PANA

These Refugees Are Developing a First-of-Its-Kind Community Land Trust in San Diego In San Diego's City Heights community, refugees and immigrants are leading an effort to build a community-owned affordable housing and cultural space.

I have a piece out today on @nextcity.org. To start 2026, my latest report is a story on @panasd.org & how they have been developing a community land trust. Leading an effort to build community-owned affordable housing & in San Diego, CA for immigrant & refugee families.
nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Stay connected, stay powerful: Visit panasd.org to see what's next.

#PANA10 #be10nging

Thank you for walking this path with us, for remembering with us, and for believing in a future built by and for refugees. As this anniversary celebration draws to a close, our work enters its next, most crucial chapter. Let's build the next ten years together.

This campaign was never just about looking back. It was about documenting the undeniable proof of what happens when a community decides to build our own power, define our own belonging, and fight for our own future.

...collecting data and publishing reports that help translate community experiences to drive self-determination, and standing firm against surveillance and hate. Each story was a thread in the tapestry of our first decade—a tapestry woven by thousands of hands.

10 years. One unbreakable story of community power.

For the past few months, we revisited the milestones: launching our legal defense program, winning tenant protections with #RightToARoof, protecting our democracy, building a youth-powered civic engagement infrastructure...

Join us in keeping this promise alive. Donate to sustain our mutual aid work: panasd.org/donate

#PANA10 #MutualAid #be10nging

We’ve moved $1.2 million directly to families, meeting urgent needs with rapid response so that our newest neighbors can find their footing. From COVID-19 relief to supporting Afghan refugees, this fund is our collective promise: no one in our community should face crisis alone.

A safe apartment after fleeing violence. A bus pass to get to work. A funeral for a loved one. A phone to stay connected. For 10 years, PANA’s mutual aid has turned community care into collective resilience.

For ten years, our legal defense work has been a testament to a simple, powerful truth: preserving our shared legal rights is how we show every new neighbor that they truly belong here.

This is our legacy. And we're just getting started. #PANA10 #be10nging

- We changed systems, successfully advocating for the creation of San Diego County’s Immigrant Legal Defense Program, which has since provided representation to over 2,500 people.

- We took on 200 successful cases, helping our neighbors win asylum, obtain green cards, and secure work permits.
- We support community members to assert their power through "Know Your Rights" trainings and legal clinics.

This commitment quickly grew into a powerful force for justice. We built a full legal team and established an infrastructure for rapid-response support. This foundation led to monumental victories:

We saw a grave injustice: our Black, African, Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern, and South Asian neighbors were being over-policed and then forced to navigate the complex, intimidating immigration court system without a guide. So in 2017, we launched PANA’s legal defense program.

Every great story needs a defense against those who would try to write its ending. For a decade, PANA has been that defense, ensuring our community has the power to fight for our rights and our future.

For ten years, our legal defense work has been a testament to a simple, powerful truth: preserving our shared legal rights is how we show every new neighbor that they truly belong here.

This is our legacy. And we're just getting started. #PANA10 #be10nging

- We took on 200 successful cases, helping our neighbors win asylum, obtain green cards, and get work permits.
- We empowered our community with "Know Your Rights" trainings and legal clinics.
- We changed systems, advocating for the creation of San Diego County’s Immigrant Legal Defense Program.

This commitment quickly grew into a powerful force for justice. We built a full legal team and established an infrastructure for rapid-response support. This foundation led to monumental victories:

We saw a grave injustice: our Black, African, Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern, and South Asian neighbors were being over-policed and then forced to navigate the complex, intimidating immigration court system without a guide. So in 2017, we launched PANA’s legal defense program.

Every great story needs a defense against those who would try to write its ending. For a decade, PANA has been that defense, ensuring our community has the power to fight for our rights and our future.

PANA PANA lifts up #RefugeeVoices and builds leadership in communities to increase #CivicEngagement and create an inclusive #CivilSociety.

Visit panasd.org/donate-to-pana to join us. Stand with our community. Let’s build the next decade of freedom and belonging together.

#PANA10 #be10nging #GivingTuesday

This #GivingTuesday, your donation makes an immediate impact for refugees and displaced families. Your commitment over our first decade has built this powerful foundation. Now, we invite you to invest in a future where every new neighbor is met with safety, power, and #be10nging.

We don't just respond to the growing threats of today. We build power to make proactive, tangible change. From winning tenant protections to launching the Global Village, our work is rooted in the belief that everyone deserves to belong.

For ten years, PANA has been a home for refugee power. We were born in direct response to discriminatory policies, and we have grown into a forceful advocate and fighter for our communities.

This work is about ensuring that every member of our community can live, pray, and gather without fear of being targeted by our own government. PANA will always work to protect the sacred right to privacy and belonging for all.

#PANA10 #be10nging

PANA helped lead the TRUST SD Coalition, a powerful alliance of 30 community organizations formed in response to the secretive deployment of surveillance technologies like Smart Streetlights across San Diego.

From our start, we've organized against the discriminatory surveillance that targets Muslim, Black, immigrant, & refugee communities in San Diego. We've fought to end programs like the Joint Terrorism Task Force & Countering Violent Extremism, which harass & profile our neighbors.

Every great story requires the freedom to write it without being watched, profiled, or policed simply for who you are. PANA continuously fights to protect that freedom for our community.

This milestone was built by our community, for our community, and every step has been guided by your voices.

This is our legacy. And we're just getting started. #PANA10 #be10nging