We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the record breaking support we received from this community at this year’s annual gala. Together, we raised over $1.6 million dollars to continue defending and advancing immigrant rights in the months and years to come. At the event, I shared that while the past year has been a challenging one, we are making a difference because this community refuses to look away, refuses to stay silent, and refuses to accept injustice.
Over the past year, we have expanded our reach and deepened our impact. Our Community Outreach team has connected thousands of people with critical information. And in 2025, we reached over 25,000 people through community outreach efforts.
Our staff and pro bono volunteers, day after day, stand beside community members in immigration detention who are facing some of the most isolating and unjust conditions imaginable, and are working to ensure our clients can seek the protections for which they are eligible. At the event, we shared a video highlighting this ongoing work through interviews with our staff, pro bono attorney Amy Bowles, and community member Tsimba Phukuta – which you can view at this link.
Through our work and partnerships, we are building something bigger than any one organization—an ecosystem of support that stretches from local communities, to the entire state of Washington, and across the country.
Together, we will continue this work. Together, we will be ready to respond and meet this moment with courage. And together, we will ensure that our communities are not only protected, but that they can thrive – because we all deserve to thrive. Thank you for your continued support. We also invite you to view photos from photographer Tawfiq Abdulaziaz at this link, and photobooth pictures from the event here.
Teresa Zepeda Sosa’s Story
We were honored to have keynote speaker Teresa Zepeda Sosa share her story at our gala this year. Teresa is a former NWIRP client, a small business owner, and one of the founding members of Parque Padrinos – a grassroots organization that celebrates and empowers the South Wenatchee and surrounding communities. In addition to these accomplishments, Teresa is a powerful immigrant rights advocate and social justice leader in her community. For those of you who were unable to attend, we are including a shortened version of her speech at this link.
USCIS Announces New Policy Limiting Adjustment of Status (AOS) Applications
Last week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a new policy aimed at limiting one of the most common and important pathways to lawful permanent residence—adjustment of status–an application filed from within the United States. Once again, in pursuit of its anti-immigrant agenda, the Trump administration seeks to erase legal pathways enacted by Congress, claiming that adjustment of status is a “loophole” that should be fixed. However, adjustment of status is a statutory benefit, enacted by Congress precisely to ensure that families are not needlessly separated and that employers are not needlessly deprived of essential employees for months or even years. Moreover, in arguing that applicants should be forced to return to their home countries to finalize the process, the administration cynically sidesteps that many applicants, if forced to leave the United States, will face additional barriers that would render them ineligible to return to the United States for ten years. The new policy flouts the current laws and is meant to once again intimidate, confuse, and create chaos. We are currently working with partners to ensure that this new policy is exposed for what it is–an unlawful effort to ignore controlling laws designed to provide a clear path for family and employment visas.
May 2026 Immigration Updates Videos, and Upcoming Webinar in June
Our Community Outreach team recently held an Immigration Updates Webinar for community members in both English and Spanish. You can watch these videos at the following links: English update here, Spanish update here.
We also have another Immigration Updates Webinar scheduled for Tuesday, June 23 at noon. You can register for this webinar here.
Thank you very much for your continued support. We are grateful to have you as part of our community.
In Solidarity,
Malou Chávez (she/her/ella)
Executive Director
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