June 26, 2018

Here’s How You Can Help Migrant Kids and Families Right Now

Dozens of organizations are working on the ground to help families at the border—here are some of them.

Protestors in Philadelphia, PA. Michael Candelori/Pacific Press/ZUMA Wire

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It’s one of the biggest fundraisers in Facebook history. In 11 days, more than 525,000 Americans have given over $20 million to help asylum-seekers and migrants at the border. And after President Donald Trump criticized the comedian as “whimpering,” Jimmy Fallon told his 51.2 million Twitter followers he was making a donation in the president’s name. 

The donations will go to the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, or RAICES, an immigration legal services nonprofit helping immigrants, refugees, and children in Texas. The money, nearly triple the organization’s previous annual budget, will enable the center to hire more personnel to handle the thousands of immigrant families being separated at the border by the Trump administration. The nonprofit will also hire trainers to organize the many citizens who want to volunteer.  

Still, those donations may not be enough, Money reports.

“We’re actually up against the federal government,” Jenny Hixon, RAICES’s development director told the magazine. “They obviously have well more than $20 million to both detain and prosecute these folks. We really want to make sure that we’re able to represent everybody who needs representation.”

RAICES is just one of many organizations that are working to help immigrants at the border. If you’re looking to get more involved, here are several organizations that could use your support. 

From the Texas Tribune (full list here):

  • Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project works to prevent the deportation of asylum-seeking families fleeing violence. The group accepts donations and asks people to sign up for volunteer opportunities here.
  • Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services is the largest provider of free and low cost immigration services in West Texas and says it’s the only organization in El Paso serving unaccompanied children.
  • Circle of Health International has staffed a clinic caring for refugees and asylum seekers immediately upon their their release. Their McAllen, Texas, clinic is currently seeing up to 100 patients a day.
  • The El Paso-based Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center provides legal representation to immigrants who might not be able to afford it otherwise. It’s accepting volunteers and donations.

From Slate, (see full list):

We also want to hear from you: How are you taking action to help? Let us know by filling out the form below. Mother Jones may feature your experiences in a future story or newsletter. 

 

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

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And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

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