Help asylum-seekers at First U in Brooklyn

We are the Immigrant Solidarity Committee at First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn (“First U”). Together with community partners, we are supporting immigrants as they seek asylum in the United States.

 

Our congregation has come together to serve asylum-seekers, but we urgently need your financial support. Can you make a donation to help our guests get through the asylum process?

 

First U does not keep any of the money: it all goes to our guests.

 

Our goal is to provide our guests with everything they need to get through the asylum process with dignity and safety.

 

Our guests are:

 

- A trans woman asylum-seeker who was bonded out of U.S. detention in fall 2019. As you know, NYC rent is incredibly expensive, but with your support, the Immigrant Solidarity Committee has been able to cover her rent in an affirming and supportive home with members of our congregation. Currently, she is preparing to start working in a job that will allow her to support other people in similar situations. Donations will allow us to support her as her lengthy asylum process continues. As she begins her new position, we will continue to pay part of her rent, gradually tapering our support as she gains the means to take on this expense independently.

 

- A father and his child who left Guatemala to find safety and opportunity in the United States. They stayed at our church for a week in early 2019, and have since been living with friends of the congregation. They have brought so much warmth and happiness to our community. The child is especially thriving. With the permission of him and his father, we’re sharing this quote from one of his teachers: “He is a sweet and caring young child who is a pleasure to have in class. He works well with others and independently... He is showing great effort and has already made a tremendous amount of progress since the first day of school... I am very proud of what he accomplished... I am truly lucky to have him in my class!”

 

- An asylum-seeker from Cuba who lived with members of our congregation from when she was bonded out of ICE detention in November 2018 until she became financially independent in 2020. She is now working in healthcare and has gained State certification as a case manager, while the congregation continues to encourage her.

 

Our expenses are:

 

- $9,300 to cover monthly rent ($775/month) from May 2022 – May 2023 for one of our guests who lives with members of our congregation.

 

- $2,700 to pay the legal fees through February 2023 for guests seeking asylum.

 

- Additional funds to support asylum-seekers in 2022 – 2023. Immigration advocates predict that more people will be allowed to enter the country and apply for asylum as Trump-administration policies are repealed. For example, Title 42 –– which allowed nearly all asylum-seekers to be turned away at the border without the right to an asylum case –– was repealed on May 24, 2022. Though a federal judge in Arizona has halted the repeal temporarily, immigration experts predict it will be lifted soon. This means that many more people will now be able to apply for asylum. With your support, we will be prepared to support people as opportunities arise.

 

Your past gifts have helped our guests navigate the transition from ICE detention to fuller and freer lives in the United States. Your generosity now will help provide the stability and resources needed to get through the long, grueling asylum process.

 

We believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, but we know that we don’t yet live in a world where all lives are valued and treated equally. In our work as the Immigrant Solidarity Committee, we have chosen to prioritize help for asylum-seekers who are often ignored by other immigrant-serving organizations, like LGBTQ+ and Central American and Caribbean migrants. Any funds we raise in excess of our goal will be used to continue supporting immigrants and asylum-seekers from marginalized groups.

 

Thank you for providing urgently needed support to asylum-seekers. And thank you for helping create a world where every person is safe from violence and can live with freedom, love, and community.