Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Things We Can Do

I recently asked Facebook what I could do to help stop the rise of concentration camps, family separation, extreme mistreatment of children, and overall crisis level situations regarding immigration and asylum seekers in the U.S.

I was overwhelmed with places that were looking with volunteers and ideas for how to help, so I organized all of the resources I collected into three categories: general ideas, local organizations, and national organizations so that I could get a better idea of what's out there, what's accesible to me, and what I can follow through with.

Here is that list! I can't vouch for most of the organizations listed on here since I have only worked with a couple. Please do additional research and please feel free to let me know if you find that one of the resources on here is not good for some reason.

Please also let me know if there are additional resources that aren't on here that should be added!

General Ideas

·       Post Bail
o   Queer Detainee Empowerment Project: http://www.qdep.org/donate/
·       Share Resources
o   Know Your Rights: https://www.afsc.org/knowyourrights
o   AFL-CIO Guide to Defense Against Workplace Raids: https://aflcio.org/reports/we-will-defend-and-resist
o   For women and families: https://www.womensrefugeecommission.org/rights
·       Sign a petition
o   For sanctuary cities: https://mijente.net/expanding-sanctuary/
·       Collect evidence if a raid is done at your workplace
·       Contact your representatives
o   ResistBot: Text RESIST to 50409 or https://resist.bot/
o   Postcards for America: https://www.postcardsforamerica.com/
·       Share posters:
o   Keep Families Together: https://www.afsc.org/defund-hate-graphics
·       Volunteer
o   Collection of volunteer opportunities at various places: https://www.brightest.io/issues/immigration-human-rights/
·       Learn
o   Women, Children, and Families: https://www.womensrefugeecommission.org/
·       Donate your frequent flyer miles


Local Organizations
·       The Florence Project
o   What They Do: https://firrp.org/who/mission/
§  Free legal services to people in immigration custody in Arizona
§  Be a pro bono attorney
§  Raise awareness
o   More Information
·       Casa Alitas
§  Aid for migrant families
o   Opportunities
§  alitas@ccs-soaz.org or 520-591-6390
o   For more information
·       Rincon Migrant Shelter
o   What they do
§  Short term housing and hospitality for migrant families
o   Opportunities
§  Transportation
§  Kitchen
§  Intakes
o   For more information
·       No More Deaths/No Mas Muertes
o   What they do
§  Work to stop migrant deaths in the desert
§  Work for immigration reform
o   Opportunities
§  Desert Aid Camp
§  Leave supplies in the desert
§  Abuse Documentation
§  Keep Tucson Together (Legal Clinic)
§  Help get belongings back
§  Searching for the disappeared
§  Arivaca Humanitarian Aid Office
o   For more information:
·       Mariposas Sin Fronteras
§  solidarity to LGBTQ people in detention through visits, letters, bond fundraising, case support, advocacy and post-detention hospitality.
o   Opportunities
§  Rainbow Defense Fund: https://mariposassinfronteras.org/donate/
o   For more information
·       Tucson Community Rapid Response Team
o   What they do
§  Serve as witnesses to immigration enforcement actions in Tucson
§  Education and resources
o   Opportunities
o   For more information
·       Peoples’ Defense Initiative
§  Campaigns related to several immigration and human rights issues
o   Opportunities
o   For more information:
·        
National Organizations
·       Al Otro Lado
§  Immigration related services
o   Opportunities
§  attorneys, doctors, mental health professionals, tech professionals, social workers, and any other individual who is passionate about immigrant rights: https://alotrolado.org/volunteer/
o   For more information
·       Queer Detainee Empowerment Project: http://www.qdep.org/our-mission/
o   What they do
§  assists folks coming out of immigration detention in securing structural, health/wellness, educational, legal, and emotional support and services. We work to organize around the structural barriers and state violence that LGBTQIA TS & GNC detainee/undocumented folks face related to their immigration status, race, sexuality, and gender expression/ identity.
We are committed to assisting folks in building lives outside of detention, to breaking down the barriers that prevent folks from building fulfilling and productive lives, and to keeping queer families intact by demanding an end to deportations/ detention/ policing
§  Fundraising
§  Visitation
§  PenPal
§  Advocate
o   For more information
·       Freedom for Immigrants
o   What they Do
§  Policy advocacy
§  Monitoring and investigations
§  Visitations
§  Hotline
§  Alternatives to detention
§  National bond fund
§  Storytelling projects
§  International organizing
o   Opportunities
§  Learning
·       Immigration Detention Syllabus: https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/immigration-detention-syllabus
·       Immprint: https://imm-print.com/
·       Other resources available on website
§  Volunteering
·       Hosting asylum seekers
·       Hotline
·       Translation
·       Detention visitation
·       Transportation
·       Volunteer recruitment
·       Sponsor an asylum seeker
·       Start a visitation program or support group
·       Policy advocate
·       Donate
o   More information
§  Website: www.freedomforimmigrants.org
§  Mailing list
§  Social Media
·       Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights
o   What they do:
§  Civic engagement
§  Education
§  Advocacy
§  Legal services
o   Opportunities
§  Civic Engagement: https://www.chirla.org/civic
§  Community Education: https://www.chirla.org/commedu
§  Legal Immigration Services: https://www.chirla.org/legal-immigration-services
§  Policy and Advocacy
o   For more information:
·       Detention Watch Network
o   What they do
§  Organize to abolish immigrant detention in the United States
o   Opportunities
o   For more information
·       Lights for Liberty
o   What they do
§  Vigils for people in detention
o   Opportunities
o   For more information
·       Immigration Justice Campaign
o   What they do
§  Provide legal services for detainees
o   For more information
·       Immigrant Justice Now
o   What they do
§  Oppose maltreatment of immigrants, including separation of families
o   Opportunities
o   For more information
·       Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights
o   What they do
§  Support immigrant children who arrive in the US on their own: https://www.theyoungcenter.org/about-the-young-center
o   Opportunities
o   For more information
·       Women’s Refugee Commission
o   What they do:
o   Opportunities:
o   For more information: