You can help break financial barriers!

When the phone rings, our staff members are trained to always take a deep breath before answering. We never know what to expect on the other line. On some days, people call with simple questions—How do I contact the USCIS office? What is the public charge rule? Can I get a consult?On other days, the calls are more difficult.We often sit on the line with people living in fear and desolation. Through tears, they tell us their stories—I haven’t been able to work in months. Our permits expired and we can’t afford to replace them. I’m afraid my parents might be deported. I don’t know where to even begin.This is the difficult reality of our work. Over the last few years, our immigrant communities have fought back countless attacks against their civil liberties. As the pandemic shut down businesses, many immigrants working essential jobs lost hours or were laid off entirely. Then, to compound on these hardships, their immigration status made them ineligible for any of the stimulus relief provided by the government. They were abandoned to face this crisis alone.The other day, I answered a phone call from a mother of two living in Albany. She was referred to us by a local church. She asked me about DACA—not for herself but for her son. This is a familiar story. Many of the calls we field are from parents, who are battling the uncertainty of their own situation but whose primary concern is the wellbeing of their children. They all share the same intention—I want to give my child their best chance.The people we serve need a lifeline. They are searching for a door that will welcome them to the promises this country once made them. For years, our immigrant neighbors have been denied employment opportunities, access to affordable health care, and pathways to secondary education. They have faced unimaginable discrimination.However, this is not a future that has to persist.Change is coming. The DREAM Act and relief for thousands of our undocumented neighbors are right on the horizon. The Biden Administration, with the support of lawmakers and activists, has been pushing for comprehensive reform that would enable hardworking people who enrich our communities every day to earn permanent residency and even citizenship.Our community is facing a steep scarcity of legal access. The success of immigration reform will mean nothing if immigrants do not have access to affordable attorneys or funds to pay the thousands of dollars to file their applications.We have launched a campaign to raise $30K in 30 days to replenish our innovative Immigrant Legal Relief Fund. The ILRF ensures immigrant Oregonians have access to skilled immigration attorneys and offers financial relief for clients who cannot afford to pay application filing fees. Donations to the ILRF will directly pay for DACA applications, residency applications, family petitions, and the multitude of legal services that immigrants need to build better lives in this country.Immigration status is the fundamental portal through which an immigrant acquires the most basic of human rights—to freedom from violence, access to health care and educational opportunities, and the ability to earn a living wage. Without status, immigrants and their families are condemned to living in society’s shadows, vulnerable to exploitation and discrimination, and subject to poverty, poor health outcomes, lack of education, and unrelenting fear. Access to high-quality affordable immigration legal services is the only key to unlocking this portal.We know change is coming, but we also know it won’t occur without hard work, without compassion, and without the commitment of all of us. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of the 1,700+ immigrants ICS serves each year. Our clients are already living on the margins and simply cannot afford filing fees to pursue their rights. Filing for a green card application ranges from $1,769 to $2,760. Filing for naturalization status costs $725 and filing for DACA status costs $495. Our immigrant neighbors should not have to make the choice between gaining status and putting food on the table for their families.It is time that we answer calls for help with strong reassurances. Let’s not hold our breath anymore—lets simply work together to build back the legal safety nets that will catch our community members before they ever hit the ground.Mil gracias,Frank GarciaExecutive Director