One reason for the lack of free legal services in Fresno is limited funding, said Jesus Martinez, the director of the Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative (CVIIC). Many people I spoke with described the area’s political environment as conservative, which may have made it difficult to drum up support for funding for the immigrant community. Traditionally, most of the Central Valley has voted red, contrary to the liberal coastal counties of California. In January of 2017, Fresno mayor Lee Brand announced that Fresno wouldn’t join the “sanctuary city” movement, which was formed to express support for people who enter the United States illegally.

Local immigration advocates fought back. Last year, after increased immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, community organizers led by Faith in the Valley, a grassroots community organization, proposed a $200,000 legal-defense fund for immigrants, to be created with public and private funds. The money could have provided some legal relief for immigrants, among them unaccompanied children.