Border Angels Weekly Newsletter
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Saturday’s Water Drop: One year ago we lost one of the most inspiring & motivational people we have ever met -- Our brother Jonathan Daniel Yost.
Jonathan was the first person many of us met when we came to Border Angels. His infectious energy & ability to reach the part of us that had been longing to get involved was unlike anything we’d ever encountered before. Jonathan saw in us what we weren’t ready to see in ourselves, he challenged us to face this mission not just with words but with direct action. He changed our lives forever. Jonathan was serious, focused and intense. To hear him speak was to be transported in empathy & motivation. For those of us who loved him and knew him well, there was also the side of him that was silly, funny, and caring. We miss him today & always will.
We will never know the extent of the impact that Jonathan has had on the lives of those that cross the desert & on this earth, but we know that he has touched many. Every gallon of water we leave & every one we find consumed is tied to his energy & legacy. This is why we say that revolutionaries never die, because everyone who Jonathan inspired now carries a piece of him with them. This is how we continue paying respect to our brother who was never satisfied with complacency and who always inspired us to do more.
Everyone, please check on your strong friends, your advocate friends, your outspoken friends, your healer friends. Show up for them even when they say they don’t need it. The world feels tense & depressing often, it can even feel hopeless. Check on your friends who speak passionately & hopefully about the well-being of everyone but themselves. Life was already difficult and complicated a year ago when Jonathan left us, and it’s gotten exponentially so. We are isolated (quite literally) & more inundated with stress and injustice than ever before. If you’re ever feeling overwhelmed, don’t wait for anything or anyone -- check on yourself. You are never alone, we are better together, and the world is more beautiful with all of us in it.
It’s Mental Health Awareness month & if there’s anything Jonathan loved it was raising awareness.
Love each other 🌹We love you
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COVID-19 Shelter Expansion:
Roca de Salvación
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We are excited to share a preview of the expansion at Roca de Salvacion migrant shelter. We were able to fund this addition to the shelter so that families can have more space to practice social distancing. As the pandemic becomes more emergent in Tijuana, a space for shelter residents to self-isolate is key.
The first rooms are close to being finished with only the installation of the tile pending. The more complicated parts of the remodeling, such as the plumbing and making the bathroom wheelchair accessible, are completed.
A HUGE "thank you" goes out to Pastor Salvador for keeping us all updated. We look forward to seeing the finished product! ❤️
Check out the video Pastor Salvador sent us and take a quick virtual tour!
https://www.facebook.com/109962126885/videos/958516001236924/
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WE ARE PROUD TO BE ENDORSING THIS EVENT!
Join us in a Car Rally on Sunday, May 24th with your signs to urge ALL migrants be released from ALL ICE Detention Centers. We also call on the government to defund and abolish ICE. The deportation of migrants does not constitute protection! True protection would be the abolition of detention and deportations!
We should not stand idly by as immigrant siblings die!
SAFETY: All participants are required to wear masks, even while in car so as to avoid citation. Printouts with instructions for police will be taped to all windows so as to avoid face to face contact with police who could be infected with Covid-19. We are encouraging a non-antagonistic approach so as not to put our community at risk. We are also working on a musical soundtrack to play loudly instead honking our horns (this is to reduce the tensions...hopefully)
Check out the Facebook event page for more details!
https://www.facebook.com/events/s/car-rally-at-otay-detention-ni/242429056856235/
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NEW COLLABORATION WITH ...
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Humanitarian aid is multi-faceted and we must work hand-in-hand with organizations who are providing services that we are not able to. For that reason, Border Angels is proud to announce we will provide resources for the search and rescue team Armadillos to purchase a vehicle of their own and obtain essential equipment for searches in remote areas of the border. Armadillos are the only ones who often bring comfort to heartbroken relatives who for a long time have not known about the whereabouts of their loved one(s).
Up until now, each time Armadillos has gone out to conduct a search and rescue, brothers Cesar and Alex Ortigoza have had to rent a truck for about $600 for an entire weekend, have paid for gas to travel between northern San Diego and southern Arizona, where disappearances are reported most often. This is in addition to purchasing food, drinks and occasionally first aid material. All of their work is funded by the members themselves.
More than 8,200 migrants are known to have died trying to cross in inhospitable areas since 1998; the numbers are more likely higher but Border Patrol only began documenting these deaths that year. This statistic does not account for those who perished from 1994 to 1998 as a result of Operation Gatekeeper, and all the migrants whose whereabouts are unknown.
