Dec. 4, 2025
Hello donors!
Happy giving season! I'm writing today with so much gratitude for the community that's come together around this GoFundMe. We've seen people sharing it around at fundraiser events, rallies, and social media, and we've had people contacting us to come to their events and table in order to spread the word about our work. In this time, large immigrant justice nonprofits are overwhelmed by ever-increasing needs, making it hard for them to respond quickly to crises, so our ability to step up and directly support our neighbors is extremely powerful.
It's now been a month since the ICE raid on the Allston Carwash which took away nine of our neighbors. This week, we managed to get a seventh person released on bond. This person had been transferred from Massachusetts to Texas, and the Texas judge set bond at more than twice what bond has been for any of the other cases - and they released her from Texas, not Massachusetts, so we're also needing to spend more time and money to bring her home. However, she's free from ICE detention and will soon be on her way back to her family. We've also been helping the families of other detainees cover rent for the remainder of the year, since many don't feel able to return to work.
In all, we've spent about $50,000 of the money raised by this fundraiser. The remaining funds are being conserved to hopefully continue paying bond and have a fund for any urgent needs that come up in 2026. Unfortunately, we know the 11/4 raid is probably not the last time ICE will show up to terrorize our neighborhood, and the need for mutual aid funds is ongoing.
To continue supporting the carwash raid victims in the new year, we need your help! Please keep sharing this fundraiser around and encouraging folks to contribute. As a reminder, everything we raise here goes directly to detainees and their families.
Nov. 16, 2025
Hi all!
We wanted to give an update about what we have been able to accomplish for our neighbors as well as upcoming things that folks can do to keep supporting.
Through contributions to the GoFundMe we have raised over $50,000!! We have been able to use $3250 to help families with rent assistance, food, and other bills and expenses. $1140 has been deposited to commissary accounts which allows those in ICE detention to make phone calls to family and purchase necessities.
We have also organized two events - The People's Pantry and a Community Vigil. The Community vigil was held the day after the raid of the car wash took place and was attended by over 100 community members! The People's Pantry was part of a collective LUCE campaign across the state to fund food, not ICE.
Starting this week there will be virtual bond hearings for the 9 people detained at the Allston Car Wash. If awarded bonds the funds that have been raised will be used to support families with bond expenses, legal expenses, as well as rent, bills, and other material aid requests.
We will continue to support our neighbors and their families with expenses through the GoFundMe. Some other ways that we can continue to support them are below:
Call on our state level elected officials to end all collaboration with ICE and redirect funds from harmful carceral institutions to the material needs of our community.
11/5 update - we are currently supporting the families impacted by ICE's 11/4 raid on Allston Car Wash, where 9 employees were detained without being given the chance to retrieve their documents, potentially the largest raid of the year in Allston (https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2025/11/04/this-is-kidnapping-plain-and-simple-ice-arrests-9-employees-in-raid-at-allston-car-wash/?amp=1).
We are working to help our neighbors locate their loved ones, contact attorneys, and meet their ongoing needs. Thank you for anything you can pitch in!
9/30 update - Right now, we are supporting M and her family. They are Allston neighbors, originally from Guatemala. M is not currently working because she has a newborn baby. She also has an 11 year old girl, and she relied on her 20-year-old son's income to provide for the family. Her son came to the country three years ago. He's very attentive at home, he helps with cleaning chores and laundry, and he helps M a lot with his little sisters.
With her son detained, M needs help to cover rent and basic necessities as well as legal fees. Her monthly rent is $1200, utilities $80, and legal fees will likely be around $500 for filing the basic documents and initial appearance in court. We hope to cover a few months of rent for her and to prepare for multiple court appearances. Any amount you can pitch in will help!
Support Immigrant Families Impacted by Immigration Enforcement in Allston/Brighton!
A/B LUCE hub is raising funds to support families in our community who are impacted by immigration enforcement. When a family in our neighborhood is targeted, detained, or otherwise harmed by immigration policies, the entire community feels the pain.
This fund will allow us to respond quickly when one of our neighbors needs support - whether that means helping cover rent, food, legal costs, or other urgent needs. By coming together, we can make sure no family faces these challenges alone.
Every contribution, big or small, strengthens our safety net and shows that our community stands united in care and solidarity.
Thank you for supporting our neighbors and helping us build a stronger, safer, and more compassionate Allston/Brighton.