Letter Writing & Commissary Donation
Friends Afuera is an IM4HI program that connects volunteers with immigrants in ICE detention facilities in California.
Letter Writing:
Immigrants in detention are isolated from the community and their families. Through writing letters monthly, we hope you learn about the conditions within detention centers, make a friendship with an immigrant, and grow as an advocate to release them and close detention centers. Currently, we write letters to immigrants in Adelanto and Mesa Verde Detention Centers.
Watch Video Tutorial: Letter Writing
Commissary Donation:
Each detained immigrant has an individual commissary account that family and friends can deposit money; they depend on this money to buy necessities such as phone calls, legal print documents, toiletries, and more. We ask that you send a monthly donation of the suggested amount of $30 – $60 a month (or whatever amount you can afford).
Watch Video Tutorial: Commissary Deposits
Additional Friends Afuera Resources:
- View “Detention into Death Sentence” to hear about the experience of detained immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic
- View “United in the Fight for Liberation” to hear a statement for Black Lives Matter from immigration inside detention.
- Article on the cost of necessities inside detention: CNBC News
- Video “St. John’s Sanctuary Huddle” (2:31 mins) for one congregation’s experience of immigration accompaniment
Questions? Comments? Ready to start? Email <friendsafuera@im4humanintegrity.org> to contact us!