About us

We strive to provide direct services to immigrants in need, to empower them with knowledge and assistance to uphold their constitutional rights, and to facilitate their legal defense. For the safety and well-being of our community, we employ best practices in the documentation and peaceful presence at a detention scene.

Our credo:

The Solidarity Network is an organization run by volunteers. Individuals who choose to offer their time and resources to this work. These are our guiding principles:

  1. We are guided by radical love for our fellow immigrant brothers and sisters. We extend this love to other human beings who may be facing political, economic, and social oppression such as LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, women, children, unhoused individuals, transgender persons, and any other group that may be bearing the historical burden of politics of hate and intolerance.

  2. We rely on the support and trust of other Solidarity Network members to do the work at hand.

  3. We acknowledge the difficulty of juggling life, family, full-time work for some, with volunteering, and give each other grace under pressure and all the time. We are here to serve the community and each other.

  4. We do this work freely, out of empathy and love for our fellow human beings. We also recognize there may be situations in which our personal beliefs may collide with certain organizations or individuals. In such cases, we will have the opportunity to step aside and let others do the work at hand. No shame, no blame.

Monterey County Rapid Response was founded in 2017, in response to actions by the new administration that threatened the well being and security of immigrant families. Actions by the Rapid Response decreased during COVID. Soon after the November 2024 election, the Solidarity Network Monterey County Rapid Response regrouped.

The Network is composed of community members with a deep commitment to social justice and the fair treatment of immigrants, the people who are the backbone of the agricultural and hospitality industries. Some of the member organizations are:

  • The Watsonville Law Center

  • Whites for Racial Equity

  • Monterey Bay Central Labor Council

  • Law Offices of Blanca Zarazúa

  • Law Offices of Magnolia Zárraga