Month: January 2021

Celebration and Resolve

~ stand4welcome ~ 2 Comments

Yesterday was a day to celebrate. I slipped a few extra carbs into my grocery order, and popped open a bottle of wine. I’m claiming January 20th as New Year’s Day this year. I hadn’t fully realized just how much tension my body had physically been carrying for the past five years (yes, since the campaign) until I felt it melting away yesterday. Tears of joy flowed as I watched a decent, sane human being who believes in truth and science inaugurated as our 46th president. And our first South Asian, Black, female vice president! Oh, the joy of it all! The speeches! JLo’s voice and those lines in Spanish! Amanda Gorman’s poem! That benediction! The ceremony was wonderful and beautiful and perfect. Worth celebrating.

As my heart continues to celebrate, today we get back to work. I’m grateful that our new president got to work already yesterday starting to turn back four years of hateful and racist immigration policy. Here are the executive orders signed yesterday that relate to immigration:

  • Everyone living in the United States will count in the census.
  • Restore DACA and call on Congress to pass the Dream Act.
  • End the Muslim Ban.
  • Stop border wall construction.
  • Stop aggressive enforcement tactics in the country’s interior.
  • Block the deportation of Liberians who have been living in the U.S.

(https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/20/us/biden-executive-orders.html)

This is just the beginning. President Biden also sent a bill to Congress outlining extensive immigration reform. Thank God.

Thanks to each of you who sent the Bidens a postcard asking them to immediately end MPP and rebuild infrastructure at the border to welcome immigrants. I have a friend in Laredo who works at Holding Institute, where they are preparing to welcome international guests very soon. I’ve created an Amazon wish list for them, so they can be prepared before their guests arrive to offer hospitality and a warm welcome. If you’re able, please give generously. Help my friends to give food and water to the hungry and thirsty, clothing to the needy, and rest and dignity to weary travelers. You can find the wish list here:

https://amzn.to/2M6QHQA

There is much work yet to be done, but at least now we have renewed hope. So celebrate. And then join us back at work.

Love in the Time of Coronavirus (reprise)

~ stand4welcome ~ Leave a comment

Happy New Year! I recently received another stimulus payment in my bank account, which means it’s time for a reprise of my most read blog post ever. If you don’t strictly need that extra $600, please consider sharing it with people that do. Read on to discover a plethora of organizations that support precisely those people.

Like me, many of you have likely received a boost in your bank account recently, thanks to the CARES Act. Often referred to as stimulus money, CARES actually stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security.

Did you know that undocumented immigrants—people who pay sales tax, property tax, and often even income tax (using an ITIN or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number rather than a social security number) don’t receive any of the CARES money? These are people that often work in housekeeping, food service, construction, landscaping, and other vulnerable fields. Many of them have lost their jobs and their incomes because of the corona virus, and are precisely the people that need economic aid, relief, and security. In 2017 undocumented immigrants paid an estimated $27.2 billion in taxes! (https://americasvoice.org/blog/immigration-101-immigrant-taxes/) But they’re not eligible to ever receive Social Security, unemployment benefits, Medicaid, or CARES relief. So what does loving my neighbor in this time look like?

Though my husband and I have not left our house in several weeks except for walks through our own neighborhood, we’re doing fine. He still has an income, and we’re able to buy food and supplies online for home delivery or curbside pickup. If you, like me, continue to have a reliable source of income, please consider donating some or all of your CARES money to the people who need it most, to feed their families and pay rent and utilities. I offer here several suggestions of organizations that would be grateful to steward your gift in order to help those who need it most, regardless of immigration status. The organizations are listed by geographical region and by services offered. If you know of other organizations that I should add, please mention them in the comments or contact me directly.

Rest assured that donating your CARES money to undocumented immigrants and others in need will have a direct positive effect on the economy, as these neighbors spend the money locally on necessities such as groceries, utilities, and rent. What is aid, relief, and security to these friends quickly becomes stimulus to the economy for all of us. Please, give generously and share widely.

Colorado

Border States (CA, AZ, TX)

Other Regions

Nationwide

Emergency Relief / Direct Humanitarian Aid / Social Services

Legal services

Bond funds