Who We Are

about the inland empire
 coalition for immigrant justice

Who We Are

The ICIJ, is composed of over 35 organizations that serve the immigrant community in the Inland Empire. The IC4IJ currently focuses on advocacy, changing the narrative, and capacity building. Our coalition engages in policy advocacy, community organizing and education, and rapid response to ICE and border patrol operations. We are collectively changing the narrative of the one million immigrants who live, thrive, and are a foundational part of the fabric of the IE. We are building organizational capacity through leadership development, cooperation, support networks, and shared regional strategies. Lastly, the IC4IJ provides resources such as training, technical support, and grants to coalition partners to further support their efforts and mission in the region.

Inland Empire Coalition for Racial Justice

Mission

The Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice is dedicated to convening organizations to collectively advocate and work to improve the lives of immigrant communities.

Vision

We envision a region and state where justice abounds and the contributions of immigrants are respected and help create a more prosperous region and state for everyone.

About the inland empire  
coalition for immigrant justice

History

In 2008, Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop Rutilio del Riego convened Immigrant leaders in the Inland Empire Region. His call was to unify leaders in the region to begin organizing collectively with a unified message of justice for immigrants. These meetings lead to the creation of the Justice for Immigrants Coalition of Inland Southern California (JFIC). Near the end of 2015 we began a process to assess our progress, identify key opportunities and threats and to identify our capacity needs through a process of strategic planning. We also adopted a new name -- Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice to better reflect our regional and unique identity.

Over the years we have been influential in advocating for the rights of all immigrants Major victories include advocating for the passage of the California Trust Act (AB 4), which limits cooperation between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local law enforcement. Supporting immigrant youth in their fight for DACA, an executive action that protects immigrant youth from deportation. We supported the statewide push for Driver Licenses for All (AB 60), which has provided over 1 million drivers licenses to undocumented Californianas. More recently, we successfully advocated for the passage of a series of laws that would protect immigrants under the new federal administration, including the California Values Act (Sb 54).

We have continued to grow in strength and depth. We have evolved into a dynamic, diverse, and prominent coalition--engine for justice and change in the Inland Region and California. Currently, over 40 grassroots, community, faith-based, legal service, and workers rights organizations are part of the Coalition.

Staff

Javier Hernandez

Executive Director

Javier Hernandez

Executive Director

Javier Hernandez is an immigrant and queer leader fighting for immigrant rights in the Inland Empire (IE). Javier believes that justice for immigrant communities includes addressing all the intersections that are crucial to the undocumented identity such as health, socioeconomic status, criminalization, and other disparities that keep undocumented immigrants marginalized. Javier has advocated and taken direct action against anti-immigrant policies and deportations throughout the country and has co-founded several grassroots groups. Since 2015, Javier has been the Director of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (IC4IJ), a coalition of over 50 diverse organizations that convene to collectively advocate for immigrant justice in the Inland Empire.

Lizbeth (Castillejos) Abeln

Deputy Director

Lizbeth (Castillejos) Abeln

Deputy Director

Lizbeth (Castillejos) Abeln was born in Chiapas, Mexico. She was raised in Bloomington, CA and later moved to Orange County to pursue her Bachelors Degree in Political Science at the University of California, Irvine. Lizbeth has advocated for immigrant rights in higher education and also in her community, where she has served as the Southern Region Coordinator for the California Dream Network (CHIRLA) and as a Research Assistant for research focused on the effects of immigrant detention and deportation. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, exploring new cities, and attending music festivals. As the Immigrant Detention Coordinator, Lizbeth will utilize her experience working personally with immigrant communities and give support to vulnerable immigrants and families who face detention and deportation proceedings. Emotional, financial, and Legal support are all crucial aspects to further immigrant justice. She plans to accomplish this through community engagement in the high desert and policy advocacy at a local and statewide level. Lizbeth believes that in order to achieve immigrant justice, we must end all expansion and efforts of institutions that criminalize immigrants and obstructs them from pursuing a decent life wherever they should migrate.

Eddie Torres

Policy Director

Eddie Torres

Policy Director

Eddie is a proud son of Mexican immigrants. He is passionate about dismantling the capitalist institutions that perpetuate the marginalization of our most vulnerable communities. Eddie earned a Bachelor's degree from University of California, Riverside majoring in International Affairs. He has years of experience working for several municipalities and the California State Assembly. With his free time Eddie enjoys spending time with his wife, hiking with his dogs, working out, and reading. His favorite quote and words to live by are, " Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it."-- Frantz Fanon.

