Boat People SOS (BPSOS) - Virginia

Formed in 1981, BPSOS conducted many joint rescue-at-sea missions with international organizations and has rescued three thousand Vietnamese boat people in the South China Sea. In response to major shifts in U.S. and international policies towards Vietnamese boat people, in 1990 BPSOS moved its headquarters from San Diego, California, to Northern Virginia and concentrated on policy advocacy and casework. Since then, BPSOS has assisted some 1,500 refugee families in their asylum claims. BPSOS created the Vietnamese Refugee Private Sponsorship/Canada program to resettle some 300 refugees from Southeast Asia and Hong Kong to Canada. In 1991, BPSOS created Legal Assistance for Vietnamese Asylum Seekers (LAVAS) to send pro bono lawyers and paralegals to help thousands of Vietnamese boat people in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong in their refugee claims. In late 1996, as most boat people had been either repatriated or resettled, BPSOS shifted its focus to helping and empowering Vietnamese immigrants and refugees in America. It has since established new programs to assist local community members in naturalization, immigration status adjustment, paralegal assistance, family reunion, consumer rights protection, public health, ESL for naturalization, and other human services. One primary program helps local Vietnamese communities form community-based organizations and provides training for their leadership.