For the month of November, we share our plate with Oregon’s Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice (IMIrJ). For a personal story that speaks to how the organization’s Accompaniment Program impacts many immigrant lives, read below:

“An indigenous family from Guatemala has been living in the Salem area for the last several years. Recently the father of the family was deported, leaving the mother & three little girls in Oregon. The mother and her daughters are in what the US government refers to as “removal proceedings” though the mother has every intention of going through her legal due process to receive an asylum status to remain living in Oregon. This process necessitates many mandatory hearings, biometric appointments and interrogations.

Many of these appointments are at 8:00 am in downtown Portland. If she misses an appointment (or is even late),  it’s an opportunity for the government to close her case and file deportation orders for her and her daughters. Despite her wanting to follow through on everything being asked of her, she has no way of getting to Portland as she doesn’t drive, can’t afford the train and speaks no English. To date volunteers with the IMIrJ Accompaniment Program have driven her and her daughters to three different mandatory appointments. She has said that if she did not have the support of this program, she would not be able to attend any of these mandatory proceedings and the process of forced removal of her and her daughters would have begun.

The Accompaniment Program regularly supports community members in positions like this, acting in solidarity to support people in overcoming the barriers placed by the US government that, if not overcome, often have lethal and always incredibly serious consequences.”

~ Authored by Benjamin Ficklin, IMIrJ Accompaniment Program Coordinator 

The First Unitarian Immigrant Justice Action Group has worked closely with IMIrJ for many years. To keep update to date on these collaborations and other IJAG activities, please ask to be added to the IJAG (e)mailing list by contacting ijag@firstunitarianportland.org.