Tamara Marquez

Communications Director

Tamara Marquez

Communications Director

Tamara Marquez was born in Mexico City and migrated to the United States when she was 13 years old. Tamara is passionate about sharing the obstacles immigrants face day to day and fights to fix the broken immigration system in this country. Tamara attended the University of California Riverside and graduated in 2020 with a degree in Media Culture Studies and a double major in Spanish. Tamara has had experience working with nonprofits and organizations in the Inland Empire. Her aspirations, as the Communications Coordinator, are to support people who are detained or being released from immigrant detention centers by sharing their testimonies in order to abolish detention centers and free all immigrants. In addition, to work alongside organizations in the Inland Empire and statewide to shut down all detention centers and bring justice to all immigrants that have been detained and abused by institutions in this country. Tamara is working towards uplifting their stories through the different media platforms in order to change the narrative towards the immigrant communities.

Olga Flores

Membership Specialist

Olga Flores

Membership Specialist

Olga Flores is an immigrant from Mexico City who has been living in the United States for 20 years. She became a volunteer with ICIJ during Operacion Bienvenida when we welcomed hundreds of asylum seekers to the Inland Empire. Her passion for supporting and empowering people in her community translates to her work at ICIJ. Most recently, Olga co-led the Community Justice Fund which has disbursed over $2.4 million dollars to immigrants that were excluded from state and federal COVID-19 financial relief.

Araceli Caldera

Office Manager

Araceli Caldera

Office Manager

araceli [at] icij [dot] org

Araceli Caldera is a daughter of immigrant parents, her mother from Sinaloa, Mexico, and her father from Baguio City, Philippines. Growing up with immigrant parents, Araceli witnessed the struggles to obtain services due to language barriers and discrimination. In her career, she has worked to address these barriers and address the challenges facing immigrants in the Inland Empire. As the ICIJ Census Coordinator, Araceli ensured that the diverse immigrant communities of the IE were counted. She now oversees a variety of projects including Redistricting, Community Membership, and Managing the various ICIJ Office Spaces.

Bryan Sanchez

Lead Organizer

Bryan Sanchez

Lead Organizer

Bryan Sanchez is the Inland Empire Community Organizer for the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ICIJ). He received a B.A in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine. As a student, Bryan dedicated his time to various political and social causes. This included being a part of two Congressional campaigns and being a Peer Educator for UC Irvine's Campus Assault Resources & Education (CARE) Office where he advocated for feminism and justice for victims of gender-based violence. Using what he learned from these experiences, Bryan now hopes to use his position in the ICIJ to empower immigrant communities to recognize their inherent dignity and strength and teach them how to defend their rights. In his free time, he enjoys reading fiction novels and spending time with his family.

Veronica Roman

Community Outreach Specialist

Veronica Roman

Community Outreach Specialist

Veronica Roman is from Cuernavaca Morelos, she emigrated to this country with many dreams. She has seen how the Immigrant Community in the Inland Empire Region has suffered a lot of discrimination in all aspects of work, social, etc. She has had the opportunity to work as a Mental Health Promoter, Community Organizer and has also been a volunteer in various organizations and has had the opportunity to be in trainings on Domestic Violence and more. Veronica likes to be learning and growing personally to be supporting forgotten and needy communities. Veronica has had previous experiences where she has worked closely with immigrants, she has seen the need firsthand during this Covid-19 pandemic. Her experience working now with ICIJ is a great opportunity for a lot of learning, one more step, it is the union of many united voices fighting for a better future to achieve equality, regardless of your immigration status but to be respected and assert your rights as being human.

Esmeralda Santos

Shut Down Adelanto Organizer

Esmeralda Santos

Shut Down Adelanto Organizer

Esmeralda Santos was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Montclair, CA. Being a child of Mexican immigrants and a long-time resident of the Inland Empire, Esmeralda has felt the calling of being an advocate for the Inland Empire and the marginalized communities in it. Esmeralda will be graduating from the University of California, Riverside in June of 2022 with two Bachelors in Education and Ethnic Studies. She had prior experience working for the Riverside Office of Education, local Congress Members, doing research on human rights in Brazil, and teaching English in Thailand.

Alejandro Meza Aguilar

Coachella Valley Organizer

Alejandro Meza Aguilar

Coachella Valley Organizer

Alejandro Meza Aguilar is the Community Organizer for the Eastern Coachella Valley for the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ICIJ). He was born in Mexicali and migrated to the Coachella Valley when he was 5 years old. Alejandro has focused on journalism, photography, and filmmaking since high school. In his junior year he volunteered in youth-led research with Building Healthy Communities to allocate resources for LGBT youth in the Eastern Coachella Valley. Alejandro attended the University of California Riverside and graduated in 2021 double majoring in Filmmaking and Creative Writing. He focused on his passion for journalism in his undergrad writing articles for the Chaparral Newspaper for College of the Desert and UCR’s Highlander News. Alejandro hopes to use his past experiences in community organizing and communications to help the community of the Eastern Coachella Valley.

