Dear friends,
The beginning of the NBA season reminded me of the movie “Love and Basketball.” The main characters share a fierce love for basketball and for each other. Basketball becomes a parable about two people discovering each other and how they are more powerful as a team. This is the central premise of MIC’s work– together we are powerful. In this newsletter, you will learn more about MIC’s emergency assistance program, and about MIC Immigration Attorney Alma Cothias’ background in and passion for expanding access to immigration legal representation.
After a major ICE operation shook New Bedford last month, many separated families turned to MIC Partner Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores (CCT). Among other rapid response work, CCT distributed MIC emergency cash assistance to families with detained breadwinners, to ensure that mothers and children could keep their shelter, power, and food supply intact. We’ll share more about MIC’s emergency assistance program later in the newsletter.
In the aftermath, on September 28th, CCT and MIC’s network ally ORI hosted Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, community organizations, and advocates- such as the New Bedford Rapid Response Team (including MIC’s new Detention Legal Director, Jacob Miller), for a Listening Session. The event was a collaboration between CCT and ORI’s Cristina Aguilera Sandoval and Ronnie Millar. CCT shared that, “It was meaningful for community members, families of detainees to feel their voices were being heard.” Together we are stronger- CCT, MIC, ORI, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor showed up for families in this time of crisis.
Donate directly to CCT’s emergency fund and share this post to amplify our call for community support.
The immigrants that our 15 Partner community organizations serve are diverse, and so are the kinds of challenges they have been facing. Haitian immigrant families in Massachusetts are facing housing as well as other kinds of emergencies due to loss of TPS status. In response, in October, MIC partnered with ORI to engage Immigration Attorney Alma Cothias, to provide immigration legal assistance to these, as well as other vulnerable immigrants, such as immigrant children and youth with Special Immigrant Juvenile cases. MIC also continues to provide emergency cash assistance to Partners’ Haitian immigrant constituents experiencing emergencies.
Our team needs you– please donate to MIC’s emergency assistance program. Your support ensures that immigrant families are not alone. Together, our love makes us unstoppable.
