CGRS CALIFORNIA INC
Mission Statement
CGRS-California’s long-term goal is universal quality legal representation for asylum seekers in California communities, particularly vulnerable populations such as women, children, and LGBT individuals who reside in our state and continue to arrive here. Numerous studies confirm that the single most important factor in determining the outcome in an immigration case is whether or not the individual is represented. According to a study by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse looking at cases of “women with children,” for example, legal representation increased the odds of securing protection in the United States by fourteen-fold. These odds increase even more when advocates are properly trained in asylum law and equipped with the necessary resources—such as country conditions evidence including expert declarations—for establishing a strong evidentiary record in their clients’ cases.
About This Cause
The Center for Gender and Refugee Studies - California (CGRS-California) is the California-focused arm of the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS) based at the University of California Hastings College of the Law. Facing increasing demand for CGRS’s services from the growing refugee and immigrant populations of California and their representatives, CGRS made the decision to incorporate CGRS-California in 2014 to expand and strengthen our ability to provide legal technical assistance, training, and litigation resources for attorneys throughout the state. The newly established 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization works closely with, and continues to be affiliated with CGRS, bringing into focus the same vision for a world where no one is subject to persecution because of gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or membership in a family or other social group. Led by Directing Attorney Christine Lin, CGRS-California provides free expert consultations, resources, and trainings to attorneys and organizations in California to help obtain the best possible outcomes for individual asylum seekers. We work closely with our partner organizations at the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative to train and mentor attorneys providing direct representation for unaccompanied children and their families living in San Francisco. We are also a member of the Northern California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (NCCIJ) and of the newly formed California Coalition for Universal Representation, which advocates for publicly funded legal representation for immigrants. CGRS-California additionally undertakes strategic impact litigation on behalf of refugees, engages in policy development, research, and in-country fact-finding, and uses international human rights instruments to address the root causes of persecution.