Moving Forward Together

SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services Operated by JFS

No One Stands Alone in Our Community.
Welcoming the stranger.

Jewish Family Service provides robust immigration legal services in addition to humanitarian and respite shelter for asylum seekers who have been released into the United States by the Department of Homeland Security. Since our founding in 1918, JFS has been committed to Welcoming the Stranger–we’ve assisted and connected thousands of refugees to housing, employment, and education. We know this work is essential to ensuring San Diego is a more humane, prosperous, and beautifully diverse place to live.

For the entire duration of JFS’s operation of the SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services—including throughout the COVID-19 pandemic—we have demonstrated that it is possible to both prioritize public health and welcome vulnerable individuals with dignity.

Download SDRRN Shelter Fact Sheet >>

For more information visit the San Diego Rapid Response Network website at rapidresponsesd.org.

Support Our Work
Your gift to the JFS Welcome the Stranger Fund ensures San Diego remains a welcoming place for those in search of a safer life—free from violence and persecution. To donate, click here.

If you are interested in volunteering, please complete our volunteer application.

”This San Diego migrant shelter has become an integral part of the Border. Other cities are taking notice.”

The San Diego Rapid Response Network Migrant Shelter — operated by Jewish Family Service — recently welcomed its 100,000th guest, a milestone marked by this article in The San Diego Union on December 18, 2022. “It was a happiness to be here,” said 31-year-old Yolanda, who is fleeing cartel violence. “I feel safe.” The article illustrates our emphasis on welcoming and providing care for the most vulnerable of asylum seekers with public health as our top priority. “They are the gold standard,” said Naomi Steinberg of HIAS. “They have really shown organizations around the country about how it can be done and how it should be done.”

READ MORE >>

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SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services Infographic

Every week, the SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services welcomes new families. Click below to see our weekly stats.

California Welcoming Task Force logo

California Welcoming Task Force

The California Welcoming Task Force is a binational coalition dedicated to re-envisioning how the U.S. can welcome people seeking asylum safely and expeditiously at our border by coordinating across sectors: humanitarian, legal, health, advocacy and communications.

Learn More >>

JFS Migrant Family Shelter History

In October 2018, Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) abruptly ended a program known as “Safe Release,” which helped asylum-seekers connect with friends and family in the U.S. as they waited for their court date. Abandoned on the streets of downtown San Diego, migrant families were left vulnerable to crime and risked straining County resources by adding to our expanding homeless population. The San Diego Rapid Response Network (SDRRN) filled this critical gap in government assistance by protecting community safety and serving as an emergency respite shelter for asylum seekers. By mid-November 2018, ICE began coordinating with the SDRRN to drop-off migrant families at the SDRRN Migrant Shelter each day.

SDRRN Migrants Shelter Services, operated by Jewish Family Service of San Diego, continues to provide case management, travel assistance, nutrition services, medical screenings, and financial support for migrant families. As of August 2022, SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services has serve more than 81,000 asylum seekers. By our continued work to welcome the stranger, we are also protecting community safety by providing critical services, medical screening, and keeping asylum seekers off the streets. For the latest data, view the latest infographic in the above section. 

Starting in June 2020, services for asylum seekers released by the U.S. Government transitioned from a congregate shelter space to individual hotel rooms operated by JFS as part of the services it offers under the San Diego Rapid Response Network. We will continue to prioritize the needs of asylum seekers through transition services and legal assistance, ensuring that No One Stands Alone In Our Community.

Legal Assistance

JFS continues to provide high-quality pro bono immigration legal services in the following areas:

  • Asylum seekers forcibly returned to Mexico under the “Migrant Protection Protocols” (known as “Remain in Mexico”)
  • Detained/Non-Detained Removal Defense
  • Affirmative Immigration Services (primary areas of focus):
    • Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
    • Adjustment of Status
    • Family Reunification
    • Naturalization/Citizenship
  • Emergency response to immigration enforcement via activations from the San Diego Rapid Response Networkemergency hotline

Immigration Emergency Hotline: If you or someone you know is experiencing an immigration emergency (raid, arrest, checkpoint, and/or harassment) call the San Diego Rapid Response Network hotline at (619) 536-0823.

Immigration Pro-Bono Legal Assistance: For non-emergency immigration legal assistance inquiries, please call (858) 637-3365 or email [email protected]. This line is staffed by the legal team at JFS – give us a call today!

Help Asylum-seekers Move Forward
Donate Today

Asylum seekers arriving in our community are in desperate need of your help. They have traveled thousands of miles to flee violence, persecution, and other hardships in their home country in search of a safer, better life. The most impactful way to address this issue is with responsive and flexible funding. Your financial support will change lives.

 

Make a Donation

Online donations can be made through rapidresponsesd.org or the donate button below.

Donate to Rapid Response

Checks can be mailed to:
Jewish Family Service of San Diego
C/O: SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services

JOAN & IRWIN JACOBS CAMPUS
Turk Family Center
8804 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92123

Media Inquiries

For media-related inquiries, please contact J. Walcher Communications at (619) 295-7140 or send an email to [email protected].