Jun 20

Jun 20 10 Groups You Can Donate to Right Now to Help Immigrant Families

President Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday that ostensibly halts family separation. But the changes he’s proposing could have an even bigger impact on the lives of immigrant kids — they may soon be detained for an indefinite period of time.

These new developments mean legal groups will likely be working around the clock to help get these immigrant families released from detention. Wherever you are, you can make an immediate impact by donating to the groups on the front lines.

One donation opportunity has already gone viral. People of good will have given $13 million to RAICES, a Texas-based nonprofit providing legal assistance to immigrant families and asylum seekers.

Here are lots of other groups that haven’t yet had that kind of exposure.

Editor’s note: We realize that the longer a list like this, the more overwhelming it can be. The upside is that in the face of such a large-scale crisis, lots of groups are doing the work in local and regional contexts all over the country. From our perspective, there isn’t one best place to give; the best group to support is the one whose work connects most directly to what is meaningful to you.

*The quickest, most comprehensive way to donate:

1. The “Support Kids at the Border” campaign makes it easy to make one donation to 14 groups working to keep families together. You can also choose how to allocate your donation.

2. Families Belong Together, the group behind the planned June 30 protests, is an extension of the National Domestic Workers Alliance’s We Belong Together campaign.

3. Neta, a citizen journalism initiative in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, is helping get migrants’ stories out.

4. The Texas Civil Rights Project is a group of lawyers filing emergency petitions for immigrant families.

5. LUPE is the community union founded by Cesar Chavez that organizes in several cities and towns across the Texas Rio Grande Valley.

6. The Southern Border Communities Coalition brings together more than 60 organizations from across the southern border to promote policies and solutions that improve the quality of life of border residents.

7. Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley is running a temporary shelter where immigrant families can find warm meals, clean showers, fresh clothes and basic supplies. In addition to monetary donations, they have an Amazon wish list.

8. Kids in Need of Defense specializes in providing legal aid to children who would otherwise be forced to represent themselves in immigration court.

9. The Florence Project, based in Arizona, helps provide legal and social services for immigrant families intercepted at the border.

10. The Colibri Center for Human Rights is an Arizona-based group working to locate missing migrants along the border.

You might also consider connecting with and supporting these groups working day-in, day-out to defend immigrant and refugee rights:

Immigrant Legal Resource Center

Council on American Islamic Relations