Monday May 21st Is Immigrant Day-Join Us to Raise Awareness

"Each year in May, immigrant communities from around California visit their legislators in Sacramento to raise awareness about issues that are important to our communities in California.  On Monday, May 21, 2012, Omid Advocates will join these communities in Sacramento and invites you to join us as well.
 Please contact CIPC to register." 

Join Omid Advocates in Supporting the TRUST Act & 
Providing More Protection for Our Immigrant Communities

In 2010, Immigration and Customs Enforcement implemented a program called "S-Comm" in the Bay area. S-Comm has led to the wrongful detentions and deportations of many immigrants in the Bay Area and the United States at large. Omid Advocates is working with local, state, and national immigrants' rights organizations to advocate against this harmful policy. For more information on S-Comm, please visit "Uncover the Truth" by clicking here.
We encourage our community members and organizations to join us in supporting
the TRUST Act (AB 1081 - Ammiano),
a bill that will provide greater protections for our immigrant communities by
limiting California's participation in the S-Comm program. Please contact us at
omidadvocates@gmail.com for information on getting involved. For more information about the TRUST Act,
please visit the NDLON site here.


ACTION ALERT: REFUGEE LEGAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Omid Advocates for Human Rights is a grassroots,
non-profit organization based in Berkeley, California.  
In 2010 Omid Advocates established its Refugee Legal Assistance Program (RLAP) to provide Iranian refugees in Turkey and other countries with legal assistance and to advocate on their behalf before UNHCR.  RLAP’s on behalf of Iranian refugees includes:

-Consulting with refugees on their claims, explaining the protracted
refugee process to them and helping them to prepare for their Refugee Status  Determination (RSD) interviews;

-Submission of letter briefs to UNHCR setting forth the reasons why the refugee is entitled to recognition as a refugee or requesting expedited processing based on compelling circumstances;

-Helping refugees to collect evidence for submission to UNHCR in support of his or her claim;

-Follow up on delays by UNHCR in issuing decisions and receiving
security check results;

-Preparation of appeals for denied claims;

-Consultation with UNHCR representatives and country of resettlement officers on behalf of refugees to improve recognition and resettlement processing;

-Financial support to refugees we represent; and 
 
-Referrals for medical and psychological
assessments.


As part of this program, we are collecting donations to financially assist the Iranian refugees receiving our legal support. Refugees in Turkey are struggling to survive without work permits and adequate housing.  The conditions in Turkey are severe, especially in the winter months, and add to the suffering of the already traumatized refugees.  Many are cut off from their families and are recovering from injuries sustained under torture while imprisoned in Iran.  They require assistance to pay their rent, utilities, residence fees (almost $300 per six months), medicines, clothing, and food. PLEASE help by donating using our donations page.

DONATE $120 AND RECEIVE A "SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF IRAN" POSTER!
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"Writing this letter is the only way I could thank Omid Advocates and convey my gratitude. From the very early days of my petition for asylum, I had only Omid Advocates to rely on. Omid Advocates supported me without any compensation and stood by me as we faced the hard times of my life together during these past two years.  Sometimes a single email can be so warmly encouraging that nothing else can be compared to it.   Now, I can finally start a new life.Omid Advocates has a profound feeling of respect for human beings and helping them is something I grasped from Omid Advocates.  It was a great lesson and will certainly be with me in the future. I  thank you all from bottom of my heart for all your help and support and wish you all prosperity."

Press Release: Omid Advocates for Human Rights Fact-Finding Team to Visit Turkey 

Date:        April 2012
Contact:   Darya Nasim, omidadvocates@gmail.com

Since the 2009 elections in Iran, Turkey has received a significant and continued influx of refugees from Iran who have been seeking safety for themselves and their families.  Many of these refugees experience a plethora of difficulties upon arrival in Turkey and often need medical aid, treatment for psychological trauma, housing assistance, and legal assistance.  
 
In 2010, Omid Advocates for Human Rights (Omid) conducted
field research on the situation of Iranian refugees in Turkey, producing a widely distributed and published report available here. 
After its first fact-finding mission to Turkey, Omid staff and board
members remained committed to continued dialogue and collaborative efforts with these contacts and partners.

In April-May of 2012, a team of Omid staff and board members travels to Istanbul, Ankara, and Neveshir to follow up on the situation
of Iranian refugees in Turkey.  The group will meet with partner institutions and interview (among others) U.S. and foreign government officials, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), Turkish immigration attorneys, medical professionals, advocates, and Iranian refugees.  The purpose of these meetings will be
to inform these agencies about Omid’s work with the refugees in Turkey, build deeper relationships with partner agencies, obtain data and resources on work already in existence for the refugees, and to collect information from the agencies and clients to better be able to serve these Iranian refugees through direct representation and policy advocacy. 
 
Ultimately, Omid’s field research will provide insight to
the challenges refugees face and allow refugee rights advocates to better work on behalf of these refugees. 

For more information, please contact Darya Nasim @
omidadvocates@gmail.com

THE PROCESS OF BECOMING A REFUGEE, AN INFORMATIVE GUIDE. NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD IN ENGLISH AND PERSIAN

the_process_of_becoming_a_refugee_persian.pdf
File Size: 297 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
the_process_of_becoming_a_refugee_english.pdf
File Size: 144 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

 



 

The Rate of New Arrivals Increased in 2011

According to UNHCR, in 2010, the rate of new arrivals in Turkey alone (where we receive the most number of requests)“increased substantially” from 7840 in 2009 to 9,230.  In 2011, an overall increase of 60 percent in new arrivals was observed.  UNHCR estimates that there could be  over 22,000 people of concern in Turkey in 2012.  (http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e48eOfa7f.html)