Central Valley nonprofit to launch immigration resource hub. What it will provide
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- El Concilio will launch a resource hub in July to aid Central Valley immigrants.
- The hub will centralize legal, mental health and educational resources online.
- ICE enforcement fears have driven demand for vetted information and community aid.
In response to immigration policies enacted by President Donald Trump, a Central Valley nonprofit is launching a wide-reaching initiative to support immigrant and migrant communities in Stanislaus County.
El Concilio California is developing an Immigration Information & Services Resource Hub. Set to launch in July, the initiative will centralize access to legal, educational and mental health support for immigrants and those who work alongside them.
“When your government decides to circumvent its own laws and its own legislative intent to create devastation, it’s incumbent upon the populace to react and to have a plan,” said Mark Apostolon, vice president of strategic innovation at El Concilio.
With discretionary funds and support from state partners, El Concilio will serve as the lead convener of the hub. The organization will bring together a network of up to 15 partners. Faith in the Valley and its Valley Watch Network also will partner in the initiative. The network confirms ICE sightings and shares resources with immigrant communities in the Central Valley.
Apostolon said they are developing a website that will host all the resources in one place. They will link only to trusted agencies, such as the California Rural Legal Assistance, and will not include individual lawyers on the site.
He said the initiative also aims to steer people away from disreputable sources and misinformation, providing vetted and accurate information instead.
Natalia Sanchez, lead outreach specialist at El Concilio, said one of the hub’s goals is to make all information easily accessible. The organization has used a strategic outreach plan for the past five years, ensuring services get to hard-to-reach communities, particularly in rural areas, using multiple methods and languages.
The hub will coordinate pro bono legal aid and provide Know Your Rights presentations and preparedness plans for families.
“The more people that are aware of their rights, I think the better off we’ll be prepared as a community,” said Jose Moreno, vice president of operations at El Concilio.
Apostolon said that as soon as the new presidential administration took power, El Concilio began working with its immigration department to address concerns coming from the community about where to find reliable help. He found that it was important to coordinate with others who also want to support immigrant communities.
Apostolon, who is also on the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board, said businesses report that even workers who have legal status are afraid to go to work. Some people are also avoiding doctor appointments or grocery shopping, instead relying on family or neighbors who are citizens and do not look Latino.
He said the demand for psychiatric and behavioral wellness services also has increased, especially for children who are panicked about what might happen to their parents, even those who are citizens or hold legal status.
“What [ICE] is doing is intentionally frightening people, and that unfortunately is succeeding,” Apostolon said.
Jose Rodriguez, president and chief executive officer of El Concilio, said the organization has seen a shift in the type of immigration help people are seeking. While it used to field calls primarily about becoming a citizen or adjusting status, now people are focused on protecting themselves from deportation.
He said the organization isn’t just hearing from immigrants. School districts, neighbors and others also are reaching out with questions, including about asylum cases and Know Your Rights sessions.
“We’re really overwhelmed with the number of calls that we’re receiving right now,” Rodriguez said.
He said one challenge El Concilio anticipates is the limitation of services available. In the past, the organization would deal with only a small number of deportation cases. Now, the cases are much more complicated “because the government is using any and every tool that they have at their disposal.”
“We’ve never seen the immigration enforcement this aggressive before, and so, you know, you don’t necessarily have the legal bench, if you will, that can take on all these cases that are now being generated because we never expected it to be at this level or at this capacity,” Rodriguez said.
He added that despite all the resources El Concilio will have, it is not going to be able to help everyone.
The hub will be accessible through El Concilio’s website at www.elconcilio.org, where a dedicated link will take users to the IISR-HUB page.
This story was originally published June 30, 2025 at 4:20 PM.
