EL PUEBLO UNIDO OF ATLANTIC CITY Y PUEBLOS CERCANOS

Support Immigrant Families in Ocean City, Atlantic City, and Pleasantville Shattered by ICE Raids, Deportations, and Exploitation.

Campaign Goal: $10,000

100% of all funds collected will go directly to support immigrant families in Ocean City, Atlantic City, and Pleasantville shattered by ICE raids, deportations, and exploitation.

Across South Jersey, immigrant families are being torn apart. In recent weeks, residents of Ocean City, Pleasantville, and Atlantic City have endured the devastating consequences of ICE raids, unjust deportations, and the daily fear of being targeted simply for surviving as immigrants.

ICE Raid in Ocean City, New Jersey

In Ocean City, Azael was detained during a raid where ICE used the excuse of a judicial warrant as a pretext to interrogate and photograph everyone inside a home. The warrant had no name. Azael had no criminal record. He was detained anyway, solely for being an immigrant in this country, trying to support his family and build a better future. He worked long hours, volunteered regularly at St. Damien’s Parish, and lived peacefully with his relatives.

He now sits in detention at Delaney Hall in Newark and wants to fight his case. But if no pathway forward is possible, he will pursue voluntary departure. We’re raising funds to support his legal fight and, if necessary, help him return to Mexico with dignity and the resources to safely rebuild his life, not abandoned or criminalized for being a migrant.

Azael deserves to return to Mexico with dignity, not punishment, for simply seeking a better life.

Deportation in Pleasantville, New Jersey

In Pleasantville, a hardworking and loving mother was detained by ICE and taken to the Elizabeth Detention Center. Just one week later, she was transferred to a facility in Texas and then placed on a plane, deported without due process and without even the chance to say goodbye.

Now, 17 year old Allison is left behind, alone. A rising high school senior and college-bound student with dreams of becoming a doctor, she faces an impossible choice: work to meet her basic needs, or stay focused on the long hours of study required to pursue her future.

She deserves stability, care, and the opportunity to build the future she’s fought so hard for and the future her mother sacrificed for her entire life.

We are doing everything possible to ensure Allison has secure housing, food, emotional support, and the resources she needs to finish high school, apply to college, and stay focused on her education, not just to survive, but to thrive.

Labor Exploitation and Abuse in Atlantic City, New Jersey

In Atlantic City, an immigrant survivor of labor exploitation and domestic violence has taken the courageous step of reporting the abuse she endured. After years of isolation and never being paid for her work, she is finally safe, protected by a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and supported by community organizations and government agencies. For the first time in years, she is free from control and violence.

We’ve helped her begin again by connecting her to emergency assistance and making sure she has housing, food, and other essential services. She is now working with trusted legal counsel to secure a Final Restraining Order, with hopes of eventually applying for a U Visa that could offer her lasting protection and stability.

But the road to recovery is long. She still faces threats, uncertainty, and instability. Rocío deserves safety, healing, and the opportunity to rebuild her life with dignity, without ever again fearing that her immigration status will be used against her.

Why We’re Raising Funds

These three families are just a few of the many immigrant households in our region facing trauma, injustice, and economic insecurity due to raids, detention, and abuse. They are our neighbors, our classmates, our coworkers, our fellow church members. They are part of our community, and right now, they need us.

In a time of rising fear, government repression, and silence from too many institutions, your support sends a powerful message: That dignity, safety, and justice belong to all of us, regardless of where we were born.

Your contribution will allow us to:

Support the Ocean City family as they prepare to fight his legal case and in the worst case scenario, prepare for Azael’s return to Mexico, cover legal expenses, and ensure he is sent back with dignity, resources, and the chance to keep supporting his family.

Provide basic necessities and essential support to the 17 year old daughter left behind in Pleasantville, so she can stay in school, avoid being forced to work long hours instead of studying, and pursue her dream of becoming a doctor.

Help the Atlantic City survivor of violence and exploitation stabilize her life through secure housing, legal representation, and healing support services.

Sustain our regional community response network, ensuring that we can provide the same kind of care and support to future families facing ICE raids, unjust deportations, and exploitation.

Funds will be divided equitably across these three families and similar emergency cases.

About Our Work

El Pueblo Unido of Atlantic City is a grassroots immigrant justice organization rooted in the belief that no one should stand alone. We are led by directly impacted families and local community members who know the pain and power of our struggle firsthand.

Every day, we accompany families to court, respond to ICE raids, provide housing and emergency support, connect people to immigration attorneys, and build local networks of care and resistance. We operate with deep trust and relationships in immigrant neighborhoods across South Jersey, from Ocean City to Atlantic City to Pleasantville.

This is the only authorized fundraiser for these families, and every single dollar raised goes directly toward legal aid, food, rent, medical needs, and survival costs.

In solidarity,

El Pueblo Unido of Atlantic City

DONATE & SHARE! THANK YOU!

El Pueblo Unido is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 88-1605273).

All donations are tax-deductible, and a formal acknowledgment letter will be provided for every contribution.