Unprecedented levels of violence and insecurity in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are forcing a record number of families to seek safety, and for some, undertake a dangerous journey through Mexico to seek asylum in the United States. Central Americans and other people in danger have the right to request asylum in the U.S. without being criminalized, turned back, or separated from their children—even during a pandemic. The IRC is answering the call, providing emergency aid to asylum seekers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week—and scaling up our work on all fronts.
We've provided warm meals, clothing, transitional shelter and travel coordination to more than 8,000 asylum seekers released from U.S. government detention since June 2018. We are also working alongside partners to respond to asylum seekers’ urgent needs.
In El Salvador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Mexico, the IRC is providing emergency assistance to help those who are most at risk find shelter and safety and to rebuild their lives. We have launched CuéntaNos and InfoDigna, which are interactive, multichannel services that provide trustworthy protection information for families seeking safety.
You can help us continue and expand our lifesaving work supporting those in need on both sides of the border by donating directly to this cause today.
$20 can…
• Provide a warm, comforting meal at a shelter. Upon release, families are exhausted, traumatized and often have come down with a cold or other illnesses. Provide a family a hot, sustaining meal at a comfortable shelter for them to rest and have more energy to better understand the complexities of their legal rights and obligations.
$50 can…
• Provide a family with a stocked backpack for the rest of their trip. Upon release from government detention, families may spend several days on a bus to meet with their loved ones already living in the United States. You can help the IRC provide a backpack that includes essentials like bottled water, food for their trip, infant formula, fresh socks and underwear, toiletries and a warm blanket.
$100 can…
• Provide prescription medication. Help provide for prescription and over-the-counter medication such as antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory products, for asylum seekers and their children who are suffering from illnesses contracted along their journey, which are often exacerbated by their stays in unsanitary and freezing border detention facilities.
$250 can…
• Help guide a family to their final destination. Provide a week’s worth of personal accompaniment and support at the bus station or airport, including detailed explanation of travel arrangements in native language. The IRC takes families from our shelter and helps them navigate to the airport, help them understand TSA procedures and ensure they feel confident and equipped to complete their journey and meet their families.
$500 can…
• Replenish the pantry for asylum seekers. The IRC serves hundreds of families seeking asylum every day, and more than half of the families we serve are traveling with small children. Help refortify our stock of diapers, diaper cream, socks, underwear and other vital items to help keep children and their parents healthy and comfortable.
$1500 can…
• Provide one month emergency housing for a family seeking protection. Unlike other refugees resettling in the United States, families seeking asylum have no federal support provided to them as they await their asylum hearings. As a result, many families are in urgent need of emergency housing support.
Thank you for your support, which allows us to deliver comprehensive help to those seeking asylum when combined with those of other donors.
