We’re fundraising for legal fees for fellow workers on Meta campuses who require immediate legal defense as a result of the current anti-immigrant environment directly impacting their safety, and ability to do their jobs. These are primarily low-wage workers at Meta with pending asylum claims, which means they have already demonstrated to the government at the time they entered the US that they would face significant harm if they returned to their country of origin. Under US law and principles they are entitled due process, which the current administration is trying to subvert in multiple ways:
- Arresting asylum seekers – even if they have a work permit, no criminal record, and a pending asylum claim, they are being forced to defend their claim on a very short timeline while they are detained and facing immediate removal.
- Removing asylum seekers from the US, and “allowing” them a hearing, but from a detention facility in another country, like Uganda or Honduras or from the infamous CECOT prison in El Salvador.
- Arbitrarily discriminating against workers from African and Muslim countries, and moving up hearing dates for people from these countries with no regard to their safety should they be deported, or the legitimacy of the claim that permitted them to enter the US. This is particularly dangerous for LGBTQ+ workers.
- Directing judges to deny asylum cases and threatening judges positions if they are considered too lenient.
Fellow workers on these Meta campuses are facing prohibitive costs and a challenging legal landscape:
- Increased filing fees (which can be $1000/person), and legal counsel to prepare and defend their cases or navigate these new hurdles ($5000 and up/person).
- A legal system that is already strained by the current administration’s anti-immigrant policies, including a lack of available legal representation.
The landscape of immigration enforcement is shifting every day – and mostly in a racist and repressive direction. Multiple workers on Meta campuses have already found their cases moved up and have very immediate needs. However, the purpose of this fund is to provide a resource for the larger group of low-wage workers at Meta who also find themselves in this situation and will need to cover these same costs in the coming months.
We will provide clarity on how many members of our community are assisted with what we raise through this fund. If we raise additional funds that cover more than immediate needs of our community, the remainder will be donated to WAISN (Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network), Washington’s largest immigrant and refugee justice network.
Thank you!