Throughout 2017 and into this year, this Administration has rolled out anti-immigrant measures that threaten the lives and livelihoods of so many within our communities, including:
- Travel bans that restricted visitors and immigrants from coming to the U.S., and suspension of the U.S. refugee resettlement program to the U.S.
- Rescinding the Deferred Action Childhood Arrival (DACA) program that protected young people who had been brought to the United States at an early age from deportation.
- Significant escalation in raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—including in churches and schools, which are intended to be sanctuaries—that has resulted in increased detention of undocumented people.
- Increased deportation of undocumented people, due in part to the drastic expansion of who is considered a priority for removal.
While many of these actions have been and are continuing to be actively challenged in courts, legislation, and through direct action, the impact on the communities targeted has been dire.
Such disregard for the humanity of our friends, families, and neighbors and its significant impact here in Oregon instigated The Collins Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, The Oregon Community Foundation, and MRG Foundation to establish the Oregon Immigrant and Refugee Funders Collaborative in early 2017.
This effort serves as a coordinated, collaborative, and nimble funding approach to address issues impacting immigrants and refugees in Oregon, and to support local organizations responding to these issues.
We are excited to announce that Pride Foundation became the newest member of this important collaborative in January to elevate the needs of LGBTQ immigrants and refugees and the realities they are facing. Data from the National LGBTQ Task Force and Center for American Progress demonstrates just how at-risk LGBTQ immigrants and refugees are from this administration’s actions:
- Nationwide, there are more than 267,000 LGBTQ adults who are undocumented without a path to citizenship—nearly one-third of all LGBTQ adult immigrants.
- LGBTQ people who are undocumented are disproportionately more likely to be arrested and detained by ICE.
- LGBTQ detainees are fifteen times more likely to be assaulted when they are in detention—particularly transgender women.
- Over 75 countries have discriminatory laws that target LGBTQ people, and in 7, a person can be put to death for being LGBTQ—resulting in thousands of people applying for asylum each year.
Supporting LGBTQ immigrants and refugees is a key priority of Pride Foundation because we all deserve to be able to live safely and openly in our home communities. We look forward to continuing to deepen this work as a member of this funding collaborative.
Interested groups can learn more on our website, and I encourage you to reach out to me with questions or to express interest in applying.