Dear friend,

 “This visit gave us the energy we needed to keep moving forward to fight for our lives.”

Those are the words of Javier, one of the incredible young people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) who joined our recent delegation to D.C., where we walked hall-by-hall and door-by-door to speak truth to Congress.

I wish you could have been there, and I wanted to send this update as soon as I could -- because it’s supporters like you that make inspiring, impactful work like this possible.

Almost half our delegation was young people like Javier, and their personal testimonies made a powerful case for permanent legal protection for the more than 1.1 million Dreamers and people with TPS who call America home, hundreds of thousands of whom have lived and worked here legally for decades, unable to return to their violence-ravaged home countries.

That these families finally have some hope now that Congress has introduced The Dream and Promise Act of 2019 means so much to me, as I’m sure it does for you. And while we aren’t the only ones to have advocated for this bill in Congress, you can take pride in being part of this.

You can also feel good knowing that you’re part of the group that just helped defeat the Trump administration in the highest court in the land. As I’m sure you know, late last year we joined the ACLU as the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the administration’s attacks on people’s legal right to request asylum regardless of how they entered the U.S. The Supreme Court denied the administration’s appeal and sent it back to the lower courts; we are hopeful that the previous decisions protecting people’s right to seek asylum will be upheld.

Your support makes it possible for EBSC to touch the lives of more than 10,000 people every year —people like “Josue,” who at age 16 survived daily threats and beatings from gang members before fleeing to the U.S. With EBSC’s help, he was granted asylum and is now a permanent resident.

“In my life, there have been good and bad people, but I never imagined a place like East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, with such good people who helped me so much without asking for any payment in return.”

Unfortunately, there are many more unaccompanied minors seeking help than we are able to serve — so we are actively raising funds to hire another lawyer to meet this gap. In fact, in today’s fearful environment, our legal clinic is struggling to keep pace with an increase in people of all ages seeking asylum, permanent residency, and citizenship — all of which protect them against deportation and family separation.    

As you can see, the moment is rife with both ongoing threats and exciting opportunities to be part of bold advances and critical defensive work — and I fervently hope you can help out.

With your immediate financial support, we will be able to hire an additional lawyer and also:

• Keep up the pressure on Congress to pass The Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which we just helped move from policy dream into draft
• Restore our Advocacy Legal Fund after our successful SCOTUS battle in EBSC v. Trump
• Expand our oral history project, “Amplifying Sanctuary Voices,” to share narratives of refugees and asylum seekers through an interactive exhibit and public events

Your past support is the reason we were able to win our lawsuit to protect asylum law, fly 26 people with TPS to D.C. to engage with lawmakers face-to-face — and provide life-saving legal and support services to hundreds of asylum seekers like Josue.

Your compassionate support today is what will make it possible for us to reach more people and deepen our impact.

In these troubled times, we gain strength in knowing that when we work together, positive change can happen. Please join us by making a donation to EBSC this spring.

We are so grateful for all that you do! Blessings on all of us.

Sister Maureen Duignan and EBSC Staff and Board

P.S. The most impactful way you can make a difference is by donating, especially when you ask your employer to match it. If you’re looking for other ways you can take part, here are three:

• Tell Congress to pass The Dream and Promise Act of 2019.
• Help us find a new home – while our lease has been extended until the end of 2020, we are still actively searching for office space that will keep us in Berkeley.
• Mark your calendars for our Spring Reception on May 3^rd with Cuban music by Nuevo Mundo! Join us from 6-8:30 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way in Berkeley