The Migrant Solidarity Team is dedicated to assisting refugees and immigrants--including undocumented residents--whose presence in our region enriches cultural life and bolsters the local economy. The team collaborates with organizations that promote migrants’ legal rights, safety from unjustified arrest, and support from local policy makers. It also assists efforts to serve migrants’ basic needs, such as food security and stable housing. Our leadership group meets on the first and third Sunday of every month at 9:00 am. 

To fulfill those goals, we meet twice monthly to:

• Schedule speakers from leading organizations engaged in supporting immigrants and refugees.

• Organize community circulation of Know-Your-Rights and family protection materials, and training workshops for volunteers who accompany migrants to court hearings and appointments with immigration authorities.

• Engage in strategic partnerships with groups with a similar mission.

• Provide small grants to assist migrants with emergency needs.

• Create opportunities for volunteers to provide food, temporary housing, or employment for migrants. 

• Advocate for immigration and refugee policies that are consistent with UU social values.

Our leadership group meets on the first and third Sunday of every month at 9:00 am. The location is usually publicized in advance. All are welcome. Every contribution of time or treasure, no matter the size, is appreciated.

Every few weeks, we publish a digest of news, policy developments, and events and opportunities in support of our migrant community members. If you are interested in receiving this update, send an email to asc.migrant.solidarity(at)gmail.com

Our Work:

Speakers Series

The team is sponsoring a series of monthly talks, open to the whole congregation and the broader public, by representatives of leading migrant-supporting non-profits in our region. Speakers share challenges faced by immigrants that their organizations are focusing on and describe what their organizations are doing to address these challenges Guest organizations have included Congregation Action Network, Just Neighbors, Carecen and AfghanEvac

IRAF

We manage and provide small grants through the Immigrant and Refugee Assistance Fund (IRAF) to immigrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, whose ability to meet basic needs has been hindered by their immigration status, ICE detention, or deportation of a family member. These needs may include funds for transportation, food, housing, clothing, education, medical care, legal fees and Visa and adjustment-of-status application fees,

Their stories are many… [names have been changed]

Single mothers such as Paula who is supporting her son but is unable to work because of health issues and needed some financial support to pay their rent.

Mary has been a community leader for Food Justice for over one year. She travels every week from Fredericksburg to pick up food for 110 families. Her van was in the shop for repairs and she needed help to pay the bill. After receiving the IRAF grant she was back on the road, traveling to Fairfax to load up her truck with food and diapers and take it back to her community.

Robert is a father of 5 whose wife was arrested by ICE and immediately deported to her native Guatemala.  Their children range in age from 14 months (twins) to 9 years old. The family decided it was best to send their children to Guatemala to be with their mother. With the help of Joseph’s church and the IRAF grant, the family was able to buy 5 airline tickets and the children were reunited with their mother.

Food Justice-DMV

We support Food Justice-DMV, which started during the pandemic, and is now serving over 13,000 families. This service now has more than 900 volunteers, many of whom are members of All Souls, who deliver basic food items such as flour, oil, beans, rice and vegetables, along with special needs such as clothes for babies and children.

Know Your Rights

The team has been distributing information to the immigrant community regarding Know Your Rights, Family Preparedness and Business Preparedness, providing vital information that could protect them, their families and businesses in case of emergency. We have passed out hundreds of information packets, and thousands of “red cards”, encouraging members of the congregation during the coffee hour after services to spread the word.

Court Companions

Anxiety is an everyday experience for immigrants and their families, but it’s heightened when they have a court date or an appointment with immigration authorities. It’s good to have a friend in court–not to represent the migrant or provide legal advice, but be there as a supportive presence. MST hosted two workshops at All Souls, where experienced staff of the DMV Accompaniment Network (DAN )trained volunteers on the do’s and don’t’s of accompaniment: DO provide a ride to and from an appointment if you can, make sure you have contact information of family and lawyers if an immigrant is arrested at any point, enter the courtroom or immigration office with them, stay close by as they leave the building, and witness , and make notes on any encounter with authorities. DON’T attempt to intervene in such encounters, and don’t try to get involved in their cases or offer legal advice. Several MST members have joined other volunteers on accompaniment visits. Although the contact with the immigrants involved is limited, the volunteer effort has been rewarded by the immense gratitude shown by the people we’ve accompanied. 

Varied Paths to the American Dream

Michael Mozaffari makes the task of resettling in America look easy. About a decade after he, his wife and children arrived in the United States from Afghanistan, Michael holds an accounting job, his wife also works, their kids are in school, and they’re gradually paying off the mortgage on their house in PG County. An active member of MST, Michael has mastered the Zoom-monitor-speaker set up and contributes thoughtful readings to each meeting. 

The Karimi family’s is a more typical immigration story. In recent years, four brothers have settled in Falls Church, Virginia, with their wives and children. The clan now includes two babies born in the United States. The first brother to arrive, Ilyas, has won asylum but is still waiting for a green card. For all of them, coming up with the monthly rent is a struggle, and recent budget cuts have knocked at least two adults off Medicaid. Mukhtar, the third to arrive, is the only brother to land a job that makes use of his education. With a degree in geology, he’s a surveyor for an engineering company and is working to expand his qualifications. Of the other brothers, two drive for Uber, and a third drives a school van and also delivers for Door Dash. The next generation holds real promise. One is studying business at Northern Virginia Community College, and another got a scholarship to enter pre-med. 

A number of generous All Souls congregants have provided regular help: furniture and household goods, donation of a car, money to buy another car that Mukhtar needed for his job, and a specially equipped laptop for the pre-med student. MST members have chipped in as other needs arose.