Our nation is once again in a period of xenophobia and hate where immigrants are scapegoated for all the problems that we share as Americans. SIREN serves immigrant, indigenous, and refugee communities that span the Bay Area and the Central Valley. The families we serve and work with came to the United States for the exact same reasons my family did – safety, security, stability, and success. We cherish the freedoms that embody the ideals of our nation, work hard to provide for our families, and ingrain ourselves in the neighborhoods where we live and work. Our families are as American as anyone else in this country. No document or decree can take that away from us.

When I took on this role, I could not have imagined the challenges that SIREN would be called upon to face. While I have despaired at what we have become as a nation, I have also remained hopeful because of our people. Despite the vitriol we face, the people who make SIREN what it is – our staff, our community, our supporters and allies – have steeled their nerve and committed to the ongoing fight for human rights and dignity.

Because when we fight, we WIN. Si se puede!