1. NEW Sign the petition to tell President Biden that asylum is a legal right.  The Biden administration has implemented a policy that will unlawfully deny asylum to people seeking protection at the southern border who don’t first wait to apply for asylum in Mexico or other countries they passed through — despite the fact that many of these countries don’t have working asylum systems.  SPONSOR:  ACLU

https://action.aclu.org/petition/tell-biden-seeking-asylum-legal-right?ms=200204_sotu_messageaction-igstory_ig&initms=200204_sotu_messageaction-igstory_ig&ms_aff=nat&initms_aff=nat&ms_chan=soc&initms_chan=soc&utm_campaign=sotu,sotu&utm_medium=soc,soc&utm_source=ig,ig&utm_content=200204_immigration_messageaction-igstory&redirect=asylum

2. Sign a petition to insist that migrant children not be forced into exploitative labor and instead be treated with dignity and grace. SPONSOR:  National Immigration Forum

https://p2a.co/d0HUxXB

3. Unlike in our criminal legal system, there is no public defender system for people currently facing the threat of deportation. The Fairness to Freedom campaignis a national movement dedicated to changing this cruel system.  SPONSOR:  Vera Institute of Justice

4. Sign up to get news and take action to make Minnesota a sanctuary state. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScFb70QWgLp0W0QexKgKUDRmZxU-FuY70ouv0n1eSrhFkYzcA/viewform SPONSOR:  Minnesota Sanctuary State Coalition.

5. Tell the Department of Homeland Security to reunite immigrant families. During the Trump administration, the government systematically separated 5,500 families arriving in the United States. Not all have been reunited—the parents of hundreds of children have still not been found—and the trauma inflicted on these families is everlasting. Submit your comment telling the Biden administration to make reunification an urgent priority. SPONSOR: ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)

6. Ask Congress to support Afghan refugees’ path to permanent residency. Tens of thousands of Afghans have been welcomed into the United States via “humanitarian parole.” Congress is negotiating legislation to fund an Afghan Adjustment Act within the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program to ensure these refugees have a path to becoming lawful permanent residents beyond their temporary immigration status. Contact members of Congress to ensure safety for Afghan refugees. SPONSOR: Church World Service.

1. 1. Join a monthly vigilto stand in support of immigrants and detainees, and in opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) practices that dehumanize and terrorize. The next vigil will be held at 7:30am Tuesday, September 12, at the Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, the regional ICE headquarters for the five-state area and the site of both immigrant detention facilities and an immigration court. People of any faith and no particular faith are invited to join in an hour of prayer and song, hosted by a rotating cast of faith communities and social justice groups.  Guest speakers provide attendees with concrete opportunities to show solidarity with detainees and to oppose inhumane detention practices.

   Every Second Tuesday of the Month

   7:30 to 8:30 am

   Bishop Henry Whipple Building, 1 Federal Drive, Saint Paul, MN 55111

   The event will also be livestreamed on Facebook. Contact Jerry Davis ( fandjontheroad@gmail.com ) if you wish to attend with someone or to arrange transportation.

   SPONSOR: Interfaith Coalition on Immigration (ICOM).

1. ICOM needs a volunteer to coordinate vigilson an alternating basis (i.e.
   every other month) with Joy Nelson.  ICOM provides a vigil template (when needed), the network of faith communities and organizational partners who can host, and the resources to publicize, broadcast, and record the event.  The commitment is three to five hours every other month (depending on the intricacy of the vigil and resources of the host organization).  Contact Joy Nelson at joynelson92@yahoo.com if you’re able to volunteer and / or want to know more.  SPONSOR: Interfaith Coalition on Immigration (ICOM).

2. ICOM AID is looking for volunteers to help in many different ways: driving, shopping, accompaniment to medical or legal proceedings, ….  People can contact Sara Adams,adamssara430@gmail.com, for more information.

3. People can become active supporting MIRAC,https://www.miracmn.com/, particularly their Immigrant Power Now Campaign in Minneapolis, https://www.miracmn.com/current-campaigns.

4. The Decriminalizing Communities Campaign is led by Jewish Community Action, https://www.jewishcommunityaction.org/decriminalizing-communities. They are pushing for separation ordinances in both Hennepin and Ramsey Counties.

1. Help Keep Tucson Togetherbond members of the immigrant community out of immigration detention – no one should be separated from their family simply for seeking safety in the U.S. or for overstaying a visa. Keep Tucson Together has helped bond out 194 members of the immigrant community in the past three years.  SPONSOR:  Green Valley – Sahuarita Samaritans.

https://gofund.me/087ad5b8