STAMP OUT DESPAIR

First Friends of NJ and NY works closely with immigrants who are detained in New Jersey facilities. The organization is looking for visitors or pen pals to provide some human interaction with the detainees, who are often held for months at a time while waiting hearings. They are often unable to obtain legal counsel because they are not eligible for court-mandated lawyers.

One of the ways individuals can assist the work of this important organization is to participate in their “Stamp out Despair”campaign, which collects stationary, stamps, envelopes, writing paper, and monetary contributions for phone cards for the detainees. For more information about how the program works, go to www.firstfriendsnjny.org.

CoFiA is currently in touch with a Guatemalan man who is being detained at Elizabeth Detention Center while his appeal for asylum is heard. Even though he knows he will be threatened or even killed if he is sent back to Guatemala, it is unlikely he will be granted asylum. So he will need skilled legal help if his request for a Stay of Deportation has any chance of being granted. Contact us if you would like to help–he has a wife and three American children who are having a very hard time getting by.

Another good source of information on the immigration detention system is the national website, www.detentionwatchnetwork.org.