Unitarian Universalist Refugee and Immigrant Services and Education (UURISE) is a nonprofit organization that provides free and low-cost legal immigration services. Their main office is in southern California, near San Diego. They partner with Unitarian Universalists San Luis Obispo (UUSLO) to provide their services to this area through Zoom or by phone. Services are provided by immigration attorneys and accredited legal representatives in partnership with UURISE. Members of the Immigrant Advocacy Team and volunteers from the community actively participate in this program, are in the UUSLO Library for intake appointments the first and third Sunday of each month from 12:30-2:30. They also do doing outreach to the community, and make referrals for potential clients. Call 805-439-0188 and choose x4 to leave a voicemail.
For more information contact Jan Meslin or Karen Christian
The 805 Immigrant Rapid Response Network is a community-led initiative that provides support and resources to undocumented individuals and families facing immigration enforcement actions across San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties. Trained volunteers respond to reports of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) activity, offering legal observation, know-your-rights education, and immediate assistance to affected individuals and their families. Contact Jan Meslin for more information
Learn more about the 805 Rapid Response Network by visiting the 805UndocuFund website.
Learn about immigration detention and visit immigrants being held in detention.
Mesa Verde (Bakersfield), and Golden State Annex (McFarland) are private-for-profit detention facilities in Kern County where asylum seekers and people contesting their deportation orders are detained. A volunteer group, called Kern Welcoming and Extending Solidarity to Immigrants (KWESI), runs a volunteer-based visitation program offering people friendship and a connection to the outside world. In 2025, a new detention center, the largest one in California, opened in California City. Stories coming from there are very bad. We plan to visit there as well as the other two.
On this trip, you will learn about the immigration detention system, and what advocates are doing to close down these detention centers. Someone from KWESI will meet with the group and share about the work they do. Jan Meslin will drive. If visitation is possible the day you make the trip, you will have the opportunity to visit someone who is in detention.
If you are interested, you can email Jan. You do not need to be able to speak Spanish in order to visit.
Learn more about the immigration detention system by visiting the Freedom for Immigrants website.
Each year in the spring, the California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) holds its annual “Immigrant Day of Action” in Sacramento.
In 2025, more than 1,000 attended IDA over 2 days: a day of workshops and then a day of actions. This was the largest IDA gathering since the pandemic hit in 2020. It was a powerful event with more than 100 legislative visits, bringing advocates, community leaders, and impacted people from across the state to the capitol. Immigrant Advocacy Committee member Jan Meslin organized local immigrant advocates to attend legislative visits with Assemblywoman Dawn Addis and Senator John Laird.
Join us in Spring 2026, when we will rally once again for immigrant justice. No previous advocacy experience is necessary. We work in groups and we prepare together for legislative meetings. Meet some new friends and learn about the advocacy process!
SLO County UndocuSupport was created in April 2020 during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic with the goal of providing financial support to local immigrant families, including undocumented and mixed status immigrant families, who were left out of federal pandemic relief programs.
This organization has since moved beyond disaster response to become an established, trusted source of sustained, long-term support and advocacy for undocumented immigrants and their families throughout SLO County.
Gina Whitaker, a member of the Immigrant Advocacy Team, volunteers on the SLO County UndocuSupport fundraising committee.
It has now been more than 7 years since a young mother from Guatemala came to the U.S. fleeing domestic violence and seeking asylum in this country with the dream of living in safety with her children. She first settled in San Luis Obispo County with her two boys, and in 2018, a grassroots group of local community members came together to support the family.
Casas de Luz (Houses of Light) is a project of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito.
Casas de Luz began building homes in 2005, and has brought together volunteers from many organizations to help build more than 200 houses, both in Mexico and the San Diego area.
**You do not need to be a member of the church to participate. Volunteers come from school groups, church groups, families and individuals.
**You do not need to know how to build! Skilled local craftsmen will join volunteers to lead the way. There will be easy jobs as well as skilled jobs to choose from. Sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of California (UUJMCA), ten UUSLO members joined in the October 2025 build.
The next build will be Oct. 9-12, 2026. For more information about how to participate in the program contact Douglas Pillsbury or Jan Meslin.
