Immigrant Families Together General Fund
We earned a 2021 Gold Seal of Transparency!
We earned a 2021 Gold Seal of Transparency!
We are NOW a 501(c)3 organization.
Your donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the tax code.
EIN# 83-2722935
We cannot accept donations of any kind earmarked for a specific family.
We earned a 2021 Gold Seal of Transparency!
We earned a 2021 Gold Seal of Transparency!
We earned a 2021 Gold Seal of Transparency!
The Gift of Freedom
To date we have reunited 119 families totaling well over $1,000,000 to give immigrant families the gift of freedom from detention prisons and foster care across the country.
Bonds typically range from $1500 - $30,000 per person. We have freed mothers, sisters, fathers, brothers, adult children. The highest bond we have paid is $40,000.
We also try to find pro bono or deeply discounted immigration specialists to represent our families in their lengthy and complicated asylum proceedings.
Now that freedom from detention is secured for these families, donations are essential in helping them survive until they are eligible for work permits.
The Gift of Legal Counsel
Legal counsel is vital to navigate the complicated asylum process. While we do seek pro bono counsel, most immigration attorneys have more than exhausted their budget for giving free counsel.
Your donation also provides the costs associated in obtaining:
- birth certificates
- copies of affidavits and other legal documentation required
- passports
You give a real chance of a successful asylum case.
The Gift of Detention Support
Detention support is one of the most overlooked needs for asylum seeking immigrants.
Without this support most have no contact with the outside world and while there are lists posted on the wall of attorneys, they have no money to call them and when they do- they must choose between food or necessities and a phone call to family or advocate/attorney.
We also provide support to those families who lose an asylum seeking loved one while in detention to help defray the costs of obtaining the remains which can cost in excess of $6000 in addition to funeral expenses.
The Gift of Housing
Housing and utilities are the most expensive budget item each month outside of the payment of bonds. The average rent is $1500 per month, plus utilities.
In addition to rent there are also monthly expenses:
- electricity
- heat
- water.
Most of our families are not eligible for work permits for nearly a year. They need stable and safe housing. Your gift provides just that!
The Gift of Healthy Food
Each family grocery budget is approximately a minimum of $400+ per month, depending on location and number of family members.
Your gift towards groceries provides nutritious food every day, something families were denied while in detention and in their home countries. With this gift you ensure no one goes hungry.
The Gift of Clothing
Our families are, more times than not, released with only the clothes on their backs. We provide the basics for their immediate needs.
Each family has different needs depending on their circumstances.
When needed we provide:
- underwear and socks
- jeans and shirts
- shoes and boots
- coats, gloves and hats
- pajamas
- sweatshirts
- blankets and bedding
- basic kitchen supplies and home furnishings
- school supplies
You're giving the gift of having more than just the clothes on their backs.
The Gift of Medical Care
The care in detention is extremely poor. Often we see recently released detainees who are sick with colds and flu. We cover the cost of medical care when we cannot obtain free services.
Examples of some of your donations cover:
- X-rays
- prescriptions
- back to school appointments for physicals and required vaccinations
- dental and vision care
- Many families require counseling to overcome the tremendous trauma of separation and being held in the hieleras (“icebox”) and detention prisons.
The Gift of Humanitarian Aid
We partner with and support various social service groups to help meet their urgent needs and we support tent cities and shelters on the border.
- In December 2018 we pledged to cover the cost of 100 hotel rooms at the border. This provided recently released detainees a place to stay while waiting for their cross country bus journey.
- We have provided 3 partners on the border, from California to Texas, with art supplies and educational resources for sidewalk pop up classes in 2019.
- Projects of shelter and warmth of tents, sleeping bags, blankets, shoes, base layers, hats, gloves and scarves in December 2019 as well as holiday gifts for the family.
- We provided portable kitchens to our partners in El Paso in January 2020 in order to prepare meals for the homeless asylum seekers.
- In January 2020, we sent 404 pairs of shoes for homeless asylum seeking men, women and children. In 2020 we pledged to support asylum seeking migrants who are country less and homeless living in shelters and tent cities on the border with fresh fruit and nutritious food on the El Paso border.
- On January 26, 2020 we pledged to provide 3000 lunches to children attending The Sidewalk School for Asylum Seeking Children over a 3 month period on the Brownsville border.