Community Educator, Immigration Legal Services

Position Overview:

The Community Educator supports Jewish Family Service of San Diego's Immigration Legal Services team by expanding community outreach, immigrant education, and access to immigration legal resources throughout San Diego County and the surrounding region. Working under the supervision of the Assistant Director of Immigration Operations and Partner Coordination, this position helps connect immigrants, mixed-status families, schools, nonprofit partners, and community-based organizations with trusted legal information, social services, and community resources.

The Community Educator strengthens community partnerships, delivers Know Your Rights presentations, coordinates immigration legal services walk-in clinics at K-12 schools and community sites, participates in outreach events, and helps immigrants and mixed-status families navigate legal and social service referrals. This position may participate in intensive training to become a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) partially accredited representative. Upon accreditation, and as program capacity allows, the Community Educator may assist with selecting immigration matters under appropriate supervision. The role also serves as a liaison between JFS, nonprofit partners receiving community education funding through the Regional Network Hub for Immigrant Families, and the communities JFS serves. Through community engagement, client navigation, legal services support, documentation, and administrative coordination, the Community Educator helps increase awareness of immigration and social services, promote equitable access to immigration legal assistance, and support the broader goals of the JFS Immigration Services team.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, implement, and evaluate outreach strategies for communities most impacted by immigration enforcement, including border communities, immigrant-dense neighborhoods, mixed-status families, newly arrived populations, and other priority communities identified by the program.
• Plan, coordinate, and deliver Know Your Rights presentations, community education workshops, informational sessions, and resource presentations for immigrant communities, service providers, schools, faith groups, community-based organizations, and partner agencies in both in-person and virtual formats.
• Coordinate and respond to Regional Network Hub (RNH) community education requests, including presentations, tabling events, workshops, and resource fairs.
• Provide accurate, accessible, and culturally responsive information about immigration processes, available legal services, community resources, and referral pathways through ILSC, ILSD, and partner organizations.
• Coordinate immigration legal services walk-in clinics at K-12 schools and community sites, including scheduling, partner communication, outreach, intake flow, interpretation coordination, volunteer support, materials preparation, and follow-up referrals.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with community-based organizations, schools, faith-based institutions, immigrant-serving agencies, local government partners, and other stakeholders to expand access to immigration legal education and services.
• Support recruitment, engagement, communication, and relationship-building efforts with community partners participating in Regional Network Hub activities and initiatives.
• Serve as a liaison between JFS, Regional Network Hub-funded nonprofit partners, and community partners to support alignment, communication, referrals, reporting, and community education goals.
• Review incoming community education requests and coordinate with Regional Network Hub partners to identify the most appropriate organization or educator to fulfill each request.
• Coordinate presentation and outreach logistics, including scheduling, materials preparation, partner communication, site coordination, interpretation needs, and follow-up activities.
• Represent the Immigration Legal Services team at community meetings, partner convenings, outreach events, school-based events, resource fairs, trainings, and other public-facing forums.
• Assist individuals and families in accessing legal consultations, screenings, referrals, and representation through ILSD and partner programs, with a focus on detained, recently released, enforcement-impacted, and at-risk populations.
• Conduct initial intake, issue spotting, eligibility screening, and client navigation, and connect potential clients with appropriate internal programs, external legal providers, social services, and emergency resources.
• As capacity allows, assist ILRP attorneys and DOJ-accredited representatives with immigration court filings, briefs, declarations, legal research, document collection, client communication, case preparation, and other case-related support.
• Support short-term representation efforts by identifying potential clients, preparing referral information, coordinating follow-up, and connecting individuals with legal staff supporting ILSC services and other appropriate resources.
• Upon DOJ partial accreditation, and under appropriate supervision, provide legal screenings, conduct preliminary legal analysis, assist with immigration forms and filings within the scope of accreditation, and support limited or short-term representation before DHS as program capacity permits.
• Support accompaniment to ICE check-ins, ISAP appointments, immigration appointments, court-related appearances, and other scheduled immigration-related appointments as capacity permits and in accordance with program protocols.
• Collaborate with legal, outreach, advocacy, and communications staff to develop, review, translate, update, and distribute Know Your Rights materials, handouts, flyers, resource guides, presentations, and community education tools.
• Track, document, and report outreach activities, clinic participation, presentations, referrals, client contacts, partner engagement, and other required program data accurately and in a timely in accordance with grant, program, and agency requirements.
• Submit and track community education activities, presentations, outreach events, and partner engagement data in the ILRC Data Portal and other required reporting systems.
• Maintain organized records, outreach calendars, contact lists, attendance records, referral logs, data entry, and other documentation needed for program monitoring, reporting, and evaluation.
• Attend ILSC monthly meetings, Regional Network Hub convenings, community meetings, trainings, internal team meetings, and other required meetings to stay informed on immigration policy changes, community needs, program priorities, and partner activities.
• Support the planning, coordination, outreach, registration, and follow-up activities related to Regional Network Hub convenings and partner meetings.
• Stay current on rapidly changing immigration laws, policies, enforcement trends, agency procedures, local resources, and community concerns, and help communicate relevant updates to staff, partners, and community members in an accessible manner.
• Support social media, outreach, and communications efforts related to community education, clinic promotion, legal updates, public education campaigns, and community resources as needed.
• As capacity allows, answer live calls, respond to callback requests, conduct basic triage, provide resource information, and route callers appropriately through the ILSC hotline or other designated program communication channels.
• Assist with scheduling, reminders, follow-up calls, interpretation coordination, document requests, appointment preparation, and other client communication needs.
• Support the recruitment, onboarding, coordination, training, and day-to-day guidance of volunteers, interns, interpreters, and community ambassadors assisting with outreach, clinics, hotline support, and community education activities.
• Participate in program planning, evaluation, quality impr