Deportation Response Team
Trump vowed to deport millions of migrant workers on Day One of his administration. Since he took office, we have seen those promises start to take shape. Worksites have been raided, homes have been invaded, and migrants simply walking down the street have been arrested.
Many of those migrants will be deported to Mexico, and many Mexicans and people from other Latin American countries are “self-deporting” out of fear of remaining in the United States.
The Latin American Relief Fund and ABBA House are prepared to help migrants heading south with housing, food, hot showers, legal advice, and medical care. We hope to house, at least temporarily, everyone who shows up at the shelter’s door.
But we cannot do it without your help!
In addition to supporting ABBA House’s work in providing short-term assistance, the Deportation Response Team will be looking into ways to help deported Mexicans re-integrate into Mexican society.
To begin with our plan is to:
- Provide food, housing, clothing, and hot showers—for all who show up at ABBA House
- Expand housing options if needed—including renting another space.
- Provide information and publish a manual—so deportees will understand their rights and how to navigate the Mexican legal system.
- Provide medical care and psychological assistance—to many people who have just lost everything.
As other needs arise, we vow to try to meet the challenge.
Supporting deportees will likely require a sustained effort over the next few years. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of hardworking people who have built lives in the United States could lose their homes, businesses, communities, educational opportunities and chances for a better life. Many could be returned to home countries they haven’t lived in for twenty or more years. Children, even those who are U.S. citizens, will be forced to return to countries in which they have never lived in and where they may not speak the language.
Mexicans comprise the largest percentage of undocumented immigrants in the United States. And the state of Guanajuato—the state where the ABBA House shelter is located—is the home of a large percentage of those Mexican immigrants. Therefore, we can expect large numbers of recent deportees to be coming through our area.
Your donation today will help us help deportees who may have nowhere else to turn!