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La Luz now providing legal advice for Valley immigrants

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Sonoma Valley Sun

In response to the great uncertainty and fear within Sonoma Valley’s immigrant community, La Luz Center has hired an attorney to consult on immigration matters.

Lucy Benz-Rogers is the IIBA attorney who will be providing immigration legal services in partnership with La Luz. She previously advocated for migrant workers with Farmworker Legal Services of Michigan for three years.

The svice is funded by a grant from the San Francisco Zellerbach Foundation in collaboration with the International Institute of the Bay Area, a nonprofit providing immigration legal services since 1918.

Members of the community feel their status here threatened, said La Luz Executive Director Juan Hernandez. “They need to know their rights and they need to have a plan for their future. That is what we are looking to provide for them.”

Benz-Rogers will be holding “Know your Rights” workshops as well as providing services such as naturalization and family petitions. She will have office hours Monday through Thursday by appointment. Fees will be assessed on a sliding scale. For an appointment call 707-939-8864.

In November La Luz hosted two separate community gatherings with immigration professionals. Over 80 people attended the first meeting, including community members wanting to know how they could support immigrant rights. Immigrants were the majority of the second jam-packed meeting, who came with questions and concerns, but above all, according to Hernandez, “with a real strong sense of mutual support, good will, and a ‘we can do this!’ attitude.

“We at La Luz are blessed to be able to protect the investment we have made in this precious community,” he said.




Sonoma Sun | Sonoma, CA