The BWC Immigrant Justice Committee (IJC) continues to support three immigrant families as they continue to build their lives here in the Boston area. The last few months have been challenging for immigrants and the folks who care about them: changes to regulations around obtaining and maintaining legal status in the United States, increased costs for work permits, and uncertainty and fear around ICE enforcement and raids have made this a tough summer. However, there has also been joy, including a wedding and the birth of a new baby! 

We continue to bring together our community to support these new members of our community, and all immigrants in the area! We are very grateful for your continued support – whether through much-appreciated donations to our GoFundMe or through time, other resources, and your solidarity. We continue to need funds to help obtain legal assistance, supplement salaries, and cover increased fees for things like work permits and asylum applications. 

In addition to directly supporting these families, the IJC is part of a growing group of protesters Bearing Witness at the Burlington ICE office. Protests occur weekly on Wednesdays at 11 AM; we are urging BWC members to attend the protests on the third Wednesday of the month, where we will stand together. If you are interested in joining us, please let us know: ijc@circleboston.org  

Members of our committee are also active in several other organizations which are often looking for volunteers, including BIJAN (the Boston Immigrant Justice Accompaniment Network), and the LUCE hotline, which tracks and verifies ICE activity locally and helps provide mutual aid when necessary.