Dear Friends,
We find ourselves in exceedingly challenging times. In the past three months, we’ve experienced a flood of aggressive federal immigration policies that have imbued immigrants with fear and anxiety. From a general increase in ICE activity to funding cuts to a halt on refugee admissions, it can be difficult to keep up with the most recent happenings. Minnesotans have watched county law enforcement sign on to ICE cooperation agreements, have seen international students be targeted and detained, and have felt firsthand the effects of the abrupt cancellation of certain Temporary Protected Status and parole programs.
We acknowledge the potential for overwhelm and despair, especially with the news cycle moving at breakneck speeds. In light of that reality, we encourage you to take a break from the news as needed, to work on fostering community and meaningful relationships with those around you, and to care for each other, especially when the lack of empathy in elected leadership is so apparent.
At the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM), we are adding staff to our deportation defense team to assist those in detention and removal proceedings. We are working with the New Americans Immigration Hub, a coalition of immigration legal services organizations, to create and implement collaborative rapid response plans for ICE enforcement across the state. We’ve also been planning more legal clinics with partners along with translating and disseminating more “know your rights” materials to improve awareness about interacting with law enforcement.
Thank you for standing steadfastly with ILCM and, more importantly, with immigrant communities. We know that the interconnectedness of our lives assures that we are all affected by attacks on immigrants, but for some, the realities hit much closer to home. Those of us who are positioned to give, protect, and defend must do so with fierce compassion and a dedication to collaborating with, not speaking for, marginalized people.
