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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 Managing 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.
CGRS-California Financials
The Center for Gender and Refugee Studies – California is a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (EIN #47-2970078). We are committed to financial accountability and transparency. Our financial records are audited annually by an independent certified public accountant firm who also prepares our organization’s IRS form 990s. Our fiscal year (FY) starts from July 1st through June 30th.
Press Releases
CGRS Stands Strongly With Refugee and Immigrant Communities
November 10, 2016
CGRS and ACLU File Suit Seeking Information on ICE Policies for Asylum Seekers
October 20, 2016
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Our work would not be possible without your support – join us in the fight to protect women, children, and LGBT refugees and advance human rights!
Events and Trainings
Upcoming:
Check back for upcoming trainings!
Policy Advocacy
Impact Litigation
We undertake strategic litigation on behalf of refugees and other immigrants in California before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)—including the immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals—the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and other federal Courts of Appeals. We become involved in influential cases as counsel or co-counsel, as amicus curiae, and as expert consultants to the attorneys and advocacy organizations in such cases.
Tracking and Asylum Adjudication Analysis
Every time an attorney requests assistance through our online system, we enter information about the case in CGRS’s one-of-a-kind database and follow up to track the outcome of the case. With more time and more attorneys in the state accessing our technical assistance, we are creating a systematic feedback loop using the information captured in our database.
Training
CGRS-California Managing Attorney Christine Lin leads a training on domestic violence and children's asylum claims at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County
Resource Development
CGRS-California, through our technical assistance program, disseminates valuable litigation resource materials such as practice advisories and more in-depth manuals focused on complex substantive and procedural legal challenges arising in asylum cases, Convention Against Torture cases, and other related claims.
Technical Assistance
CGRS-California utilizes CGRS’s unique and efficient web-based interface to provide legal technical assistance to attorneys and other advocates representing asylum seekers throughout California. Advocates submit a request online, providing basic information about their client’s country of origin, type of persecution feared, specific legal obstacles, and other relevant information.
