Help Afghan refugees resettle in Boston.
JCRC takes a multi-pronged approach to stand in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors.
Accompaniment
- Sanctuary Clusters – In 2017, JCRC helped organize 4 geographic clusters of houses of worship that collaborated to support immigrant families seeking refuge from immigration enforcement. We worked with 18 Jewish communities, and hundreds of volunteers, to establish comprehensive systems of support for several families. Some of these clusters remain operative as families continue to seek safety in the face of heightened danger and enforcement.
- Immigration Detention Accompaniment – JCRC works in partnership with the Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN) to accompany immigrants both in and coming out of detention. Since early 2018, we have organized hundreds of Jewish leaders and volunteers to help people detained in Massachusetts access legal representation, court accompaniment, and post detention support such as home hospitality when needed. We also work in partnership with the Beyond Bond & Legal Defense Fund in raising funds for immigration bond. We have helped raise over $1 Million in order to bond out over 200 people from detention.
Advocacy
As part of the Safe Communities Coalition, led by MIRA (of which we are a member), JCRC is advocating for the passage of:
- Safe Communities Act | Read JCRC’s Testimony
(Sen. Eldridge/ Balser & Rep. Miranda)
The Safe Communities Act includes key provisions that would help build more community trust in policeby avoiding entanglement in immigration matters and protecting due process for all. This bill ends questions about immigration status, unless required by law; requires consent for questioning by ICE; limits notifications to ICE; and ends 287(g) agreements between sheriffs and ICE.
As part of the Driving Families Forward Coalition, JCRC is also advocating for the passage of.
- The Work and Family Mobility Act | Read JCRC’s testimony
(Sen. Crighton/Rep. Bouvier & Rep. Barber)
Massachusetts currently issues two types of driver’s license: a REAL ID compliant license and a standard license. This legislation would open the standard license to all qualified state residents regardless of status, ensuring that all drivers are trained, licensed and insured — thereby removing unlicensed driving as a key entry-point to the deportation pipeline. With this legislation, Massachusetts would join 12 other “REAL ID-compliant” states that issue licenses to all immigrants, including our neighbors Connecticut and Vermont.
