Becoming a US citizen brings multiple benefits to an immigrant and their community.  US citizens can vote, travel freely outside of the country without restrictions and be protected from policies that target non citizens. Citizenship grants permanent protection from deportation, exclusive access to certain political positions and government jobs, and greater access to government benefits such as supplemental social security, health care, and general assistance.

This month, we celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man whose dream of equality and human rights changed the course of history. His legacy is remembered by people of all colors and creeds who believe in the American Dream and who continue his fight for fairness, justice and human dignity. Dr. King was pivotal in challenging deeply entrenched laws that defined the rights of Americans by the color of their skin and ushering in policy reforms that transformed the civil rights landscape.

We are very excited to have Priya Murthy and Hanh Le join the SIREN team. Both come with extensive experience in their field of work and will be an asset in moving SIREN to our next level of success!

Priya is our new Policy & Organizing Program Director, she has over 12 years of immigration law and policy experience and comes to us from South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) where she served as an Acting Executive Director, Policy Director and Consultant.

Hanh is our new Immigration Program Associate, she graduated from McGeorge School of Law and has over 3 years of experience in immigration law and organizing.  Hanh is a certified interpreter/translator for Santa Clara County and will be instrumental in our efforts to serve the Vietnamese community more efficiently.