RAICES
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RAICES is a progressive illegal alien advocacy organization based in Texas stemming from the Sanctuary Movement of the mid-1980's.
Founding
RAICES was founded by Stacey Merkt and Jack Elder of the Sanctuary Movement, described by the LA Times in 1985 as "a network of 200 U.S. churches that ignore laws and provide refuge to Salvadorans and Guatemalans."[1]
About
From their website:[2]
- "Founded in 1986 as the Refugee Aid Project by community activists in South Texas, RAICES has grown to be the largest immigration legal services provider in Texas. With offices in Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, RAICES is a frontline organization in the roiling debate about immigration and immigrants in the world. As an organization that combines expertise developed from the daily practice of immigration law with a deep commitment to advocacy, RAICES is unique among immigration organizations. A diverse staff of 130 attorneys, legal assistants, and support staff provide consultations, direct legal services, representation, assistance and advocacy to communities in Texas and to clients after they leave the state. In 2017, RAICES staff closed 51,000 cases at no cost to the client. Our advocacy and commitment to change are driven by the clients and families we serve every day as our attorneys and legal assistants provide legal advocacy and representation in an immigration system that breaks apart families and leaves millions without pathways to legal status.
Campaign to Walk Out on Wayfair
The hashtag WayfairWalkout was trending all day on June 25, 2019 on Twitter and abundant news coverage was given to a story that allegedly 500 employees signed a letter requesting that furniture maker Wayfair decline a contract to give beds to unaccompanied alien children. Employees Madeline Howard and Elizabeth Good were two of the employees. In lieu of making a profit from the contract, an employee asked that Wayfair donate to RAICES.[3] Wayfair opted to donate $100,000 to the Red Cross.
From CNN:
- 'We want them to donate the funds to RAICES,' Wayfair worker Madeline Howard told the protest group Wednesday. 'We don’t want it donated to the Red cCross, [sic] as great as that is. We want them to donate it to something that’s relevant to what we’re asking for.'
Staff/Board
Board of Directors
Board of Directors listed on their website as of June 25 2019:[4]
- Board Chair John Walvoord Texas Wilson – VP of Finance and Operations
- Secretary Olga Kauffman, Health Coordinator
- Member Nick Garza, Retired
- Member Tony Davila, Davila Construction – Owner
- Member Tito Torralba State Farm – Owner, Insurance Agent
Officers
- Jonathan Ryan, CEO / President San Antonio, TX, worked as a staff attorney at American Gateways where he helped to establish the Legal Orientation Program for adults in DHS detention
- Erika Andiola, Chief Advocacy Officer, co-founded the Arizona Dream Act Coalition, former Press Secretary for Latino Outreach for Bernie 2016, served in the National Coordinating Committee and the Board of Directors for the United We Dream Network. She is an illegal alien.
- Brendan Colthurst, Chief Technology Officer, Los Angeles, CA former managing partner of Disposable Television, a digital video production company.
- Liz Dunn, Chief Development Officer, San Antonio, TX, experience at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights in Washington D.C. Liz has also served as Vice Chair of the Board for the Forum for Equality.
- Sara Fairley, Chief Social Programs Officer, Fort Worth, TX
- Michelle Garza, Chief Legal Programs Officer Dallas, TX
- Julia Harvell, Chief Administration Officer Bastrop, TX
- Nathan Johnson, Chief Financial Officer San Antonio, TX, previously served as the CFO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, serves on the Board of Reggae Girlz Foundation, Inc., Founding board member of the Austin Texas Chapter of the National Black MBA Association.
Directors
- Bryan Carmel, Interim Director of Video Los Angeles, CA, co-wrote and produced The Democracy Handbook With Bassem Youssef, winner of the Audience Award at SXSW. Bryan was VP of Development for Fusion – Univision’s English-speaking multi-platform network for young socialists.
- Manoj Govindaiah, Director of Legal Strategy and Training, San Antonio, TX, was the Director of Family Detention Services where he oversaw RAICES’ work at Texas family detention centers.
- Whitney Hampton, Families Together Director, Dallas, TX
- Mayra Jimenez, Director of Children’s Program, San Antonio, TX
- Alexandra Minnaar, Director of Community Immigration Services, Austin, was a federal law clerk for the Honorable Judge Diana Saldana in Laredo, Texas.
- Brian Schaeffer, Pro Bono Legal Director, Houston, TX
- Ulises Soler, Director of Commercial Partnerships, San Antonio, TX
Managing Attorneys
- Jennifer de Haro, Managing Attorney, Fort Worth, TX, was a student attorney in the Immigration Clinic, practiced as an immigration attorney with Catholic Charities, volunteers her time with NEED YPO, where she coordinates various service and educational events regarding poverty in Fort Worth.
- Carrie Chavez Thompson, Managing Attorney, Corpus Christi, TX, member of the Moot Court Honor Board, a fellow with the Ohio Innocence Project, and an associate member of the Immigration and Nationality Law Review and where she co-founded the Immigrant Community Legal Advocacy Project. From 2008 to 2016, Carrie was the Director of Immigration & Refugee Services with Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi, Inc. where she supervised legal services and refugee resettlement work.
- Felix Villalobos, Managing Attorney, Dallas, TX, was a staff attorney with Mary Elizabeth Cedillo-Pereira at her Immigration Boutique law firm in Dallas that specializes in Immigration and was heavily involved in removal defense. Felix was also an intern with Catholic Charities Dallas. Felix serves on the boards with the City of Dallas Judicial Commission, Alumni association, and local clergy leadership of an international church.
- Hannah Zimmermann, Managing Attorney, San Antonio, TX, was a post-graduate fellow at American Gateways in Austin, Texas, working with refugees and immigrant victims of crime, and has interned with the Equal Justice Center and the ACLU of Texas in Austin, Texas.