John,

It’s Hispanic Heritage Month, and I want to lift up an incredible organization I met while on a congressional delegation trip to Mexico City last month.

My progressive colleagues and I joined the PanAmerican Congress gathering in Mexico City, where elected officials from over 10 countries came together to fight against fascism.

Because the U.S. border is essentially closed, millions of refugees and migrants come through the city and find themselves stuck in Mexico for years.

Every year, the shelter Casa Tochán houses and feeds hundreds of people.

The organization also secures medical attention for residents by regularly bringing in doctors and psychologists, supports residents with building skills and finding jobs, and provides legal support for people’s migration cases—including enabling them to stay in Mexico.

But with rising inflation, increased restrictions at the U.S. border, and the sudden closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Casa Tochán urgently needs our support to fill their food pantry and make badly needed infrastructure and safety upgrades to their shelter.

Could you chip in to help migrants and refugees who can’t cross through to the United States? Our support is urgently needed as Trump ramps up his attacks in Latin America and against U.S. residents with Latin American ancestry.

On my trip to Mexico City during August’s congressional recess, I met people who work at the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) and partner with Casa Tochán.

We went together to tour the facility, and talked about raising money for the shelter. The above donation page is run by the U.S.-based UUSC, with 100% of the funds going to Casa Tochán.

Over the years since Casa Tochán began, residents and volunteers have covered the shelter in artwork. I got to witness these beautiful murals with supportive messages, including “Dreams are not illlegal”:

A poem painted on one wall includes these lines:

I leave my homeland, my friends, my family.

I leave my town and my culture.

I do not have much left, I carry only my backpack, but I carry it full of faith, of dreams, of hope.

Could you chip in to help refugees in Mexico City survive and reach their dreams?

Thank you so much for standing up for migrants, who deserve the same safety, dignity, and stability as the rest of us.

Together we’ll keep pushing back against dehumanization and pushing for U.S. immigration policies that welcome asylum-seekers and provide paths to citizenship for people who come here seeking a better life.

With you in the fight for a better future,

Rashida

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Rashida Tlaib
Date: Fri, Sep 19, 2025
Subject: Please help save refugees’ lives today:
To: [email protected]

John,

We’re now in National Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to honor first-generation Latin American immigrants and Americans whose ancestors came from Latin America.

As Trump attacks Latin American immigrants in the U.S. and fuels deadly violence in Latin America, I want to lift up an organization I connected with while visiting Mexico City last month for the PanAmerican Congress gathering to fight fascism.

Casa Tochán provides life-saving support for refugees and migrants coming through Mexico City, who find themselves stuck in Mexico because the U.S. border is essentially closed.

The organization houses and feeds people, secures medical attention for them by regularly bringing in doctors and psychologists, provides legal support for people’s migration cases, and supports residents with building skills and finding jobs.

Could you chip in today to support Casa Tochán’s life-saving work for refugees?

Casa Tochán is a grantee of the U.S.-based Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). UUSC runs the above donation page, with 100% of the funds going to Casa Tochán.

The shelter used to have a full-to-overflowing food pantry, which was enough to regularly share with other Mexico City movements and organizations.

But inflation and the sudden closure of USAID decreased locals’ ability to donate food or money, so most days the shelter only has just enough rice to make it through the day. Because of increased restrictions at the U.S. border, the shelter is also extending the standard length of time migrants can stay there.

Casa Tochán needs support to refill their food pantry and make much-needed infrastructure maintenance and upgrades so the house can continue to support those who live there.

With increased donations, the shelter would also be able to complete their screenprinting and carpentry workshops, where residents share their knowledge, learn skills, and produce items that provide needed income for residents and for the shelter.

Can you donate what you can today to keep Casa Tochán running and help save refugees’ lives?

Thank you so much. Together, we will continue demanding safety and dignity for all, including immigrants and asylum-seekers fleeing their homelands.

In solidarity,

Rashida