The CIP makes history as the first organization in San Francisco to provide comprehensive support to LGBTQ+ immigrants, centering TGNCI+ identities

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Parivar Bay Area and The LGBT Asylum Project are proud to announce their enhanced partnership as they continue their journey together as the Center for Immigrant Protection (CIP). As the first organization on Castro Street to provide comprehensive support for the unique and multifaceted needs of the LGBTQIA+ immigrant community, the CIP focuses on ensuring safety and well-being and celebrating social belonging, particularly uplifting TGNCI+ (Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, and Intersex) immigrants. The resource-rich space continues to offer comprehensive and accessible support services, including legal assistance and social integration while promoting awareness, education, acceptance, and resources to foster intersectional unity and rebuild lives in America.

With this enhanced partnership, Parivar Bay Area (PBA) and The LGBT Asylum Project will continue scaling their programs and services under the CIP with one mission and one voice to ensure the Center continues to meet the diverse needs of LGBTQIA+ asylum-seekers and immigrants to America, centering Transgender immigrants of the Global South.

While the CIP serves all LGBTQIA+ immigrants, the center’s primary focus is on supporting the most vulnerable within our community. Recognizing the challenges TGNCI+ immigrants face, the two organizations are uniting efforts in a shared commitment. CIP’s foremost objective is to go beyond the provision of legal services to address the holistic journey of TGNCI+ immigrants, supporting them at every stage of their immigrant experience from the moment they arrive. The center provides resources to support them throughout their journey as they put down roots in their home of San Francisco, an internationally known refuge for the LGBTQ+ community, a place where they can be safe, secure, healthy, and productive.

Moving forward as one voice and one tribe, Okan Sengun, Esq. (He/Him) has been appointed Executive Director, Center for Immigrant Protection (CIP) by the newly formed Board of Directors of the Center for Immigrant Protection. Mr. Sengun brings over 15 years of experience as an advocate for the most vulnerable. Since 2012, he has been securing asylum and legal protections for LGBTQ+ asylees with a deep commitment to serving Transgender migrants. Okan is an openly gay asylee from Turkey. Most recently, Okan Sengun was recognized as a grassroots immigrant leader by the City and County of San Francisco.

Anjali Rimi (She/They) has been elected to serve as the President and Chair, Board of Directors, Center for Immigrant Protection. Anjali served as the most recent president and CEO of ParivarBayArea and is a San Francisco Bay Area-based award-winning Global South Asian API “Kinner” immigrant Transgender woman and local legend known for her transgender advocacy. Read more about Anjali at anjalirimi.com

“In order to meet the needs of our clients and all LGBTQIA+ immigrants in our community while they start their new lives, we are proud to officially partner with ParivarBayArea (PBA),” said incoming Executive Director of CIP, Okan Sengun, Esq. “PBA has been providing services to Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Intersex immigrants from the Global South for the past five years, including three years under our fiscal sponsorship, and we’ve been working successfully together since then. Now is the time to strengthen our partnership between The LGBT Asylum Project and PBA, under the Center for Immigrant Protection, to ensure that all LGBTQIA+ immigrants in our community have access to life-saving services. These services should not be limited to legal assistance but should also address a wide range of needs, particularly those of TGNCI+ immigrants.”

“We are proud to come together as the Center for Immigrant Protection. Our commitment to tackling the unique and unaddressed needs of LGBTQIA+ immigrants sets us apart, said Anjali Rimi, newly elected President, Center for Immigrant Protection. “And we are dedicated to ensuring that TGNCI+ immigrants receive the holistic support they deserve so they are able to thrive in San Francisco and beyond.”

The Center for Immigrant Protection is the umbrella organization under which LGBT Asylum Project and ParivarBayArea have been working together since 2019, and this partnership marks a significant milestone in their journey. Headquartered on Castro Street, a historic district with a rich LGBTQ+ history, the mission of the newly fortified CIP is to empower and advocate for LGBTQIA+ immigrants while providing comprehensive and accessible support services to TGNCI+ immigrants, ensuring their safety and well-being and celebrating social belonging in the United States of America (USA), while building a community of light, love, and unity.

For more information about the Center for Immigrant Protection, please visit https://www.cipsf.org.

Media Contact

Carole Barrow, Center for Immigrant Protection, 1 4153051561, [email protected], https://www.cipsf.org

SOURCE Center for Immigrant Protection