2025 was a tough and often heartbreaking year in immigration work, but we also saw extraordinary commitment and care from our partners and supporters. We are proud to share Oasis Legal Services’ 2025 Impact Report and reflect on what we have been able to do together.

For Andrea Peng, puzzling has always been part of life. With more than five decades of experience, Andrea brings history, heart, and a deep sense of community to the speed puzzling world. At Oasis’ Puzzle Palooza, she competed alongside friends and family, all in support of a cause she quickly grew connected to.

For Caroline, speed puzzling is less about racing the clock and more about finding connection, calm, and community. A software engineer based in San Francisco, Caroline is one of the three speed puzzlers who competed (and won!) at Oasis’ Puzzle Palooza, bringing with her decades of lived experience with puzzles and a deep appreciation for what the puzzling community offers. 

When Hannah isn’t deep in her PhD work at UC Berkeley, she’s likely deep into a jigsaw puzzle, swapping puzzles with fellow enthusiasts, or preparing for her next speed puzzling competition. One of the three speed puzzlers we interviewed from Oasis’ first-ever Puzzle Palooza, Hannah’s story captures what makes the puzzling community so special: curiosity, generosity, and a shared joy in the challenge.

Read more about speed puzzling directly form Speed Puzzling Champions, and how Oasis’ annual Puzzle Palooza is bridging the puzzling and LGBTQ+ communities.

Meet Edward Rosario Arriaga, Oasis’ First Gen Paralegal. Edward is a senior and first-generation college student at the University of California, Berkeley pursuing a simultaneous degree in Data Science and Chicanx Latinx Studies with an emphasis on Inequalities in Society.

This year, the federal administration introduced prohibitive fees for immigration applications across the board, including a $100 fee for first time asylum applications. This might not seem like a lot, but for someone trying to rebuild their lives after fleeing persecution, it can feel impossible. Support Oasis and our clients this holiday season and defend LGBTQ+ immigrants’ right to seek safety.

Noah is one of our current Paralegal Interns! A fourth-year student at UC Berkeley studying Sociology, Spanish & Portuguese, and Public Policy, Noah is passionate about supporting queer immigrants and inspired by their strength and optimism.

The Department of Education’s attack on Public Service Loan Forgiveness endangers the very people who make this work possible: our attorneys and advocates who stand with LGBTQ+ immigrants every day.

As advocates for the LGBTQ+ community, Oasis takes a stance of solidarity and participates in Intersex Awareness Week to commemorate the anniversary of the United States’ first public demonstration led by intersex people and their allies against non-consensual surgeries. 

This moment demands courage, action, and showing up for one another. Here are 10 concrete ways you can show up for immigrants today and beyond.

My name is Jorge and I currently live in Southern California. It is an honor for me to share my story of how receiving support from Oasis’ wonderful team completely changed my life.

Read our post, written by former Oasis client, Jorge.

Oasis Executive Director Adam Ryan Chang caught up with Jesus A. Barrios from TCC Group, one of our partners to talk about the impact of U.S. immigration enforcement laws, policies, and practices beyond individual lives, and within organizational and systemic levels. Read the conversation on how together we are showing up in this moment for LGBTQ+ immigrants to best meet their needs.  

Join us in celebrating 8 years of Oasis’ fight for queer & trans immigrant justice!

At a time when ICE violence is constant and when anti-LGBTQ+ laws continue to threaten the lives and safety of queer people in the U.S., gathering in joy is resistance in itself. Liberation doesn’t just sound like defiance; it sounds like laughter, like music–like us.

This Pride and Immigrant Heritage Month, please stand with LGBTQ+ asylum seekers. Our “Pride in Asylum” campaign builds a freer future for all, through the power of community.

The demand for LGBTQ+ immigration services in California remains at an all-time high, yet our ability to meet this growing need is increasingly threatened by funding instability. Unfortunately, the ripple effects of the current administration’s policies have been felt across so many of our foundation partnerships.

As we step into spring, we invite you to reflect on a year of resilience and advocacy by reading through our 2024 Annual Impact Report, which showcases the strides we’ve made in empowering queer and trans immigrants.

