FairPlanet.Support
| tags: | #USA, #immigrant rights, #immigration, #undocumented migrants, #NGO, #legal aid, #advocacy, #Training |
|---|---|
| located: | USA |
| by: | Yair Oded |
As the war on migrants in the United States escalates, immigration raids are becoming more frequent and inspire more fear in immigrant communities.
Raids often result in arrests and deportation of undocumented immigrants and the separation of families (some of which have lived together in the U.S. for decades).
It isn’t only undocumented people who are vulnerable to immigration raids. Green Card holders, asylum seekers, people protected under the DACA program, exchange students and immigrants with valid work permits are regularly stopped by immigration agents and are often subject to humiliation and intimidation by them. Many such encounters culminate in arrests.
In Spokane, Washington, a midsize city in relative proximity to the Canadian border, raiding of Greyhound buses by immigration agents and pulling off passengers for questioning (some of which result in arrests) have become the new norm for no apparent reason and without any security-related justification.
While Greyhound and top City officials either bluntly or tacitly support Border Patrol’s raids, members of the community and local NGO’s have been ramping up their efforts to protect the area’s immigrants, warn them about raids, inform them of their rights and provide them with support as they navigate the immigration system.
The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) is a nonprofit organisation working to provide immigrants in Washington State with legal aid.
NWIRP concentrate their efforts in multiple areas: providing immigrants with legal assistance on their immigration cases, raising awareness and educating local communities about immigrant rights, providing immigration training for service providers, and taking on litigation that promotes change on a systemic level.
Please visit the NWIRP website to learn more about their mission and services, learn about their volunteering opportunities, or make a donation.
Image: NWIRP website.
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