News & Updates

Family speaks out after ICE detains Venezuelan asylum seeker

ABC10, April 5, 2025 — The family of a Venezuelan asylum seeker is pleading for his release after he was detained by ICE in Sacramento while trying to update his address.

Venezuelan man detained by ICE in Sacramento while trying to update address; family seeks answers

KCRA 3, April 5, 2025 — A Venezuelan man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Sacramento while attempting to update his address, leaving his family without contact for over a week.

The family of 24-year-old Wilfredo Rivero said he was residing in the U.S. legally with a pending asylum case.

Opening Doors Cuts Staff

CapRadio, April 2, 2025 — Since taking office, President Donald Trump has continued to carry out promises of cracking down on immigration, including refugees. Resettlement has been suspended and federal funding has been slashed. California is among the top two states for refugee resettlement. And Sacramento is home to large diaspora communities. Jessie Mabry is the CEO of Opening Doors,  a nonprofit that supports immigrants, refugees, and survivors of trafficking. She joins us to talk about how federal policy changes are affecting refugee resettlement efforts in Sacramento, including forcing her organization to lay off staff.

Trump ban puts Sacramento-area Afghan refugees in limbo. ‘An incredibly difficult time’

The Sacramento Bee, February 13, 2025 — More than once he awoke in his Yuba City apartment with a feeling of relief, followed by one of sadness.

Although thankful to have made it to the U.S., the thought of other Afghans who remain in limbo, including ones he worked with in Afghanistan, saddened him. He said they, like him, had been admitted as refugees and were awaiting travel to the U.S., a wait that’s now indefinite.

‘We knew things were coming, but this was too much:’ Immigrant-owned businesses hit hard by deportation misinformation

CapRadio, February 11, 2025 — Jessie Mabry is the CEO of Opening Doors, a Sacramento-based nonprofit that serves over 3,000 immigrants, refugees and survivors of human trafficking a year. According to her, the biggest sentiment she’s heard from the people she serves is anxiety.

Afghan community in limbo after executive order to pause US Refugee Admissions Program

ABC10, January 28, 2025 — The Afghan community in Sacramento is being rocked by one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders they say is blocking the path for refugees to find safe harbor in the U.S.

Sacramento nonprofit says Afghan Adjustment Act is crucial for recently arrived evacuees

ABC10, August 12, 2022 — The CEO of Opening Doors said the bill, if approved, would help Afghan neighbors achieve stability.

Walking Alongside our Newest Neighbors

Comstock's Magazine, May 1, 2022 – Opening Doors is dedicated to making Northern California a safe and accepting place for immigrants, refugees, and survivors of human trafficking to build the lives they deserve. Founded in Sacramento in 1993, this nonprofit organization enriches our communities by welcoming and supporting our newest neighbors on their paths to stability, self-sufficiency, and belonging. “For someone escaping human trafficking or a newly arriving refugee or immigrant, their first need is stability – physical safety and basic needs met,” says Jessie Tientcheu, CEO.

California Needs Volunteers: How You Can Help

SACRAMENTO (CBS) – The holidays have been dubbed the, giving season — a time to give back to those who need it. In Sacramento, the needs of Afghan refugees are only growing. While home goods, clothes, and pantry staples are important, one organization needs help to bring holiday joy to refugee children.

Sacramento’s Afghan Community Fears For Friends, Family As Taliban Take Over Afghanistan

CapRadio, August 23, 2021 - Naweed Yousufi’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing over the last couple of weeks. “I have hundreds of messages in WhatsApp,” he said. The Afghan American, who immigrated to Sacramento in 2017, played one audio message of a Kabul resident trying to get a visa for her father who aided the U.S. Military.

I feel so helpless.’ Afghans in the U.S. worry for friends and family back home

PBS News Hour, August 20, 2021 - Andisha Shah has not slept since Afghanistan’s government fell. From her home in California, where she is caring for relatives, all she can think about is whether or not her sister and nephews will make it out of Afghanistan safely. They are among tens of thousands of people hoping to evacuate the country following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban last week.

Local organization helping Afghan refugees

Fox 40 News, August 20, 2021 - Travis Air Force Base is providing support for the ongoing operations in Afghanistan. Recently, airmen moved into the country to facilitate the safe departure and relocation of U.S. citizens, special immigration visa recipients and vulnerable Afghan populations.

Tension mounts as would-be Afghan refugees await evacuation to safety

The Press Democrat, August 17, 2021 - Petaluma resident Abdul Pazhohesh hasn’t spoken for the last few weeks with his friend in Herat Province — a man who once worked as a driver for the U.S. Army and was trying to leave Afghanistan with his wife and two children.  

Nor has he had recent contact with another friend who asked him for a letter inviting him to the United States and stating that Pazhohesh agreed to sponsor the man’s immigration.

Afghan immigrants fleeing Taliban are coming to Sacramento. Here’s how to help them

The Sacramento Bee, August 18, 2021 - Already home to one of the largest Afghan communities in the country, the Sacramento area is receiving an influx of refugees displaced by the Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan in the wake of the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

'Like a horror movie.’ Sacramento Afghan community fears for friends, relatives in Kabul

The Sacramento Bee, August 17, 2021 - Besmellah Khuram didn’t sleep on Saturday night. Anxious about the swift Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the 36-year-old Sacramento man flipped between news clips and tried to make sense of what was unfolding in his home country. He’d been in touch with his brother and his mother, who live in Kabul. Their collective panic deepened with every passing hour as the Taliban encircled their city, then overtook it.