Working with progressive lawyers, trade unions, and students, CASA developed organizing and legal strategies that became common in the immigrant rights movement.
Founded in Los Angeles in 1968 by veteran labor, immigrant rights, and community organizers, the Centro de Acción Social Autónomo-Hermandad General de Trabajadores (Center for Autonomous Social Action--General Brotherhood of Workers, abbreviated as CASA-HGT or more commonly CASA) was a hub of organizing, training, and mutual aid focused on immigrant and Chicano workers.
La Hermadad's main focus was on supporting immigrant workers organize themselves since at the time unions refused to work with undocumented communities.
Veteran labor and community organizers Bert Corona, Humberto Camacho (United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America), Rose Chernin (Committee to Protect the Foreign Born), conceived of CASA way to promote self-organization and mutual aid among undocumented immigrants.
[5] Initially based in East Los Angeles, CASA moved to rented offices in the Pico-Union neighborhood in 1970 that included an in house law firm, a meeting hall, and a kitchen.