Casa San José has decided to temporarily move its operations to an all-virtual format in the wake of numerous ICE detainments across the Pittsburgh region.
Casa San José is a nonprofit serving the local Latino community and immigrants from Central and South America, offering free services such as case management, youth and mental health programs, support for pregnant mothers, continuing education and legal clinics.
The organization also is centered on advocacy and has been involved in numerous “ICE Out” protests.
Safety is the main priority now at Casa San José, executive director Monica Ruiz said. She likened safety preparations to a “giant fire drill.”
“We had, about two weeks ago, already starting thinking about safety plans at Casa in case of heightened activity here locally,” she said. “Learning from work that was done on the ground over in Minneapolis, we identified that sometimes nonprofits could potentially risk being places where immigration could come to try to detain people.”
Casa’s policies are undergoing some changes internally, Ruiz said, as they were “really outdated” based on the current behavior of ICE agents.
“We didn’t want to be a risk for people,” she said. “We’re in the business of helping people, and we wanted to make sure that we continued on that and tried to be safe.”
As of Feb. 4, Casa moved all of its operations to a virtual setting, Ruiz said, while finishing up safety plans. Casa, which has 37 employees, will return to in-person work eventually.
“At this point, it’s just not safe, and I never imagined living in a world where we have to sort of operate in the shadows to help people,” she said. “It’s like any decision that we make: We don’t make it lightly.
“We think about the benefit of the whole. Working virtual is very different than being in person, especially for an organization that people need you in person. … We would never want to incite fear in our communities.”
Ruiz, an American citizen, said there’s still fear, as ICE is “detaining anyone” with the policy of “detain now, ask questions later.”
“You can’t predict what’s going to happen with this administration, and you just really want to make sure again that we’re protecting the people that we care about,” she said. “In Minneapolis, they were following staff members home. I do have to think about the safety of my staff.”
Casa San José offers “know your rights” sessions to better protect neighbors, Ruiz said, and it also can offer help with other organizations’ safety policies.
“Right now, (it’s) one population. It’s not just going to stop there — they’re normalizing this so when it comes to theaters near you, it’s like a normal thing,” she said.
