JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Amidst a climate of heightened anxiety over immigration raids. The Libre Initiative opened its Jacksonville office with a mission to empower and educate, even as organizers acknowledge the shadow cast by recent local immigration enforcement actions. <\/p>\n
\u201cTrust me, there is a lot of fear,\u201d said Beatrice Lugo, a former client turned volunteer. <\/p>\n
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n That fear stems from recent ICE raids that have left many local families on edge. However, organizers say the current climate makes their presence more vital than ever. For Lugo, the physical office serves as a statement of resilience. <\/p>\n \u201cBecause of the color of your skin, you can be pointed out,\u201d Lugo said. \u201cBut also let everybody else know that we\u2019re here, we\u2019re not going anywhere, we love this country, and we want the best for it.\u201d <\/p>\n While the organization does not provide direct legal counsel, staffers work to connect residents with specialized legal aid for immigration hurdles and other matters. The core mission, according to Engagement Director Martha Torres, is providing the tools necessary to achieve the American Dream. <\/p>\n \u201cOur focus is education, health, immigration, and the economy,\u201d Torres explained. \u201cWe are concentrating on those four topics to empower the community.\u201d <\/p>\n The initiative\u2019s arrival follows Hispanic community growth. According to recent data, Jacksonville\u2019s Hispanic population surged by 76.4% between 2010 and 2020. Despite these numbers, Lugo notes that many residents remain isolated. <\/p>\n \u201cThe Hispanic community is often just about work and home,\u201d Lugo said. \u201cI understand that we have to go out and tell them: \u2018Hey, we are here.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n Local leadership is also weighing in on the resource\u2019s importance. City Council Member Raul Arias encouraged residents to view the new office as a gateway to civic engagement and a better quality of life. <\/p>\n \u201cKnow that there is a place for you to come to talk about changes you want in our city,\u201d Arias said. \u201cUse this as a resource.\u201d <\/p>\n The Libre Initiative is open to all community members seeking guidance on navigating local systems and improving their economic standing. <\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: <\/b>Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/b><\/a>]<\/b><\/p>\n [SIGN UP: <\/b>Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter<\/b><\/a>] <\/b><\/p>\n Click here<\/b><\/a> to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, <\/b>click here<\/b><\/a> to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and <\/b>click here<\/b><\/a> to stream Action News Jax live.<\/b><\/p>\n Action News Jax Top Stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Amidst a climate of heightened anxiety over immigration raids. The Libre Initiative opened its Jacksonville…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":524765,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5136],"tags":[12189,5229,8015,233179,233177,3188,723,5410,11561,7310,11545,155630,233180,233181,233178,425,115223,82822,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-524764","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-action_news","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-american","11":"tag-beatriz_lugo","12":"tag-briarwood","13":"tag-fl","14":"tag-florida","15":"tag-ice","16":"tag-jack","17":"tag-jacksonville","18":"tag-jessica","19":"tag-jessica_salinas","20":"tag-libra","21":"tag-libra_initiative","22":"tag-libre_initiative","23":"tag-local","24":"tag-lugo","25":"tag-raul_arias","26":"tag-united-states","27":"tag-united-states-of-america","28":"tag-unitedstates","29":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","30":"tag-us","31":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115915268296615918","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=524764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/524765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=524764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=524764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=524764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}