{"id":26282,"date":"2018-06-22T16:06:12","date_gmt":"2018-06-22T16:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/colorlines.madeostudio.com\/article\/how-you-can-support-detained-immigrant-families\/"},"modified":"2018-06-22T16:06:12","modified_gmt":"2018-06-22T16:06:12","slug":"how-you-can-support-detained-immigrant-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/colorlines.com\/article\/how-you-can-support-detained-immigrant-families\/","title":{"rendered":"How You Can Support Detained Immigrant Families"},"content":{"rendered":"
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How You Can Support Detained Immigrant Families<\/h3>\n

\n By catherine lizette gonzalez<\/span> Jun 22, 2018<\/span>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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In the past two months, the government has ripped more than 2,300 children from their parents under the Trump administration’s \"zero tolerance\" enforcement policy<\/a> on border crossings. As more reports reveal the irreversible health consequences<\/a> of family separations and the harsh<\/a> and abusive environments<\/a> where many immigrant children are housed, many people have expressed outrage<\/a> over this practice. <\/p>\n

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Faced with intense criticism and pressure, President Donald Trump signed an executive order<\/a> on Wednesday (June 20) that claims to address the crisis by holding parents and children together indefinitely<\/a> in detention centers. But the government has yet to implement<\/a> a formal process for family reunification, and many parents see no viable way<\/a> to track down their children. Meanwhile, private prison groups and Fortune 500 companies profit<\/a> off the trauma of family separation and detention.<\/p>\n

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But there are several ways you can fight this horrifying reality. Here are actionable steps you can take to support immigrants and asylum-seekers being prosecuted and detained by the United States government. <\/p>\n

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1. Call your elected officials.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Nonpartisan democracy-building organization Common Cause<\/a> has a useful tool<\/a> to help you find and contact the elected officials who represent you. And the American Civil Liberties Union<\/a> has a script<\/a> you can follow to critique the measures being introduced in Congress. <\/p>\n

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Discover how your local government collaborates with Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a> (ICE) and hold elected officials accountable via a map<\/a> provided by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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2. Volunteer your skills.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Several organizations are seeking people who can offer legal or language expertise. If you know Spanish, Mam, or K’iche’, or have any paralegal or law training, you can volunteer<\/a> with the Texas Civil Rights Project<\/a> in McAllen, Texas. If you are able to translate Meso-American Indigenous languages (e.g., Zapotec, Nahuatl<\/span>, Mam, K’iche’<\/span>, Maya, Mixe, Mixtec) via phone, contact Lawyers for Good Government<\/a> (support@L4GG.org<\/a>) or Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services<\/a> (RAICES, Volunteer@RaicesTexas.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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You can also find local shelters, community centers and agencies in need of help via this resource<\/a> provided by The New York Times<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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3. Take direct action locally. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Across the country, people are protesting the criminalization of immigrants. On June 30, Families Belong Together<\/a> will hold protests in several cities across the nation; join an event or organize one of your own<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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Activists also urge people to participate in direct actions at detention centers in their own communities; an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon, was temporarily shutdown<\/a> Wednesday (June 20), following days of protest. Find an ICE facility<\/a> near you. Also, migrant children are being shipped across the country\u2014check this map<\/a> from The Washington Post<\/a> to see if a partner facility near you is hosting children. Then create your own action or connect with an organization that regular monitors facilities; Detention Watch Network<\/a> has a state-by-state list<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"As somebody who doesn’t live on the U.S.-Mexico border, we have to see how ICE is functioning in our communities,\" Angelica Chazaro, an organizer with Mijente<\/a>, told Colorlines. \"The crisis at the border is a crisis of immigration enforcement gone out of control, so it’s up to us to disrupt ICE’s efforts in any way we can.\"<\/p>\n

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Mijente has issued a call to action with a form<\/a> where you can submit your planned event or sign up to attend a direct action at the San Diego border on July 2. The group also has a guide<\/a> for launching your own campaign.<\/p>\n

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4. Help immigrants pay bail bonds.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Some immigrants are offered bonds<\/a> so they can wait for their court dates outside of detention, but the exorbitantly high amounts\u2014they typically range from $1,500 to $10,000+, depending on the judge\u2014are a major hurdle to freedom and family reunification.<\/p>\n

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\"Bail increases [immigrant parents’] chances of winning their case,\" Paola Fernandez, an organizer with the Detained Migrant Solidarity Committee<\/a>, told Colorlines. Since February, the Texas-based group has been fundraising for bail bonds through the Fianza Fund<\/a>, which you can donate to here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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There are several other bail bond funds across the country that you can support, including:<\/p>\n

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Bay Area Immigration Bond Fund<\/a><\/p>\n

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Community Bail Fund of North Texas<\/a><\/p>\n

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Eastern Iowa Community Bond Project<\/a><\/p>\n

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Immigrant Bail Fund<\/a><\/p>\n

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Immigrant Family Defense Fund<\/a><\/p>\n

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LGBTQ Freedom Fund<\/a><\/p>\n

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Louisville Community Bail Fund<\/a><\/p>\n

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New Sanctuary Coalition<\/a><\/p>\n

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5. Support organizations providing legal services, translation assistance and advocacy on the frontlines.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The current crisis at the border builds on past immigration policies that have criminalized immigrants for decades. Many grassroots organizations have been fighting back for years<\/em>. You can help 14 organizations supporting families with a single donation<\/a> via IReallyDoCare.com<\/a>. Or, you can donate your money to the groups listed below:<\/p>\n

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Al Otro Lado<\/a><\/p>\n

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CARA<\/a><\/p>\n

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Centro Legal de la Raza<\/a><\/p>\n

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Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services<\/a><\/p>\n

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Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project<\/a><\/p>\n

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Florida Immigrant Coalition<\/a><\/p>\n

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Fuerza del Valle<\/a><\/p>\n

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Grassroots Leadership<\/a><\/p>\n

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Juntos<\/a><\/p>\n

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Kids in Need of Defense<\/a><\/p>\n

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Las Americas<\/a><\/p>\n

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Mariposa Sin Fronteras<\/a><\/p>\n

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Michigan Immigrant Rights Center<\/a><\/p>\n

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National Center for Youth Law<\/a><\/p>\n

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Pueblo Sin Fronteras<\/a><\/p>\n

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Puente AZ<\/a><\/p>\n

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Queer Detainee Empowerment Project<\/a><\/p>\n

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Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network<\/a><\/p>\n

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Texas Civil Rights Project<\/a><\/p>\n

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Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid<\/a><\/p>\n

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The Young Center<\/a><\/p>\n

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Urban Justice Center<\/a><\/p>\n

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Let us know if there is another organization you think we should include in this guide by emailing us at Colorlines@RaceForward.org.<\/em><\/p>\n
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Tags<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n
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\n Activism<\/a>Archive<\/a>Bail<\/a>Criminal Justice<\/a>Criminal Justice<\/a>Criminalization<\/a>Immigration<\/a>Immigration<\/a>Schools & Youth<\/a>Trump Presidency<\/a> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From volunteering to organizing to donating, here are actionable steps you can take to support immigrants and asylum-seekers being prosecuted and detained by the United States government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26283,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_gspb_post_css":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[669,16402,1716,3856,16423,16407,16414,6952,16411,16409],"article-type":[],"topic-meta":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/colorlines.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26282"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/colorlines.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/colorlines.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/colorlines.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/colorlines.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/colorlines.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26282\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/colorlines.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/colorlines.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/colorlines.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26282"},{"taxonomy":"article-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/colorlines.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article-type?post=26282"},{"taxonomy":"topic-meta","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/colorlines.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic-meta?post=26282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}