Hope and Safety for Our Immigrant Neighbors
0% complete
$3,810 raised of
34 donations
The last few weeks have been filled with heartache in MN. As we all mourn over the needless suffering of our immigrant neighbors as well as our citizens, there is hope in the incredible community of people in our area. Neighbors delivering food to immigrants hiding in fear in their homes, groups going door to door offering legal advice, teachers walking children home from school, transportation services for workers—the list goes on. The big hearts of our strong city are working diligently for the greater good of our brothers and sisters searching for safety and a chance for their children and families to thrive. That is hope in action.
Angie and I continue to support our Peruvian family who are here legally and are legal residents of MN with a pending asylum hearing, authorization to work, and no criminal history. And yet, they are confined to their small home, afraid to leave because ICE does not discriminate against those who are trying to do everything right and legally join this nation. We received a call from the lawyer that ICE is randomly picking up immigrants from their required check-ins. The last time Angie drove the dad to his check-in, there were 9 ICE agents that showed up. Luckily, he was not a target that day. If any of the family members are picked up, the lawyer will need to file a Habeas Corpus petition within a few hours because within 24 hours, he would be shipped to Louisiana or Texas and out of jurisdiction. The petition would keep him in Minnesota for the petition to be processed, and he would likely be released within a few weeks. Meanwhile, the family would be without their husband and father.
We currently owe $4,000 to the lawyer for the upcoming asylum hearing. In the meantime, the family struggles to pay bills and rent when they can't go out and work because they might be picked up by ICE. What are we doing in America when an immigrant family is put in this position? At this time, there does not appear to be any safe path to citizenship...unless there is hope from people willing to step up and help this family financially.
Angie and I would like to raise $10,000 to ensure their sustainability. It is a large amount but would cover the remaining cost of the lawyer for the asylum case ($4,000) and provide money for a Habeas filing. Most urgently it would help cover the $1,400 per month for rent while the family is unable to leave their home while ICE is picking people up indiscriminately. It would also cover the cost of food and utilities for the family of 6. If you are angry about the situation in Minnesota and don't know how you can help, THIS IS HOW! This is how you push back against cruelty and injustice. We are all feeling overwhelmed. But we don't have to fix everything all at once. Just do a small thing that can make a big impact. It is the small part you can play to deliver hope and to know that you were part of the solution and not just a bystander in this madness.
If you need more information, please feel free to message me. If you have donated to the last fund that raised money to pay for work permits, please consider instead to pass this to 3 other people and ask them to pass it to 3 more. Help us show the world what unity through kindness looks like.
If you would like to hear more of their story please click on the link to listen to The Third Place Podcast. I discuss in detail their journey to Minnesota.
God bless,
Angie and Jesse