News > ILCM In The News
ILCM’s #LatinxStrong and Hispanics in Philanthropy
Posted on May 02 2017
“Across the Americas, immigrant communities are under attack.” That’s why Hispanics in Philanthropy launched its new campaign, #LATINXSBELONG BECAUSE #WEALLBELONG on May 1. The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) is part of the campaign, with #LatinxStrong, an appeal to raise $30,000 to support its work of representing immigrant families, advocating for just immigration policies, and educating immigrants and the larger community.
Hispanics in Philanthropy says, “the increasing need is stretching critical resources thinner than ever” for nonprofits working with immigrant communities, and that, “From defending their legal status to providing direct services, these nonprofits fill critical gaps.”
In immigration cases, unlike criminal cases, immigrants do not have a right to a public defender. That’s why ILCM legal services to immigrants are so important. According to the American Immigration Council:
“Whereas in the criminal justice system, all defendants facing even one day in jail are provided an attorney if they cannot afford one, immigrants facing deportation generally do not have that opportunity. …Yet, in every immigration case, the government is represented by a trained attorney who can argue for deportation, regardless of whether the immigrant is represented….
“The data show that immigrants with legal counsel were more likely to be released from detention, avoid being removed in absentia, and seek and obtain immigration relief.”
Representation in immigration cases is crucial, and ILCM works every day to represent immigrants with legal matters from from fighting deportation to becoming a naturalized citizen. On its #LatinxStrong page, ILCM writes:
“All of our offices have a waitlist for services, and, especially in this dangerous climate, where ICE arrests have increased by 80 percent in and around Minnesota, we need more legal staff to meet the increasing needs – for representation, for advocacy, and for education.”
As the campaign launched on May 1, ILCM was the only Midwestern project seeking support through #LATINXSBELONG and Hispanics in Philanthropy.