Estamos comprometidos a compartir recursos sobre derechos de inmigrantes LGBTQ+. Esta publicación contiene una lista de recursos, recopilados de varias fuentes creíbles, que incluyen:

Interacciones Con ICE; Líneas Directas Para Reportar Actividad de ICE; Directorio De Organizaciones Legales De Inmigración; Derechos De Protesta Para Inmigrantes; Planes De Preparación Familiar; Tarjetas Rojas De Derechos (Para Imprimir); Fotos de Documentos que ICE Puede Mostrarle (Orden de Registro); Cómo Ser un Aliado Siendo Ciudadano Estadounidense

Estamos empenhados em compartilhar recursos para imigrantes LGBTQ+. Esta postagem contém uma lista consolidada de recursos, coletados de diversas fontes confiáveis, incluindo:

Interações com o ICE; Linhas diretas de resposta rápida para pedir ajuda ou relatar atividades do ICE; Diretório de serviços jurídicos de imigração; O direito de protestar como imigrante; Criando Planos de Preparação Familiar; Direitos de imigração para impressão (cartões vermelhos); Documentos que o ICE pode mostrar (mandado de busca); Como ser um aliado como cidadão dos EUA

By the simple coincidence of their parentage and birthplace, our Immigration Pathways Program Director, Ari Jones, is a U.S. citizen. Their privilege, and analysis of their experiences in the arbitrary U.S. immigration system is what inspired them to pursue immigration law. At Oasis, Ari leads our program, helping LGBTQ+ immigrants to obtain their residency, citizenship and reunite with their families. Read more about their background and the light they bring to Oasis.

On January 20, 2025, the Trump administration issued an Executive Order targeting transgender, nonbinary, and intersex communities. Oasis Legal Services, in collaboration with Immigration Equality and National Immigrant Justice Center, published an FAQ which provides initial guidance on how the Executive Order will impact U.S. passports and various immigration documents (such as work permits, green cards, refugee travel documents, and naturalization certificates) for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals.

We are committed to empowering LGBTQ+ immigrants by openly sharing information about their rights. This post contains a consolidated list of resources, gathered from several credible sources, including:

Interactions with ICE; Rapid Response Hotlines to Call for Help or Report ICE Activity; Immigration Legal Services Directory; The Right to Protest as an Immigrant; Creating Family Preparedness Plans; Printable Immigration Rights (Red Cards); Documents ICE Might Show (Search Warrant); How to Be an Ally as a U.S. Citizen

In January 2019, the Department of Homeland Security issued the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as “Remain in Mexico.” The policy required asylum seekers, including LGBTQ people fleeing persecution, to wait in Mexico until their hearing date, subjecting them to life-threatening conditions, including sexual and physical assault, torture, kidnapping, death threats, and murder. Read our joint statement with of Immigration Equality, Oasis Legal Services, the Council for Global Equality, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, and the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund.

Oasis is currently looking for law student interns for the 2025 summer who are passionate about immigrants’ rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and providing legal services to underrepresented communities. Interns are eligible for a $7500 stipend for their work during summer made possible by the State Bar of California Legal Services Trust Fund Commission’s (LSTFC) Legal Aid Leaders Fellowship Grants.

As fires continue to impact our state, we would like to share some information that may be helpful to nonprofits operating in affected areas during this difficult time. We are sharing 8 grants that nonprofits can apply for to support themselves and their communities.

Anuar Arriaga-Esquivel, one of our Asylum Legal Advocates and a DOJ Accredited Representative, spoke to ABC30 about ICE and Border Patrol sightings in the Central Valley. Unfortunately, as we approach the presidential inauguration on January 20, there's concern over immigrants getting detained and deported. Read ahead about what to do during interactions with ICE and Border Patrol.

Today, we are excited to celebrate the final regulation issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extending work permits for 540 days. This permanent extension of work permits will help hundreds of thousands of immigrants, including asylum seekers, refugees, green card applicants, and many more people who were previously at risk of losing their work authorization because of processing delays.

Trump’s administration threatens to place undocumented LGBTQ+ immigrants and asylum seekers at significant risk of deportation and forced into life-threatening conditions. Donating to Oasis by December 31, 2024, will help us ensure that our team has sufficient resources to complete a significant amount of casework to protect as many LGBTQ+ immigrants as possible from potential deportation and harm.

With Trump preparing to take office as president of the United States, fears and anxieties rise within LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities. Several organizations, including Oasis, have taken steps to ensure that community members obtain relief, or at least a bit more protection, prior to the new administration. Director of Programs & Advocacy, Rachel Kafele, was interviewed by ABC30 News - KFSN Fresno and Central Valley News, to highlight what Oasis is doing in the moment to protect queer and trans asylum seekers.

Today, we spoke to Eric, our Social Services Program Director, who shared what brought him to Oasis and the things that bring him joy, even as his work is often heavy. Through the challenges and rewards of his journey, he shares with us his vision for the future.