Centro Comunitario CEUS (formerly Comité En Unión para Salvadoreños) is a non-profit formed in Hudson County, N.J., in 1993 by four Salvadoran refugees. They wanted to organize their fellow immigrants to push for legal immigration status and help them integrate into U.S. society.
CEUS, as the group was known (from Comité En Unión para Salvadoreños), initially organized the community to take part in marches and protests, asking the US Congress to grant them refugee status, due to the fact that many Salvadorans fled their country’s 12-year civil war that killed 75,000 people. The organization also recruited volunteers to teach English as a second language classes and started a women’s empowerment group.
CEUS was incorporated in the State of New Jersey in 1995, and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service granted the organization tax-exempt status 501(c)3 in 1997. CEUS also added Spanish literacy classes to its education program for Hispanic immigrants who had not properly learned to read and write in their own language, as well as leadership training workshops. Lobbying Congress to grant immigrants legal status and defending their rights remained central to the organization’s mission.
In 1996, CEUS opened its first office on 42nd Street in Union City, believed to be the first office started by Salvadorans for Salvadorans in the state. As the organization expanded, it moved to a larger office in 1998 on 45th St., Union City. That was shared with the American Friends Service Committee, which provided immigration legal services to the community at a far lower price than regular attorneys.
When the American Friends Service Committee in 2001 concluded it could no longer run the Union City office, CEUS decided that it needed to become more proactive in helping immigrants secure legal status and hired its first part-time attorney.
While the group was originally founded to serve Salvadoran immigrants, CEUS changed the name of the office in 2010 to Centro Communitario CEUS to reflect the fact that it offers its services to all immigrants, not just Salvadorans. The organization now operates out of North Bergen.
The Immigration Legal Service program continues to serve people seeking legal residency. The organization has previously offered Spanish literacy and English language classes, which have served thousands of students. The group has also sponsored women’s empowerment groups and cultural and social activities, and has raised funds to assist people in El Salvador, especially after natural disasters, including the 2001 earthquakes.
