Dear Friends and Allies—

Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will hear arguments about DACA—Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The Court’s eventual decision will affect the lives of more than 5,000 DACA recipients in Minnesota. Most of them have lived here for more than 20 years. They are the parents, children, and siblings of almost 14,000 citizens and lawful permanent residents. And they are the classmates, coworkers, friends, and neighbors of us all.

ILCM joined in a friend-of-court brief in the case before the Supreme Court. In important legal cases, the Court sometimes allows organizations that are not parties to the case to submit these briefs to make an argument for how the case should be decided. We joined with other advocates from across the country to make a case for DACA.

Our work on DACA goes back to its inception in 2012. We have conducted hundreds of outreach presentations and prepared thousands of initial and renewal applications. We also continue to assist with DACA renewals, which are required every two years, and have been permitted to continue as the courts review the administration’s decision to end DACA.

No matter what the Supreme Court decides—and that decision will probably take months after the November 12 arguments—we will continue to defend DACA and support Dreamers and their families.

We will continue to work against the invisible wall that regulation after regulation builds to keep out all immigrants. We will continue to resist the racism that informs anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies. We will continue to name and work against policies that target low-income and middle-income immigrants.

Along with these big battles, we see individual victories in our daily work:

celebrating with a young man who arrived as a refugee, as he became a citizen just in time to head off to boot camp;
working with a Southern Minnesota church coalition as they put together funding for defense of detained community members;
securing permanent residence and thereby clearing the way for adoption for a child in foster care with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status;
handing a green card to a trafficking victim we have accompanied through her personal journey—providing the ability to obtain work and a step toward self-sufficiency.

None of this is easy, and we couldn't do it without you. Your support is essential to our work and our continuing existence. We rely on you—and we ask you to give again, especially through Give to the Max Day 2019 on November 14.

Sincerely,

Give to the Max Day is Here!

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far! Your donation helps us continue to represent and advocate for immigrants seeking safety and stability by obtaining green cards, citizenship, and protection from deportation.

Together we show up for people who seek refuge and opportunity in the United States. We all benefit when we work together. We are powerful together.

#SupportImmigrants and immigrant families in our communities. #Leadwithlove to show our children what justice looks like. #GivetotheMax this week to support our work to help immigrants become citizens. #GTMD19

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Envisioning a Home for All: Documentary Premiere and Panel Discussion

ILCM is proud to be the focus of a documentary project produced by Visionaries, an award-winning public television series, and hosted by actor and humanitarian Sam Waterston. ILCM invites you to be our guest for the premiere, which will be held the evening of December 4 with a happy hour reception at 6 p.m., film screening at 7 p.m., and panel discussion at 7:30 featuring Erika Lee, University of Minnesota history professor and author of America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States. The screening will be held at the Parkway Theater, 4818 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis. Seating is limited, so please RSVP soon for yourself and any guests.