Southern Virginia Latino Association shares resources and legal rights with community
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) - The Southern Virginia Latino Association is getting the word out about the available resources and legal rights for the Latino community during a time of uncertainty.
The organization informs Latinos about local resources through social media and events like the Latino Festival.
“Here, it’s really hard to find an organization that can provide the kind of services that they’re needing, especially if they speak Spanish only or are barely speaking English,” said Eli Salgado, Southern Virginia Latino Association Executive Director.
Salgado says breaking the language barrier is more crucial now than ever.
While he says there has not been major ICE activity in the area, seeing deportation efforts across the country and hearing rumors causes an increase in calls from concerned Latino families.
“We definitely have a lot of folks right now that are concerned. They’re worried about their families. We have a lot of immigrant Latino families in our communities that are mixed-status families. So, it’s definitely a lot of concern in the community about people within their families being impacted,” added Salgado.
Salgado says they work to let families know about their legal rights and local agencies that can help, like Virginia Legal Aid.
They also work closely with domestic violence shelters in the area. He says the fear of possible deportation can keep people from going or reporting crimes.
“One thing that many of us are concerned is about the willingness of domestic violence victims to come forward during these tough times to report the people that are carrying out these acts of violence toward them,” explained Salgado.
Salgado says the Association has seen an increase in people who want to get involved within the past year.
The Southern Virginia Latino Association is working to become a nonprofit organization and eventually move into an office space.
For more information, visit the Southern Virginia Latino Association Facebook page.
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