA planning within SSA.

• December 2025: Language access commitment reaffirmed

Supervisors Tam & Márquez win BOS approval for equitable language access regardless of immigration status.

• January 2026: Immigration Enforcement Response Plan approved

ACT Chair Supervisor Bas receives BOS approval to implement a Countywide Response Plan and County Policy Establishing "ICE-Free Zones."

• Alameda County Board of Supervisors' Together for All Ad-Hoc Committee Meeting, April 30, 2026

Alameda County Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Community Advisory Board

District Representatives

District 1 – Sara Fain: Fremont Directing Attorney at the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA), where she leads a team providing full-scope immigration legal services including humanitarian cases, family-based immigration, and removal defense. She has spent nearly a decade serving immigrant communities across the Bay Area.

District 2 – Arzo Mehdavi: A registered nurse and healthcare operations leader, Arzo brings both lived experience as a daughter of refugees and systems-level expertise. In 2021, she co-founded a nonprofit that partnered with the City of Hayward to support over 500 newly resettled Afghan refugees.

District 3 – Richard Whipple: With 16 years leading the SF Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs, Richard brings deep expertise in building municipal immigrant inclusion infrastructure. He is a long-time Steering Committee member of the Cities for Action national coalition and has advised municipalities nationwide.

District 4 – Yuliana Wiser-León: A 20-year advocate for immigrant and refugee communities, Yuliana's work spans mental health, trauma-informed care, and legal navigation. She leads the Newcomer Navigation Center at Eden United Church of Christ and is a core leader of ACILEP.

District 5 – Daniela Gonzalez: Engagement Director at the Music and Justice Initiative (MJI), Daniela brings direct, trusted relationships with day laborers and hard-to-reach immigrant residents across Alameda County.

Coalition Representatives

ACILEP (Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership) Founded in 2017, ACILEP provides emergency legal services, Know Your Rights trainings, and removal defense support to undocumented residents countywide. Its rapid response hotline saw a 500% surge in call volume in 2025.

• Monique Berlanga, Executive Director, Centro Legal de la Raza – A Hayward native and first-generation college graduate with a JD from UC Berkeley. Previously led the organization's Tenants' Rights Practice protecting thousands of low-income East Bay tenants.
• Maciel Jacques, Deputy Director, Centro Legal de la Raza – Over 20 years in the immigrant rights movement, with expertise in removal defense, asylum, DACA, and unaccompanied minors. Helped establish Stand Together Contra Costa, the county's first rapid response network.

ACCoRD (Alameda County Collaborative for Removal Defense) The removal defense arm of the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, ACCoRD ensures immigrants facing deportation have access to legal representation and due process.

• Lisa Knox, Co-Executive Director & Legal Director, CCIJ – Over 15 years of removal defense experience focused on detained immigrants. Previously oversaw emergency legal services for ACILEP and managed legal clinics at two California detention centers.

ACUDIR (Alameda County United in Defense of Immigrant Rights) Led by Trabajadores Unidos Workers United, ACUDIR builds mutual aid networks and community capacity to protect immigrant residents, while working to disentangle local law enforcement from deportation enforcement.

• Alejo, Executive Director, Trabajadores Unidos Workers United – A first-generation indigenous Zapoteca leader with over a decade of experience building working-class power and developing rank-and-file leadership since 2019.

APILO (Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach) Founded in 1975, APILO provides culturally competent, multilingual legal and social services to low-income immigrants, seniors, women, and youth across Alameda County. Staff collectively speak over a dozen languages and dialects.

• Rachel Kwak, Staff Attorney, Immigration Project – Daughter and granddaughter of Korean immigrants, Rachel practices immigration law to provide high-quality legal services to low-income and undocumented communities, inspired by her family's path to citizenship.

• Newcomers Welcome | Alameda County |

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THIS PROPERTY IS OWNED AND/OR CONTROLLED BY A PRIVATE ENTITY AND CANNOT BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE NOT EXPRESSLY AUTHORIZED BY THAT ENTITY.

Disclaimer: Pursuant to County of Alameda Resolution Number 2026-46, the County of Alameda has developed signage that property owners and leaseholders may print and display consistent with their authority over the property. Property owners and leaseholders that post this signage do so at their own discretion and assume any legal risk associated therewith.

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Coming soon

• OIRA Implementation Study Presentation, April 2026

• Family Preparedness Plans

Every family in Alameda County should have a plan for emergencies.  For immigrant families, planning ahead is especially important to help protect children and loved ones if an immigration related emergency occurs.

The Alameda County Social Services Agency (ACSSA) is committed to supporting the safety and well-being of all families.  The toolkit linked below provides trusted information to help families prepare.  It explains childcare options if a parent is unavailable, how to find reliable immigration services in your community, and how to know your rights and what to do if an immigration officer stops or questions you.

Step-by-Step Family Preparedness Plan created by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC).

• Immigrant Resource Guide

English | Spanish | Arabic | Cambodian | Cantonese | Farsi | Korean | Mandarin | Tagalog | Vietnamese

• Know Your Rights Red Cards

English | Spanish | Cantonese | Mandarin | Tagalog | Vietnamese | Cambodian

• Partners

California Department of Social Services (CDSS)

California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC)

Centro Legal de La Raza

Counties Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA)

National Immigration Law Center (NILC)

Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) 

• Refugee Services

Refugee Cash Assistance

Refugee Supportive Services

• Non-Profit Immigration Service Providers

  SSA encourages individuals and families to seek advice from reputable non-profit immigration service providers including but not limited to the following referrals:

Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (510) 251-2846

Bay Area Legal Aid (800) 551-5554

Catholic Charities of the East Bay (510) 768-3100

Centro Legal De La Raza (510) 437-1554

East Bay Community Law Center (510) 548-4040

International Institute of the East Bay (510) 451-2846

Email: oira@acgov.org