Office of Immigrant Relations reports fiscal‑year outreach, legal‑services contracts and a 'belonging' needs assessment

The Office of Immigrant Relations (OIR) presented its FY2023–24 annual report, highlighting contracts for legal services, rapid‑response support following the end of Title 42 and a county needs assessment the office calls the Immigrant Belonging Project.

Julie Ramirez, who oversees OIR, told the committee the office and its community partners administered nearly $6 million in contracts through 16 vendors that provide immigration legal assistance, outreach and education. During the county's Title‑42 response in 2024, the county invested $710,000 for rapid‑response services (Amigos Guadalupe received funds to lead that work), which served 60 families (202 adults and 167 children), and the city of San Jose contributed an additional $150,000 for related services.

Immigrant Belonging Project and fellowship: OIR completed a second phase of the Immigrant Belonging Project and collected 2,881 community surveys to identify barriers and service gaps. The office also hosted an eighth New Americans Fellowship cohort (12 fellows from seven countries) whose culminating public‑awareness work targeted voter turnout among younger voters.

Next steps: OIR said it will finalize the Belonging Project report by June 2025, recruit a new OIR manager (selection near completion at meeting time) and continue coordinating legal‑service procurement and outreach to prepare for policy changes under the new federal administration. The office said it will continue to partner with city and community organizations on clinics and rely on community‑based organizations to conduct direct outreach.

Committee response: Supervisors asked about the geographic and country‑of‑origin breakdown of families served during the Title‑42 response and requested more detail on consulate engagement and outreach tactics; staff said more data and a June report will follow.