EVERYONE
BELONGS HERE
CREATING WELCOMING, INCLUSIVE, AND SAFER HEALTH CARE
FOR IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES.
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Tools for Organizing
Developing a Successful Strategy
How do we get institutional support for policies that ensure clinic and hospital spaces are the safe spaces they need to be to best serve our patients? ​Asking for new policies and support of existing policies assumes that advocates are using the structures of the institutional system to implement change.
Organizing Questions
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1) Who are your allies and stakeholders? Is anyone else doing similar work and can you join forces? Are you organizing with attention to inclusion and anti-racist practices?
2) Who holds power at your institution and what do they have control over (i.e. make sure you are asking the right people for the right things)?
3) What is the expected response of the power holders to your asks?
4) What is the best way to convince the power holders? What if that is unsuccessful? (i.e. your first step may be a meeting, and if that doesn't work, consider a petition, and then consider escalating to a protest or direct action, etc)
5) What does success look like? How will you and organizational leaders know that you have achieved success (i.e., how will the group be held accountable?)
Things to Think About
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1) Anticipate the concerns of power holders & address them in your presentation before the concern arises (funding, time, & political feasibility)
2) Make your asks feel like logical inevitabilities consistent with the organization's priorities
3) This toolkit was designed in part for advocates to use as they push for institutional policies, in case they receive responses such as - "Look, the institution doesn't need to do anything, it's all right here."
4) It is possible that you also have a clinical leadership team that is supportive but has not yet thought that they need to operationalize a plan in case of an ICE visit. In that case, it will likely be helpful to bring the policies and flow diagrams linked below to meetings with leadership.
Organizing Resources
There are lots of excellent guides to organizing and facilitating change. Below, you will find a few key slides from Organizing 101, a guide put together by Patricia Arroyos for the University of California Student Association and the United States Student Association.
The Commons: Social Change Library →
Educational resources on topics ranging from working in groups to creative activism The Power Mapping Session is linked here.
Founded in 2017, the Resistance School offers educational materials and resources for community mobilization.
Indivisible Organizing Guide →
Strategies, tactics and tips for social and political change
Organizing 101 Full Presentation →
Full presentation put together by University of California Student Association & the United States Student Association. Good overview of strategies for organizing and useful tools to use when planning campaign.
Digital Safety
In an era of increasing digital surveillance and data collection, ensuring digital safety is essential—especially for those working with immigrant, migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking communities. Protecting sensitive information, maintaining online privacy, and using secure communication tools can help safeguard both providers and the families we serve.
In this section, you’ll find resources on best practices for digital security, from encrypted messaging apps to strategies for protecting personal and professional data. We will continue updating this section as we learn more and as digital threats evolve. Stay informed, stay protected, and help us create safer spaces—both online and offline.
Crossing the Border with Digital Devices: If you bring it they can see it →
Article from the Mondaq from 3/28/25 on phone safety and rights at the border, focusing on visa holders and LPRs.
Multiple toolkits and carry cards related to privacy and rights at the border. The report seems to be from 2017 but also has more current information.
How to protect your phone and data privacy at the US border →
Helpful article from the Guardian from 3/26/25 on phone safety and rights at the border