Welcome to the tenth and final post in the “10 Ways to Support Immigrants and Refugees” series!
#1: VOTE!
The conclusion of our 10 Ways to Support Immigrants and Refugees series is quite simple: if you care about immigrants and their rights, vote for candidates who support their rights.
Check out websites such as ISideWith to see how your values align with different candidates’ values. Encourage others in your community to vote and to vote for candidates that will uphold the rights of immigrants and refugees.
How do you stay updated on issues affecting immigrants and refugees in your community and across the globe? Let us know on our social media!
Welcome to the ninth post in the “10 Ways to Support Immigrants and Refugees” series!
#2: Gain Experience
Although immigration and refugee issues affect many Americans, they do not directly affect all of us. Because of this, it can be difficult for those who care about human rights to feel connected to immigration rights issues. A way to combat this is to gain personal experience volunteering for or communicating with refugees and immigrants. Many organizations offer opportunities to connect one-on-one with refugees, such as Samaritas‘ tutoring program and the Refugee Outreach Collective’s Global Classroom program.
When interacting directly with immigrants and refugees, it can be helpful to learn some basic terms in the language they are most comfortable with. In my experience working with a refugee partner from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, learning a bit of Swahili made her feel included and more comfortable with me. Even a simple “hello” in their primary language will help you build a meaningful relationship with your partner.
How do you stay updated on issues affecting immigrants and refugees in your community and across the globe? Let us know on our social media!
Welcome to the eighth post in the “10 Ways to Support Immigrants and Refugees” series!
#3: Share on Social Media
You can be an “influencer” for your friends and family! Make it easy for your loved ones to participate in advocacy for immigrants and refugees by sharing templates for emails and phone calls to representatives. You can also create infographic posts that your followers can repost. As long as you are sharing reliable data and including sources, you can be an impactful social media advocate.
Another effective type of social media advocacy is the sharing of petitions. Create your own on Change.org or reshare already-existing petitions. In order to access the petitions that already exist, try subscribing to the Change.org newsletter or following social media accounts that often post the links to the petitions.
How do you stay updated on issues affecting immigrants and refugees in your community and across the globe? Let us know on our social media!
Welcome to the seventh post in the “10 Ways to Support Immigrants and Refugees” series!
#4: Take Action in Numbers
An important right as Americans is the ability to assemble in protest. Exercise this right by organizing a protest of your own or joining a protest in your area. Find local protest events here on Indivisible.
If you are not yet ready to participate in a protest, another choice could be a documentary screening. Invite family and friends to watch a documentary with you, and provide a chance for conversation afterward. Informative options for documentaries and docuseries include Living Undocumented (2019), Targeting El Paso (2020), and Immigration Nation (2020).
Another option is to assemble a group or join a group that focuses on refugee outreach, such as the Refugee Outreach Collective (ROC). Groups like ROC give you an opportunity to be in contact with refugees in order to create cross-cultural and cross-continental bonds.
How do you stay updated on issues affecting immigrants and refugees in your community and across the globe? Let us know on our social media!
Welcome to the sixth post in the “10 Ways to Support Immigrants and Refugees” series!
#5: Contribute to “Freedom Funds”
When I.C.E. detains someone, they impose an “immigration bond”, which is essentially the same as bail in the U.S. court system. The bond amount must be paid to Homeland Security in order for the person to be released while their case is processed through court.
There are organizations called “Freedom Funds” that donate these bail amounts to both immigrants and American protestors who have been detained. To support immigrants that have been detained by I.C.E., donate to or volunteer for organizations such as the Minnesota Freedom Fund.
How do you stay updated on issues affecting immigrants and refugees in your community and across the globe? Let us know on our social media!
I was recently interviewed about how deportations are directly affecting small businesses in Southwest Detroit by Hub Detroit, a publication dedication to telling stories about the neighborhoods. As a consultant working with a number of nonprofit organizations in Southwest Detroit, I spend most of my days working directly with small business owners, helping them to access resources and to solve problems.
Over the last year, one of the greatest challenges for Southwest Detroit businesses is their shrinking client base due to immigration threats. People are in disaster preparation mode, staying out of public spaces and saving money in case of an emergency. The somber change in the vibe of the neighborhood was palpable right after the election, it has now evolved into a state of resignation as people attempt to continue living their lives. Stories of raids, detentions, and the hardship that children and spouses are suffering when the bread winner is deported have shifted from shocking to normalized.
HUB Detroit, November 22, 2017 misunderstood the name of my business in our phone interview. (Puente de) Conexion is the name of our nonprofit organization, the name of my company is Puente Cultural Integration.
Both the image of the Southwest mural and the image above are from Posada Mexican Restaurant and Market, one of my absolute favorite hole-in-the-wall authentic Mexican restaurants in the world. (This is a common scene in SW, owner, Juan Romo (right) sitting with me discussing business with the owner of DMex Printing, Cesar Escobedo. (My favorite butcher, Salvador Enriquez from Carnicería Guadalajara is seen in background.)
