“The experience of coming to this country as a child, being afraid of law enforcement into my adult years, not feeling like I belong — all of this has always sat with me,” says Adriana Cadena, executive director of the Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition. This national group of 800 multisector members works to ensure that immigrant families are included in the nation’s safety net, offering healthcare, nutrition, housing and economic support.
“Right now, we are in a defensive mode,” Cadena says. “In one week, we received four different notices detailing what programs can no longer be used by immigrants. Our long-term vision is to restore and expand access so immigrant families have the essentials they need to thrive.”
The coalition’s work is broad and far-reaching. One in four children in the United States has an immigrant parent, and 27% of the U.S. population lives in immigrant families. Cadena explains, “The highly visible detention of immigrants, including naturalized citizens and others legally in this country, is a really traumatic environment — especially for children.”
With a background in community organizing, Cadena initially joined Protecting Immigrant Families to run issue campaigns, but she quickly stepped into leadership when she realized the organization needed a strategy and fundraising to meet its mission. Cadena found the Fellowship on LinkedIn and was eager to meet thought partners struggling with the same issues and develop frameworks “to make sense of the chaos.”