At 6:46am on Tuesday, July 2, 2019 I received a phone call from Anne*, a student who I have been mentoring for the past several years.  She called to inform me that her parents had just been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and she did not know what to do.

Years ago, Anne’s parents fled their home country to escape religious persecution.  They came to the United States of America to improve their life chances, and now our injustice system is treating them like criminals.

Although Anne and her sister have been receiving support from extended family and community members, they are largely left to shoulder the financial burden of legal fees and daily expenses.  Even in this time of need, Anne doesn’t want to burden others.

Let’s show Anne that we care and that she is not a burden.

I respectfully request that you join me and others in supporting Anne’s family by contributing to this GoFundMe campaign.

Any amount you can contribute would mean so much to Anne and her family.  The process of attempting to free her parents and avoid deportation will be a long one.  In the meantime, legal fees and stress will accumulate.

Understandably, you may not be in a position to contribute financially. In which case, I ask for your help in spreading this message so that those with means are able to contribute.

Words cannot express my gratitude for your support.

- Lan


*To protect the student’s privacy, a pseudonym is used.

Note: Asserting one’s rights is a crucial form of self-defense when approached by an ICE agent.  Please share these multilingual cards (PDF) , which describe the rights of all people in the United States of America.