The coronavirus pandemic has caused incalculable devastation across the globe, with over 100,000 deaths and counting here in the U.S. and widespread unemployment and economic hardship for many more — with no easy solutions in sight. No one has been untouched by this crisis, but the health and economic toll is falling much harder on already vulnerable and marginalized communities. The critical, urgent action required will only happen if each of us demands it of our elected officials. We all can do something to increase health coverage, financial support, and reforms to our immigration and criminal justice systems that will protect people and allow for a recovery to begin sooner for all of us. But while we call on Congress to take bolder action and help support groups on the frontlines of fighting the virus, we don’t want to lose sight of the people we’re fighting for. Read on to find out the latest from all of us here at FWD.us.

Despite 200,000 essential workers involved in coronavirus response who have DACA — which allows them to legally work — the Trump Administration continues its cruel efforts to end this program, subjecting 700,000 DACA recipients who came to this country as children and grew up as our neighbors, friends, and co-workers to be ripped from their jobs, families, and communities. Since November 12, when the Supreme Court heard oral arguments around DACA cases, we’ve been waiting for the decision that will dramatically impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients who call the United States home. The decision is likely to come in June, and we want DACA recipients and their families to be ready for whatever the Supreme Court decides. The court may allow the Trump Administration to rescind the DACA program, but the President alone has the responsibility and authority to extend DACA protections and to permit DACA recipients to renew. If he fails to do so, it will tear thousands of families apart and deal long-term damage to our country.

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It’s not hard to figure out why 31 of the country’s 50 largest clusters of coronavirus cases are jails and prisons, putting the people incarcerated, and the communities where these facilities exist, at heightened risk. You can’t physically distance in jails and prisons because people who are incarcerated live in extremely close quarters, plus people locked up in America's jails and prisons generally have increased underlying chronic health issues and are unable to access even the most basic medical care. Folks who are incarcerated come into contact with staff for their most fundamental needs like meals and medicine — staff who then interact with the outside world and, quite possibly, the virus. This acts as a revolving door for infections, endangering both those inside and outside the walls.

In Mississippi and other states, the data bears this out. Projection models show that coronavirus will spread rapidly in Mississippi prisons, causing widespread illness and death. Governors around the country must take immediate action to reduce incarceration and save thousands from the threat of coronavirus.

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Immigrant Heritage Month is coming up in June, and we have a great one planned even though we won’t be able to meet in person this year. Follow I Am An Immigrant on Instagram to find out how we’re celebrating immigrants all throughout the entire month and beyond. We’d love for you to (virtually) join us!

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For decades, in certain states Jim Crow-era laws allowed individuals to be convicted by non-unanimous juries. In Louisiana, the non-unanimous jury provision was intentionally designed to disenfranchise and criminalize Black Americans and it swiftly drove up conviction rates in a state that also wielded some of the longest sentences, the most life sentences, and some of the most inhumane prison conditions.

In 2018, FWD.us was part of a successful ballot initiative to end the use of non-unanimous juries in Louisiana. Following this important win, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled, in Ramos v. Louisiana, that this unjust practice was indeed unconstitutional, ending the practice across the country once and for all and opening up a potential pathway to remedy for those still incarcerated on non-unanimous jury convictions.

Our partners at the Promise of Justice Initiative (PJI), a Louisiana-based nonprofit, are working to identify and fight on behalf of all people convicted in Louisiana who remain in prison as a result of an unconstitutional conviction. The Supreme Court’s ruling delivers new hope for thousands still serving time, and the next step is working to have their cases reconsidered.

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Nearly 30,000 DACA recipients are essential health care workers fighting on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis. Cesar is studying to be a physician-scientist, and is an immigrant health care worker whose contributions are essential to fight coronavirus. Undocumented individuals are putting their lives on the line every day, and they deserve to stay in the only home most of them have ever known.

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Several groups helping communities especially at-risk from the coronavirus crisis urgently need funding right now to continue their vitally important work. As the crisis continues, we will update this page with information about these and other groups that have fundraising needs to support their communities and their work. All donated funds will go directly to these organizations, and every dollar donated will help immensely. We can do our part to protect vulnerable communities and families during this coronavirus pandemic.

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