Orange County moves forward with plan for Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Roughly one third of Orange County residents are foreign born, according to a 2017 report. Now, the county is moving forward with plans to establish an Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs.

Some of the county leaders behind the effort were first immigrants.

"I stand here today, a former refugee and immigrant, serving as the Chief of Staff for Vice Chairman Andrew Do, who, like me, is also a former refugee from Vietnam," said Van Tran, Supervisor Andrew Do's chief of Staff during an announcement on Wednesday.

"I arrived in Santa Ana, this was the port of entry for my family in 1965," said Bolivian-American Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento.

The county's board of supervisors unanimously voted in favor of a plan by Supervisor Doug Chaffe to establish the office which would be a hub for resources. The county said it will work with state and federal agencies and community organizations.

Among them: Uplift Charity, the Council on American-Islamic Relations Los Angeles (CAIR-LA) and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA.)

"When I heard that 5-0 vote, it really, really struck me because it is entering into a new phase here in Orange County and in recognizing and providing that respect and dignity to the immigrant community in a way that is going to be laser-focused on helping and supporting," said Apolonio Morales, Director of External Affairs at CHIRLA.

"We plan on hiring a director for the office with the input of numerous community-based organizations who are already working with our immigrant and refugee community," Chaffe said.

"I had a lot of doubts and fears like, 'What will I do there?' " said Iryna Sobianina, a Ukranian American refugee, who said the community support and government aid made a difference.

"It helped us to keep motivating to do something more," she said. "Now I'm proud to say that I'm a part of a public charity organization."

In 2021, Orange County created a team of county offices to help resettlement agencies supporting refugees. As they move forward with plans to open this new central office, they will conduct outreach to the wider network of community-based organizations, Chaffe said.

The board of supervisors now awaits an update from the county CEO's office in six months.