Hector-Andree Pereyra

Political Manager

Hector-Andree Pereyra

Political Manager

Hector-Andreé Pereyra (he/him/él) is the proud son of immigrant parents who came to the United States from Lima, Peru. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of La Verne in 2023. As a student, Hector assisted in the instruction of Constitutional Law and worked on his award winning thesis that examined fractures in LGBTQ+ activism and the ideas of gender and sex that caused them. He also interned for city representatives and the California State Senate. This experience led him to become a campaign manager for a California State Assembly race. His work has always highlighted his commitment to justice and equity for all, and radical solutions that fight against oppression starting at its root causes.

Yazmin Mercado

Legal Advocate

Yazmin Mercado

Legal Advocate

I was born and raised in Jurupa Valley, CA. Immigrant justice, to me, is deeply personal, coming from a family of immigrants, I've seen firsthand the struggles and resilience of immigrant families. I pursued my academic journey as a first gen at the University of California, Berkeley, where I double-majored in Political Economy and Music, and minored in Public Policy. Throughout my time in the Bay Area, my heart remained connected to the IE. It's this connection that has fueled my commitment to giving back and returning to the community that shaped me.

With previous experience working at an immigration law firm, I've witnessed firsthand the complexities and challenges faced by immigrant families navigating the legal system. This experience deepened my understanding of the urgent need for advocacy and support for immigrant communities. Now, as a Legal Advocate, I am dedicated to uplifting the voices of the immigrant community, ensuring that everyone has access to the resources and support they need to navigate the legal system with confidence and dignity.

Benjamin Wood

Legal Director

Benjamin Wood

Legal Director

Daniel Reyes

Multi-Media Lead

Daniel Reyes

Multi-Media Lead

Daniel Reyes was born in Pomona, CA, and raised in Fontana, CA. He is a seasoned Multimedia Specialist with a background in Graphic Design, Photography, Videography, and Communication Strategy. He’s contributed to family-owned and operated businesses, community-driven organizations, universities, and political campaigns. His love for the intersection of art, advocacy, and entrepreneurship have allowed him to reach and engage community members, elected leaders, and customers. “Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” - Unknown

Miriam Scheetz

Re-Entry Organizer

Miriam Scheetz

Re-Entry Organizer

LLegue a los estados unidos cuando tenia 21 anos de edad, a Santa Ana. Trabaje en una oficina haciendo marketing, mi primer trabajo. Despues, me puse a estudiar real estate, y me gradue de real estate broker. Hice mi propia oficina donde trabaje por mas de 26 anos. En Marzo 2014, estuve en GEO Adelanto Detention Center por un ano y medio. Al estar en GEO, tuve el apoyo de las organizaciones y sentí la compasión y el apoyo de las personas – desperto la pasión en mi para ayudar a los demas que necesitan ese mismo amor. Ahora quiero compartir ese mismo amor, carino, compasion, y dedicarme a las personas que lo necesitan. Para mi, este es el mejor trabajo de mi vida, en ICIJ. Mi meta es terminar mis estudios de full stack, web developer. Con esto, trabajare a ayudarles a los street vendors crear y publicar su paginas gratis en el web.

In Memoriam

In Loving Memory of Aidé Arana

1988 - 2019

In Loving Memory of Aidé Arana

1988 - 2019

Aidé Arana was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco on August 26th, 1988. Aidé was passionate about creating opportunities for her family and others; she was firm in her belief for justice. Aidé was kind and fierce; she did not have to choose one over the other. She was selfless; even in hard times, she put the needs of her family and loved ones first. She achieved many of her dreams, including graduating from the University of California, Riverside with a major in Sociology in 2017 and working to advance immigrant rights with the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ICIJ). Everything she achieved was always with the motivation of lifting up and honoring her family. We learned so much from Aidé. She was wise beyond her years and shared with us the lessons she learned from a well-lived, although too brief, life. She taught us to stand up for what we believe in, dream big, be courageous in the face of struggle, help others in need, and enjoy life to the fullest. Most of all, she taught us to be kind to one another. Aidé loved her family and friends so much; she always saw the best in those around her and was a loving, supportive, and loyal daughter, sister, partner, and friend. We honor Aidé by spreading her kindness and love to others.

Board Members

Emilio Amaya

Executive Director, SAN BERNARDINO COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTER, INC.

