Dear Safe Passage Project Friends,

The incoming presidential administration has made it very clear this week that they are planning aggressive steps to limit the rights of immigrant children. Our staff and pro bonos are feeling a mix of sadness, concern, and a renewed determination to fight. For our 584 extremely vulnerable clients it’s much simpler – they are terrified. Will the police come and take away their uncle? The child herself? We are not going to let that happen.

So I’m writing to ask whether you might consider making a donation today to help Safe Passage Project take back the initiative.

When our staff gathered in a small conference room on Wednesday morning I told them two things I believe with all my heart:

1. Our clients, already so strong, are stronger because they can rely on Safe Passage Project. And we will never stop fighting for them.

2. Safe Passage Project is strong because of our amazing extended community of supporters like you – our terrific staff, of course, but also our wonderful friends, partners, pro bono attorneys, donors and volunteers.

This week we received a many messages from long-time supporters asking how they could help, right now. And they encouraged me to consider that many other friends and allies, like you, might be looking for ways to get involved.

The truth is that we need financial resources. We’re going to need to adapt and prepare to fight on behalf of each client in new ways. And we need to take on far more clients who would otherwise face immigration court alone. So we need to hire more attorneys and social workers. 

Will you consider making a donation today? $1,000 is enough to provide 6 months of legal representation and social work services to a child facing deportation. $250 supports our work to train pro bono attorneys on the intricacies of immigration law. And even $50 helps defray a child’s travel costs to and from court around NYC and Long Island.

And no matter how much you can donate, can you also share this message with your friends, colleagues, and family members who might ask you how they can help protect the rights of immigrant children?

We are deeply grateful for the support that you’ve already provided – financial or otherwise – and will keep you posted on our progress. As always, I welcome your feedback and am happy to try to help answer questions you might have in these challenging times.

Thank you so much.

Rich

PS. I apologize that this may not be the most polished fundraising appeal you’ll receive. But our attorneys were in court yesterday with 30 new potential clients and we’re not sure we’ll have capacity to serve them all. So I felt compelled to reach out.