PA FIRE, celebrating immigrants by raising money

This summer, the Pennsylvania Fund for Immigrant Rights & Equity — PA FIRE — is raising money to advocate for immigrant communities in Pennsylvania that are under attack from the federal government.

The money raised this summer will be matched up to $1 million by the William Penn Foundation, the Samuel S. Fels Fund, the Gender Justice Fund, and an anonymous donor.

“We were really worried about supporting immigrant communities with all of the changes at the federal level and like the xenophobic, anti-immigrant, work and policies that are happening,” said Amy Eusebio, chief operating officer at Ceiba, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia that promotes the economic development and financial inclusion of the Latino community. She’s also a member of the PA FIRE advisory committee.

Financing is crucial for these organizations to serve immigrant communities at a wide scale and, if necessary, to support advocacy efforts.

The coalition has already had significant success, such as new laws to prohibit or end collaboration with ICE in 14 municipalities and six counties across the state. That work spans from Erie to Pittsburgh, including the communities of Allegheny, Allentown, Carlisle, Harrisburg, Lackawanna, Reading and Philadelphia, Rivera said.

However, there’s still a long way to go to support immigrant communities across the state, as the federal government continues steering money toward immigration enforcement.

Read the full story here: https://2puntosplatform.com/pa-fire-celebrating-immigrants-by-raising-money/