RAICES was created in 1986 to welcome and fight for families seeking safety and freedom in the U.S. We started as a two-person team in a tiny San Antonio office and kept growing. Today, with Texas roots and national reach, we advocate for the rights and prosperity of all our families, neighbors, and community members.

We grew from the Sanctuary Movement as a response to immigration policies that created impossible legal barriers for Central American refugees to seek protection in the U.S. In a time of exceptional need, our neighbors across the country came together and showed us what it means to be a more welcoming nation.

We believe in a country where everyone has access to legal and social services — no matter where you come from. A place where people don’t have to go to court to face a giant institution on their own. A place where people don’t have to navigate a maze that was created to keep them out — because we know that legal representation keeps families together and free.

Families with legal representation are up to 10 times more likely to have a favorable outcome in immigration court than unrepresented families — and are given a real chance to plant roots in their new home.

Let’s fight for families. Let’s be the welcoming nation that we’ve always aspired to be.