Immigrant Action Group
Images from Israel Haros Lopez' Borderland Songs
Santa Fe has been home to a thriving immigrant community for decades (ok, centuries). Workers, entrepreneurs, blended families, Dreamers, children born here struggle to grow, succeed and contribute to Santa Fe. All live with daily fear of deportation, separation and loss. Now with COVID-19 there is increased fear of sickness, death, hunger and an even greater chance of homelessness.
Since conditions change rapidly a great way to keep informed is to sign up for newsletters or email from your favorite organizations.
Make a difference NOW! 💕
The discrepancy between those who have enough and those who do not is once again emphasized by COVID-19. Follow your heart as you can.
- Check out the opportunities for action & support below for a list of local and national organizations that strongly support immigrants.
- Watch the Meeting’s Weekly Digest for news of immediate needs.
Update: On Jun 8 only, the Immigrant Action Group will meet virtually only from 6:00-7:30 pm. Otherwise, the Immigrant Action Group is meeting in person, as indicated in the text below. The Zoom coordinates for the Jun 8 meeting are attached below:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85601604150
Meeting ID: 856 0160 4150
Dial by your location
+1 669 444 9171 US
Recent change as of Apr 2023:
From May through September of 2023, the Immigrant Action Group will meet in person only from 6:00-8:00 pm on the first Thursday of each month at the Giltrow house, 216 Alta Vista St. If people have questions, they can contact Peggy Giltrow at 505-988-4751 or pgiltrow@cybrmesa.com.
Opportunities for Action & Support
Volunteer, donate, or spread the word!
Needs are great and opportunities abound to help make a positive difference in the lives of our immigrant neighbors in Santa Fe and to support those seeking refuge in this country.
LOCAL Action & Support 💕
Adelante | or visit on Facebook
Santa Fe Public Schools’ service to homeless students and their families.Connect
CONNECT is a network of navigators at clinics, community organizations, and city and county programs who who link people to services and resources in our community.Encuentro
Albuquerque based organization providing Latino immigrant families with education and career development opportunities.Gerard’s House
Nuestra Jornada provides weekly support groups for Latino immigrant students in Santa Fe schools who are grieving the death of—or separation from—a parent or family member.La Familia
Provides expert medical, dental and behavioral health services to all individuals and families, regardless of income or ability to pay.Lutheran Family Services, Rocky Mountains
Helps settle Afghan families in New Mexico, including Santa Fe. To find out more, contact Sahar Nisar, 310-294 2094 sahar.nisar@lfsrm.org.New Mexico Immigrant Law Center
Provides free legal assistance and resources to low-income immigrant communities.Santa Fe Dreamers Project | or visit on Facebook
Offers free legal services to immigrants and refugees to promote economic improvement community development, family unity, and liberation from detention. Conducts DACA and citizenship clinics.Santa Fe Faith Network for Immigrant Justice
A grassroots collaborative of people of many faiths in Santa Fe, NM, amplifying the efforts of local immigration leaders. Meets monthly on Zoom. Sign up to help resettle Afghan refugees.Somos Un Pueblo Unido | or visit on Facebook
Somos works to build a country that does not discriminate against people based on their national origin, that institutes humane migration policies, and that protects the human rights of everyone irrespective of where they are born or what documents they carry.
BORDER Action & Support 💕
Annunciation House, 815 Myrtle Ave, El Paso, TX 79901, (915) 545-4509
Annunciation House is a volunteer organization that has offered hospitality (shelter, clothing, food) to thousands of migrants, immigrants, and refugees in the border region of El Paso, Texas since 1978.Colores United, PO BOX 1499 Deming, New Mexico 88030, (575) 322-2330
A progressive organization, home grown in Deming, doing what they can for the Deming community and everyone who visits the town. Proyecto Mariposa assists asylum seekers dropped off in Deming, and other border shelters also.Unitarian Universalist Silver City Fellowship, PO Box 4034, Silver City NM 88062
Supports the Deming shelter for asylum seekers and the Tierra del Oro shelter in Palomas, Mexico with travel bags, clothing, medical supplies and food. The Deming shelter is where ICE and the Border Patrol expel dozens of detainees every day. Shelter guests need food, sleep and first aid as they decide where to go next. The UU role will evolve as border policies evolve.Border Partners, P.O. Box 1435 - Deming, NM 88031, (218) 428-5311
Border Partners is a nonprofit organization uniting people from both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border in their vision that, by sharing resources, ideas, and experience, particularly in the areas of education, health, sustainable technologies, economic growth, we can improve life for many people living in poverty along the border. Utilizing our experiences in one community–Puerto Palomas de Villa, Chihuahua, Mexico, we are creating a model to expand opportunities and build hope in other border communities.
National Organizations
American Friends Service Committee
Key issues include defending immigrant rights and creating inclusive communities.American Immigration Council
The American Immigration Council works to strengthen America by shaping how America thinks about and acts towards immigrants and immigration. Works toward a more fair and just immigration system through litigation, research, legislative and administrative advocacy, and communications. A weekly newsletter provides valuable facts and analysis.Friends Committee on National Legislation
Quaker advocacy for the world we seek. Issues include immigration and refugees.HIAS
Guided by Jewish values and history, HIAS brings more than 139 years of expertise to their work with refugees.Immigration Justice Campaign
Attorneys, a broad network of pro bono allies and other volunteers work to end immigrant detention and provide due process.
Why we care... how we care
Santa Fe Monthly Meeting Minute on Immigration
Equality, community and integrity are foundations of Quaker belief. Therefore, as immigrants and refugees in our community encounter trials such as family separation, incarceration, internment and deportation, Santa Fe Monthly Meeting is called to put these beliefs into action. We will support these neighbors in their daily lives, providing aid, companionship, friendship and safety in whatever ways we are able.
We affirm the right of refugees from all types of violence to apply for asylum in this country, including those whose lives are threatened by gang violence, rape, and domestic violence and abuse. We affirm the right of those seeking asylum to be treated with respect, dignity, and due process during the application procedures. We call upon the government of the United States to honor its legal obligations under the Refugee Act of 1980 and the 1967 United Nations Protocol on Refugees to provide protection to those who qualify as refugees.
We recognize that our national immigration system is in dire need of attention, funding and fixing. We advocate for local, state and national policies that live up to our values, calling for meaningful, lasting immigration system reform.
Quaker Minute on Immigration, Approved 11/18/2018