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Immigrant Friends at Woodlands

Undocumented immigrants are often invisible to us because they live in the “shadows” while working in landscaping, restaurants and in a variety of service industries. There are approximately 61,000 undocumented immigrants in Westchester County and over 11 million nationwide. They are often denied benefits such as unemployment pay and find it almost impossible to obtain good healthcare. They live in constant fear that they will be taken into custody by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and deported. 

Started as an official task force 9 years ago, Immigrant Friends seeks to involve and engage congregants by educational programs, participation in lobbying efforts to support laws and policies that benefit and protect immigrants, and to provision of direct assistance to the immigrants at Neighbors Link. Our committee has participated in successful campaigns to allow the undocumented to obtain Driver’s Licenses in NY State and to keep ICE away from the courts where they seize and deport immigrants. We have conducted two successful drives involving our congregants with providing necessary items –diapers and baby wipes- which make a difference to the immigrants at Neighbors Link. 

In the coming year we will continue our direct support and advocate for such things as decent treatment for asylum seekers, including children at our southern border. We will continue to highlight immigrant issues to our congregation by bringing in speakers and films and, hopefully, conducting programs at our religious school as well. 

We need more volunteers to help make these projects happen and we need your ideas to help make our committee more successful in its mission. 

Immigrantfriends@wct.org

Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784