In the days following the election, many of us at MIRA Coalition were feeling challenged. Some of us were afraid for ourselves and our families. Some of us worried about the workload ahead to speak up for immigrant rights under an administration hostile to immigrants. Some of us felt simply overwhelmed at how to start to prepare. And yet, as we have convened with our member organizations, held staff and community conversations, a different picture has begun to emerge.
The coming years will absolutely challenge those of us dedicated to justice and fair treatment for immigrants and refugees. And yet, MIRA Coalition is here and ready to take on these challenges. We have so many strengths to support us. Our membership coalition overwhelmingly agreed on our advocacy priorities in our November membership meeting. We know we will be focused first and foremost on defending our communities from immigration enforcement activities.
We also have already prepared by creating and collecting a terrific set of Know Your Rights (KYR) materials to better equip individuals and communities. The materials can be found on our website here, and include new videos about protecting from immigration fraud and scams, all available in several languages. In addition to the materials, our team is already training partners and member organizations to conduct these KYR trainings. You can email training@miracoalition.org to sign up for one of our upcoming KYR trainings, and check back on our website soon for additional “train the trainer” opportunities.
And we are ready because of our community. The MIRA Coalition has an extraordinary, dedicated staff team with several experienced immigration attorneys who already went through the first Trump administration and learned many lessons. And our diverse team has immigrants with so many different lived experiences from so many different immigrant communities, speaking 15 languages among us. We have organizers and trainers and legal staff and communications professionals. Meanwhile the outpouring from government and nonprofit partners, volunteers, donors and businesses who want to contribute and do what they can to stand up for immigrants right now is inspiring. Together, with all of you, we are ready to continue to live out our mission.
Together we will continue to boldly advocate for immigrants, refugees and the well-being of our communities.
Gratefully,
Liz