Emilio Amaya

Executive Director, SAN BERNARDINO COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTER, INC.

Born in Mexico, Emilio Amaya migrated to this country when he was 13-years-old as an unaccompanied minor. He went through the experience of being a homeless child, migrant worker, day laborer, food worker, and union representative. He is a founding member of Libreria del Pueblo, Inc. in San Bernardino, CA and currently serves as Executive Director of San Bernardino Community Service Center, Inc. in the Inland Empire, where he has been involved in immigrant rights defense and advocacy. His organization provides direct immigration and legal services to immigrants in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Angel Fajardo

Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Collective

Angel Fajardo

Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Collective

(909) 833-1412

Angel Fajardo was born in Mexico D.F. and grew up in the Inland Empire; she graduated from the University of California Riverside in 2016 with a degree in Global Studies. Angel has dedicated 6 years to organizing with local organizations such as Mi Familia Vota, Inland Congregations United for Change, the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, and Catholic Relief Services at UCR. As the Director of the Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Collective (IEIYC), Angel believes that empowering youth and building leaders is essential to create a community in which all people, regardless of status, ethnicity, or class, can live with dignity, grace, and power. Angel is honored to lead the IEIYC through a strong, positive, and fresh new pathway to triumph for the immigrant community in the inland empire.

Fernando Romero

Executive Director, Centro de Oportunidad Económica de Pomona (PEOC)

Fernando Romero

Executive Director, Centro de Oportunidad Económica de Pomona (PEOC)

Fernando has been the Executive Director for the PEOC since January 2015. He has an extensive background and experience in community organizing on immigrant rights and workers rights. Fernando lived in the United States as an undocumented immigrant for 21 years since the age of 8. As of August 2015, he is accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to conduct document preparation and at low-cost for immigration benefits He was the Director for the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice from 2011 to 2015 where some of the most prominent work was that of the crisis of the Migrant Children and Families in Murrieta, CA during July 2014. As an undocumented student at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), he studied creative writing and journalism and was a co-founder of FUEL, the first AB 540 support group at CSULB, co-founder of the independent, on-campus publication focused on Latina/Latino students El Reflejo and the video blog project for undocumented youth Dreamers Adrift.

Luis Nolasco

Senior Policy Advocate and Organizer, ACLU of Southern California

Luis Nolasco

Senior Policy Advocate and Organizer, ACLU of Southern California

Luis Nolasco is a senior community engagement and policy advocate at the ACLU of Southern California, working from the Inland Empire office. He graduated with a B.A. in psychology from California State University, San Bernardino and was one of the co-founders of the Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Collective. He currently sits on the board of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (IC4IJ). His work is focused on the intersections between the criminal justice system and immigration systems. He began his work on these issues with Shut Down the Broward Transitional Center (BTC) in Boca Raton, Florida in 2012. Since then he has been active in the fight to dismantle the collaboration between local law enforcement and immigration authorities, and the fight against mass incarceration in the Inland Valleys. Luis was a leading force in the effort to eliminate 287-G agreements locally and played a key role in organizing the statewide campaign for SB54, the California Values Act.

Tom Dolan

Executive Director-Regionwide, Inland Congregations United for Change

Tom Dolan

Executive Director-Regionwide, Inland Congregations United for Change

tom@icucpico.co

Tom Dolan, Executive Director, Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC). Tom has been working in interfaith community organizing since 1976, when he began to learn organizing as a student with Holy Cross priests in Chimbote, Peru. Tom’s work as an organizer took him to work with churches in Peru, Ecuador and Chile, where he worked with the Chilean Quaker Service Committee, the Lutheran Church, the Presbyterian Church and the Catholic Church. Since 2005 Tom has worked with ICUC, an interfaith organization with more than 60 member congregations of diverse faith traditions. He lives with his wife, Cecilia, and four children in the city of San Bernardino. Tom graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1978 and received his doctorate in Education in 2010.

Yesenia González

Organizing Director, UFCW 1167

Yesenia González

Organizing Director, UFCW 1167

Yesenia González is the Organizing Director for the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1167 (UFCW 1167). She started working in the labor movement after her experience organizing day laborers in Los Angeles and meat plant workers in Riverside. There she met many wonderful hard-working people struggling to get by, yet happy to have opportunities their home countries did not provide. This experience prompted her passion to work and support all workers-especially those who are marginalized because of their immigration status. She has been organizing workers in the Inland Empire since 2009. Yesenia was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and immigrated to the U.S with her family at the age of six. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Miguel Benitez