“Now more than ever it is necessary to work together in favor of the immigrant community, and the collaboration with Armadillos is an example of an alliance that reflects good results quickly," Executive Director, Dulce García
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¡Gracias Misael!
You have been such an incredible supporter of Border Angels that we are proud to have you among us as part of our Water Drop team.
Your creativity and dedication is honorable.
You serve with love and humility.
Thank you for being a relief to mankind!
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Border Angels in the News
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Familias Reunidas Bond Program
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Today, we are excited to share with you the story of the 23rd recipient of our bond program, Brenda. After 5 months of being in detention, this 37-year old loving mother was finally able to see so many loved ones and friends (at a safe distance). Brenda escaped domestic violence in El Salvador, and like so many other asylum seekers waited in Tijuana for over a year as a result of MMP (Migrant Protection Protocols), only to finally end up at the Otay Mesa Detention Center. In her time in Tijuana, she spend much time cooking and feeding other migrants at a volunteer-run shelter, helping so many others in her similar situation.
Despite her not having any criminal history, she has been stuck at this COVID-19 death trap with a bond of $7,500. This woman would not have been able to leave this place had it not been for the efforts of Jill Zwiers, Minority Humanitarian Foundation, and the National Bail Bond Fund, among others. Despite such hardships her spirits remain hopeful and brave, and this process however hard, has taught us how much we can do for one another especially when we all work together.
Let this story serve as a reminder of all the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and community members waiting in such conditions in detention, simply for seeking a place or a part in this country. Brenda represents so many others being subject racist and inhumane policies, and we must not forget the urgency of getting everyone we can out of the Otay Mesa Detention Center. This pandemic continues to be unforgiving, and we will not allow any more lives lost. Again, we thank you for your support and ask you to continue to help us make sure our folks are #FreeAndAlive.
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BOND UPDATE: We are so happy to share that we have been able to bond out Ranako! This week’s victory means a lot as the cases have come with so much frustration.
In a time when ICE should recognize the urgency of releasing individuals, we have instead been met with more obstacles such as higher bond amounts instead of compassion. In this case, like Elias’, we have collaborated with other organizations to be able to cover the full amount of 10K for Ranako who has no criminal history.
We are so thankful to collaborate with 3R Fund for Immigrants to reunite one more family, and to put one more life directly out of danger. As we continuously say, all of the people we help are just like us: seeking opportunities and looking for a chance for a better and peaceful life.
We will not abandon our friends inside the life-threatening COVID-19 nightmare that is the Otay Mesa Detention Center. We thank you for your support and urge you to help us spread our message. We need your help, and we will not stop until we #FreeThemALL and #closethecamps .
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With our new Green Cards for Kids program, we are so lucky to be able to work with immigration attorney Fabiola Navarro who will be representing these children
It is crucial that we help these children as they have already suffered enough abuse, neglect and/or abandonment.
With your continued support, we can help pay for the legal representation these children deserve in this critical time of their lives.
Please consider donating! No amount is too small!
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Con nuestro nuevo programa de Green Cards for Kids, tenemos la suerte de poder trabajar con la abogada de inmigración Fabiola Navarro, quien representará a estos niños.
Es crucial que ayudemos a estos niños ya que ya han sufrido suficiente abuso, negligencia y / o abandono.
Con su continuo apoyo, podemos ayudar a pagar la representación legal que estos niños merecen en este momento crítico de sus vidas.
Por favor considere donar, ¡Ninguna cantidad es demasiado pequeña!
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You have a chance to donate to Border Angels when you shop on Amazon.
Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible items to Border Angels!
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Tienes la oportunidad de donar a Border Angels cuando compras en Amazon.
Amazon nos donará el 0.5% del precio de compra de artículos elegibles!
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Despite the growing challenges of this pandemic, Border Angels remains determined to protect and support the community we have pledged to serve. Even though we are currently unable to accept physical donations, we are always accepting monetary donations to support:
1. Our Shelter Aid Program❤️: Especially now that we are unable to receive these items, we need your help to provide funds for groceries, hygiene products, utility bills, rent, clothes, etc.!
2. Familias Reunidas Bond Program👨👩👧: Given the severity of this outbreak, we NEED to get as many people out of the Otay Mesa Detention Center as we can. With your help we can post bond for more individuals! (Link in highlights under Bond Program)
3. Water Drop Program💧: Even after having to postpone public water drops, our team is still constantly in the desert scouting and dropping the supplies necessary for survival. Their work never stops, because the need never stops.
Thank you for your continued support.🖤🦋
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