Ways to Stand with Our Immigrant Neighbors
Below are some ways that Charlottesville and Virginia residents can provide local support to our immigrant neighbors.
Advocate on behalf of immigrants to the Virginia Attorney General, 202 Ninth St., Richmond, VA: Here is a sample letter ( Dear Attorney General Jay Jones ), which may be emailed to: mailoag@oag.state.va.us or by phone to the Office of Civil Rights: 804-225-2292.
Donate to the Grocery Card Campaign to put money for food, diapers, formula, and household items into the hands of families under threat here.
Fuerza Latina provides legal support and pays attorneys to help people fight their immigration cases. You can find their legal resources here.
Sign the petition to include AMICA legal services in the Virginia state budget here.
Stand with Sebastian, a Honduran from the Garifuna minority. Sebastian fled to the U.S and sought asylum in 2019, was detained at Farmville, and is now living in Charlottesville while his asylum case is on appeal. You can find a link to his GoFundMe here.
Support Sin Barreras to empower immigrants and their families by educating, advocating, and supporting their needs here.
The Farmville Detention Visitation Network supports commissary purchases, phone calls to loved ones, and travel for visiting family members. Contact lockegene@gmail.com for information about becoming a visitation volunteer, a pen pal, donating bilingual English-Spanish Bibles, translating letters, and other ways to help. To learn more and donate see: https://www.farmvilledvn.org/donate.
The Legal Aid Justice Center provides support of many kinds to immigrants. You can learn more here.
Volunteer with Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry: This Charlottesville-based food pantry provides free groceries to families in need, without reference to their immigration status. For more information see Charlottesville Loaves and Fishes.
In Waynesboro, Lifeworks offers similar services; for more information see here.
Volunteer with Rides2Things to assist with transportation (for those now afraid to drive to work) and accompaniment to immigration and other appointments. Contact: Gene Locke at lockegene@gmail.com for further information.