El Refugio honored in DC
Washington — El Refugio has received the Community Advocate Award from the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition in Washington. CAIR Coalition works alongside immigrant children and adults at risk of detention and deportation in the Capital region and beyond. More recently, CAIR Coalition has represented people at Stewart Detention Center (SDC) who have ties to the Capital region.
Kathryn M. Doan, Executive Director of CAIR Coalition, commended El Refugio for its “remarkable” efforts on behalf of immigrants. “The ongoing support provided by El Refugio, including quality housing and transportation to impacted people and their families, is critical. We are grateful to be able to rely on El Refugio as a partner working alongside impacted people. Our ability to provide high-quality legal and social services, while advocating for meaningful policy changes, is made possible by the support of donors, volunteers, advocates, and partners such as El Refugio.”
Amilcar Valencia, Executive Director of El Refugio, accepted the award at a celebration Wednesday. “It is truly an honor to receive this recognition from CAIR Coalition. We are immensely grateful for CAIR Coalition’s work providing legal representation to folks in Washington, Maryland, and Virginia, and those detained in Georgia. Like CAIR Coalition, El Refugio is committed to fighting for the dignity of everyone in our community, especially those trapped in the detention system.”
PJ Edwards, Board Chair of El Refugio, extended appreciation to the staff and volunteers who carry out El Refugio’s mission to accompany immigrants at SDC and their loved ones through hospitality, visitation, support, and advocacy. “Thanks to weekend volunteers, house coordinators, helpline volunteers, letter-writing volunteers, board members, and our hard-working staff, we can provide crucial direct support to families and people detained at SDC while working to end this inhumane and unnecessary detention system. We are grateful for the vision of the founding members, who are El Refugio's trailblazers, and to those who continue the vision of offering a human face to those trapped in detention. This recognition motivates us to continue our work until SDC is shut down.”
CAIR Coalition also honored Maryland Delegate Deni Taveras with the Lifetime Advocate Award for her continued commitment to uplifting immigrants’ rights—including helping to establish the immigrant Services and Language Access (ISLA) program in Prince George’s County.
Additionally, CAIR Coalition recognized three law firms for their dedication to supporting people and families impacted by immigration detention:
O’Melveny and Myers received the Impacting Justice Award, for supporting CAIR Coalition’s impact litigation efforts to develop the first-ever national agency advocacy and litigation challenging Executive Office of Immigration Review’s (EOIR) processes—turning a vague procedural matter into a concrete advocacy campaign.
Perkins Coie received the Detained Adult Champion Award, for its commitment to advocating for immigrant adults in detention. Since 2017, they have donated over 1,200 pro bono hours, providing compassionate and holistic representation to immigrants who are detained.
Zuckerman Spaeder received the Detained Children’s Champion Award for the boutique firm’s continued efforts to protect and defend immigrant children who are at risk of deportation. As a valued partner organization, Zuckerman Spaeder has gone above and beyond to support CAIR Coalition with its pro bono efforts.
CAIR Coalition’s announcement may be found here.
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El Refugio accompanies immigrants at Stewart Detention Center and their loved ones through hospitality, visitation, support, and advocacy. Visit elrefugiostewart.org. Follow El Refugio on Facebook and Instagram @elrefugiostewart and X @elrefugioga.
