Join Sanctuary DMV and our community partners in supporting minors reuniting with their families and settling in the DMV area. Parents and relatives in our communities across the DMV are petitioning for their children who are currently being held by the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the border. We are supporting work to immediately reunite these children with their families in the DMV, and to help them settle in once they are here.
The proceeds from this fundraiser will help cover the costs of flights for the minors and their social workers, as well as basic costs as they get settled into our communities; about $1500 per person. Please give at a level that is generous for you to support family reunification in the DMV.
In addition to donating to support family reunification in the DMV, we encourage you to take two other important steps: 1. to examine the language used to talk about the current situation, and 2. to continue educating yourself about the root causes of migration, which have created the conditions people across the Americas face today.
Recently you may have heard talk of “the crisis at the border.” Immigration happens in cycles, yet each time, many people and politicians decry the situation. Rather than focusing on creating humane conditions for migrants, they are scapegoated and criminalized time and time again.
The language we use matters. When there is talk of a “surge” at the border, this is a conscious use of militaristic framing, meant to inspire fear, distrust, and rejection. It is important to see the situation for what it is - children and teens coming into the U.S. often because their families were not allowed to accompany them, or since they faced untenable economic and political conditions, often caused or exacerbated by U.S. intervention in their home countries.
The situation at the border has everything to do with U.S. imperialism and criminalization of migrants. Our immigration system is based on our carceral system. Sanctuary DMV fundamentally believes that the criminalization of Black and Brown folks runs counter to the vision of the world we want, where everyone is valued as a human being. Much as we call for the abolition of jails and prisons in the U.S., we also call for the end of militarized operations that destabilize other nations abroad and force migration.
Join us in supporting some of the families affected by U.S. political and economic intervention in other countries and inhumane border policies at home. Currently the biggest need is financial - supporting families in paying for airfare and basic necessities for their children. Donate today to our Go Fund Me to provide support directly to families across the DMV in reuniting with their loved ones and stay tuned for future asks, both for money and time, as we work with community partners to support these new neighbors to settle into our community.