Tomorrow marks the start of GiveBIG, a two-day, statewide fundraising campaign in which people across Washington come together to support nonprofits doing vital work. For us at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, it comes at a time of not just great need but great consequence. I’m asking you to make as meaningful a donation as possible to help fuel our community’s fight against the attacks we’re already facing—and those still to come.
Here are but two things we’re currently up against: In just the past four months, the federal government has been trying to terminate funding for two core areas of our work: legal orientation for people in immigration detention and direct legal representation for unaccompanied children and youth in court. NWIRP has been able to continue current cases thanks to prior support, and we have also partnered with other affected organizations working on behalf of clients in filing lawsuits—and winning. Just last week, we learned that the funding for unaccompanied children and youth has been restored through the end of September. However, the future of the program remains uncertain. Moving forward, our ability to help immigrant children, youth, and adults be safe, reunite with loved ones, and live with dignity will depend more than ever on the solidarity of people like you.
Funding cuts are just one tactic this administration uses to spread fear. Since January, we’ve seen widespread constitutional violations: students and protestors detained by plainclothes officers, asylum seekers deported to third countries without due process, and growing numbers of people held in prison-like detention centers like the one in Tacoma.
And yet—we’re still here.
NWIRP’s team of nearly 200 advocates continues to show up for our communities every single day, providing high-quality legal representation and fighting back against a system designed to exclude and dehumanize.
Yes, cuts are devastating. The cruelty is real. But so is our determination.
We’ve faced hard times before, and we’ve made it through—because we did it together. We will keep going. We will keep showing up—for people in detention, for children and youth in court, for every family navigating our immigration system.
Thank you for making this work possible. With you and so many others on our side, we can meet this moment—and build something stronger for the future.
With gratitude and shared resolve,
Malou Chávez (she/her/ella)
Executive Director
P.S. Want to see the impact this community has made possible? Click here for powerful stories and the numbers behind this work.
