Immigrant Heritage, Pride, and Fighting for Policy Change
Each June, we gather to celebrate Immigrant Heritage and Pride month and honor the stories of our immigrant and LGBTQ+ neighbors who make the Pacific Northwest so vibrant. With these celebrations, we also reflect on the sacrifices made by community leaders to move our towns, state, and country towards a more welcoming and inclusive future for all. Learn more about these ongoing efforts—and how you can help—below.Supporting LGBTQ+ ImmigrantsICS has a long history in serving people who have been marginalized not only by mainstream U.S. society and institutions but within their immigrant communities as well. We recognize the intersectionality of issues facing immigrants, especially LGBTQ+ youth, who often face extreme violence or threats of violence when seeking asylum. Please consider donating to ICS’s Immigrant Legal Relief Fund to help LGBTQ+ asylum seekers receive the funding they need to build a safe and secure future in Oregon and southwest Washington.Expanding Health Care Access for DACAistasThis June also marks the 11-year anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has provided a vital lifeline for 11,000 recipients in Oregon alone – and hundreds of thousands of immigrants nationwide who were brought to the United States as children. While the future remains uncertain for DACAistas, you can advocate today for their rights to receive health care benefits. Learn more and sign United We Dream’s petition here.Supreme Court Decision Reverses Trump-Era Deportation RuleIn an 8-to-1 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the Biden Administration can prioritize which undocumented immigrants to arrest and which to leave alone. This decision rejected challenges from Louisiana and Texas that attempted to codify more aggressive anti-immigrant enforcement measures. Further, the ruling reversed a Trump-Era policy saying any of the millions of undocumented immigrants in the country could be targeted for deportation. Read more here.