Fund has raised more than $20,000 to bond out families from immigration detention
SAN DIEGO, CA — The San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium (SDIRC) announced the launch of a regional bond fund that will reunite families who have been separated by the harsh and inhumane policies of the Trump administration. The Borderlands Get Free Bond Fund is open to people who have been detained in San Diego and Imperial Counties, or who have lived in this region for a long time.
There are over 1,700 people currently in immigration detention in San Diego and Imperial Counties who have been detained by Border Patrol and/or Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE). The minimum cost to post bond is $1,500, but that number can be much higher. Many people may qualify to bond out of immigration detention, and reunite with their families, but cannot afford it.
To date, the fund has raised more than $20,000 and is currently accepting donations. For families interested in applying for a bond, they may do so online on immigrantsandiego.org by filling out a form.
Lillian Serrano, chair of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium, issued the following statement:
“We are excited to help reunite families in San Diego and Imperial Counties through the Borderlands Get Free Bond Fund, and thankful for all the support we’ve received for the fund so far. Keeping families together leads to healthy and strong communities. The Borderlands Get Free Bond Fund seeks to bring families back together so they can begin to heal the damage done by Trump’s harsh and inhumane policies. With continued generous support from our communities, we can make sure that more families stay together.”
Ali Torabi, a committee member of the Borderlands Get Free Bond Fund, said:
“I know first-hand what it’s like to be separated from the people you love; my mother was detained in an immigration facility and it was devastating for her, and deeply traumatic for me, and our family. The creation of the Borderlands Get Free Bond Fund is a key part of keeping families together in our region. The fund will help keep children with their parents, giving those families more stability. Together, through the Borderlands Get Free Bond Fund, we can support the fight against family separation, and stand against Trump’s dangerous and harmful immigration policies.”
About the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium
The San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium is a project of Alliance San Diego. Since 2007, community, faith, labor, and legal organizations have come together as the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium (SDIRC). Through SDIRC, these organizations are pursuing four common goals: support comprehensive immigration reform; stop the spread of local policies and practices that target and violate the civil and human rights of immigrants; educate immigrants, and educate the public about the important contributions of immigrants. More at: www.immigrantsandiego.org.
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