Dear Friends, Family, Social Justice Fighters,

President-elect Trump is deadly serious in his promise of mass deportations of millions of undocumented immigrants, many of whom are parents to US-born children. Some have lived in the country for many years. Most members of this section of our population are the backbone of many industries that are vital to the US economy. To implement his mass deportation plan, President Trump has nominated former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tom Homan as his border czar. Tom Homan has stated that he plans to reintroduce the migrant family detention facilities witnessed in the 1st Trump administration.

As an immigrant who has been fighting to have Congress pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill for over 20 years, I am very familiar with the pain and trauma of family separation through deportation and the break-up of entire communities. I do not have to remind you of the 1st Trump administration when children were yanked from their parents as punishment. This practice was also used to create fear among all those seeking protections in the US. The Trump 2.0 immigration plan promises to be even more brutal.

To resist Trump’s mass deportation plans and protect many vulnerable immigrants (neighbors), I am asking you to donate any amount you can afford towards a goal of $5,000. These funds will be used to help support Oregon’s community organizations to:

Create and facilitate ongoing virtual and in-person ‘Know Your Rights’ (KYR) training sessions to educate immigrants about their rights when they come in touch with local police or Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. ICE is the agency in charge of detaining and deporting immigrants. This literature will be presented in various forms (in-person, video, written) and will be translated into several languages to expand its reach throughout the state of Oregon.

Coordinate resources and connect immigrant families who have a loved one detained by ICE with immigration lawyers, professionals, and community advocates. This entails identifying and coordinating with law professionals who are willing to provide pro-bono or reduced-rate legal services for those that find themselves in legal jeopardy.

Assist family members in locating the detention facility where a loved one is being held. Oftentimes, ICE shuffles detainees in detention facilities all over the country and in far-flung places that are removed from loved ones, increasing the trauma of children being pulled apart.

Mobilize a strong coalition of labor, faith, and community organizations to resist the Trump Administration family separation plan and push for more humane immigration reform that provides a path toward legalization for millions of undocumented immigrants.

Please donate to protect and create safety for immigrant and refugee communities. Any amount you are able to give will make sure that families are not being separated by a zealot-driven white supremacist agenda. If you want us to bring these educational training materials to your community and/or organization, we will be more than glad to partner with you in ensuring so.

Funds will be reimbursed to community organizations that a significant immigrant and refugee membership and don't have much funds. You can also donate directly to:

1. PIRC (Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition): https://pircoregon.org/, especially to support their Hot Line.

2. Community Alliance of Tenants (CA) on their web site: https://www.oregoncat.org/

3. Equity Corps of Oregon (ECO) at: https://equitycorps.org/attorney-directory/, they give legal representation to low-income immigrants.

In Peace and Solidarity,

Luci Whitesell, Immigrant Advocacy, Fundraiser.