Senior Organizer, SEIU Local 2015

Miguel Benitez

Senior Organizer, SEIU Local 2015

For over 15 years, Miguel has been in the social justice movement. In 2005, he oversaw a tutoring program in East Los Angeles through the “No Child Left Behind” program. This program worked with low-income students in elementary school through high school to better their Math and Reading skills. In 2010, Miguel began to work with SEIU Local 2015. Now as a Senior Organizer, he works to represent workers mainly in San Bernardino and Ventura County. Miguel is committed to ensuring justice for all as he works on statewide level campaigns to fight for workers’ rights and for the community. Miguel is a graduate from UCLA with a major in Political Science and a minor in Chicano/a Studies. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

Blanca Olivares

Hispanos Unidos, Directora Ejecutiva

Blanca Olivares

Hispanos Unidos, Directora Ejecutiva

Blanca Olivares es una inmigrante de México y madre de dos hijos nacidos en los Estados Unidos. Blanca tiene 18 años viviendo en los Estados Unidos, y más de 15 años viviendo en el Inland Empire. En 2013 Blanca se unió a grupos comunitarios para luchar por el derecho de obtener licencias para todos, sin importar el estatus migratorio. En el 2013, nació la página en Facebook; Hispanos Unidos, con más de 26,000 miembros, esta página alertaba a la comunidad de retenes, operativos de ICE o CBP, y también involucra a los miembros en las campañas pro-inmigrantes. Después de una campaña exitosa para las licencias, la página sigue evolucionando ya que la problemática de nuestra comunidad indocumentada cambia y con ello el contenido de nuestra página y trabajo.

Vero Alvarado

Deputy Director, Warehouse Workers Resource Center

Vero Alvarado

Deputy Director, Warehouse Workers Resource Center

Veronica Alvarado is the Deputy Director for the Warehouse Worker Resource Center. Drawing from her cultural and working class background, she has been instrumental in assisting in the mobilization of warehouse workers, providing bilingual trainings to hundreds of workers and community members, and advocating on their behalf with employers, resource agencies, government agencies, legislatures regarding health and safety issues, and promoting, uplifting and reshaping the narrative about what Civic Engagement is and who it is for. Ms. Alavardo has provided training and presentations around the country regarding the plight of warehouse workers in the Inland Empire especially under the retail giant, Walmart and strategies to advocate on their behalf. More recently, she’s continued her work, uplifting the experiences of workers in the Amazon supply chain. Ms. Alvarado has also actively participated in state-wide and national coalitions working collaboratively with workers’ rights organizations to advance the working conditions of low-wage immigrant workers and has been part of statewide pushes that have demanded the establishment of a Safety Net 4 All, income wage replacement program for excluded undocumented workers. Our Steering Committee is composed of 10 individuals who represent their organizations who are partners of the coalition. Members of our steering committee share the common purpose of serving the immigrant and other underserved communities of the Inland Empire. Their purpose is to provide strategic direction and support to the IC4IJ director and staff.

Who We Are

Partner Organizations

San Bernardino Community Service Center, Inc.

Learn More

Gente Organizada

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Warehouse Workers Resource Center

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Pomona Economic Opportunity Center (PEOC)

Learn More

Inland Congregations United for Change

Learn More

Immigrant Defenders

CHIRLA

Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice

California Immigrant Policy Center

Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Collective

How can you support our fight?

Donate  to IC4IJ

In the midst of the international COVID-19 pandemic, Immigrants detained in ICE detention centers are at high risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from the disease. Even in normal circumstances, ICE has proven time and again that it is unable to protect the health and safety of detained people-- and now more than ever, their lives are at risk, especially those with a history of health problems.

Fight back by donating to free someone at high risk for COVID-19 from detention.

Who We Are

The Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice is dedicated to convening organizations to collectively advocate and work to improve the lives of immigrant communities.

We envision a region and state where justice abounds and the contributions of immigrants are respected and help create a more prosperous region and state for everyone.

History

Staff

Javier Hernandez

Lizbeth (Castillejos) Abeln

Eddie Torres

Tamara Marquez

Olga Flores

Araceli Caldera

Bryan Sanchez

Veronica Roman

Esmeralda Santos

Alejandro Meza Aguilar

Hector-Andree Pereyra

Yazmin Mercado

Benjamin Wood

Daniel Reyes

Miriam Scheetz

In Memoriam

In Loving Memory of Aidé Arana

Board Members

Emilio Amaya

Angel Fajardo

Fernando Romero

Luis Nolasco

Tom Dolan

Yesenia González

Miguel Benitez

Blanca Olivares

Vero Alvarado

Partner Organizations

Donate to IC4IJ

Donate  to IC4IJ