You can contribute to Pueblo Unido’s mission by making your monthly donation through fundraising platform ActBlue. It’s easy to set up: Click on the 'ActBlue Donation Setup' button below, and then check the box that says “Yes, Count Me In!” under the “Make It Monthly” section of the form you’ll be directed to. Thank you for your support!
To donate via the Benevity Causes Portal, click here: https://causes.benevity.org/causes/840-822488480
Legal representation is the single most predictive factor in whether a person will avoid deportation, secure more stable status, and achieve the right to remain in their community. Because immigration is civil—not criminal—court, however, the government does not provide legal counsel to those who cannot afford to hire their own. As a result, many people facing removal are forced to represent themselves, and are ultimately less likely to prevail against deportation.
Although free immigration legal aid programs are becoming more widely available in Oregon, many individuals with a vulnerable immigration status are still unable to access these services. This may be because the individual resides outside the geographic scope of the free legal aid program, or because they have a different type of immigration case or need than what the free legal aid program was designed to address, or simply because the free legal aid program is at capacity and unable to serve them in a timely manner.
Community members who cannot access free legal aid programs must typically pay around $12,000 for removal defense from a private attorney. On top of legal representation costs, people with a vulnerable immigration status also often struggle to pay for legal filing fees, forensic evidence fees, Indigenous language interpretation, and basic household stability needs such as rent, utilities, healthcare, and food. This is especially true when the breadwinner of the household is detained by ICE, and families are forced to choose between paying for their loved one’s legal defense or keeping the lights on at home.
Pueblo Unido organized in April 2017 in response to these injustices to create a world in which all people live in freedom, and where we and our communities can be safe, feel supported, and thrive. Your contributions enable Pueblo Unido to respond flexibly to the diverse needs of our communities and ultimately ensure access to legal representation, promote household stability, and secure language justice.
Our donors, volunteers, clients, and staff all play an essential role in keeping families together, supporting immigrant rights, and restoring human dignity.
Since our formation in April 2017, we have served more than 15,000 individuals in Oregon, Washington, California, Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Minnesota, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, New York, Virginia, Washington DC, Mexico, and Guatemala. Through our Legal Navigation program, we have facilitated over 500 free legal consultations and connected over 1200 individuals to legal representation for deportation defense or affirmative immigration applications. Through our Social Service Navigation program, we have provided financial assistance towards more than 130 rent and utility payments, and submitted more than 14,000 applications to pandemic-assistance programs including the Oregon Worker Relief Fund, Quarantine Fund, and Climate Change Fund. Through our partnership with the Collective of Indigenous Interpreters of Oregon (CIIO), we have provided Indigenous language interpretation during more than 300 appointments in legal, health, and community settings.
Whether you offer your time, knowledge, connections, or resources, your contribution is crucial to our collective work.
Pueblo Unido PDX is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization