WHO ARE WE?
At Casa de Paz, we're building longer tables together. Casa de Paz welcomes recently released newcomers, Asylum seekers, and immigrants; we facilitate their next steps towards reunifications with loved ones in a dignifying way. At Casa de Paz, our role in family reunification looks different. Monday through Friday, people are released from the GEO immigrant detention center directly onto the street, with no more than the items they were detained with. For most folks, ... Read More
WHO ARE WE?
At Casa de Paz, we're building longer tables together. Casa de Paz welcomes recently released newcomers, Asylum seekers, and immigrants; we facilitate their next steps towards reunifications with loved ones in a dignifying way. At Casa de Paz, our role in family reunification looks different. Monday through Friday, people are released from the GEO immigrant detention center directly onto the street, with no more than the items they were detained with. For most folks, this means only their necessary paperwork and the clothing on their backs. By offering the immediate resources necessary for travel post detention, Casa de Paz supports people in taking their first steps towards their final destination– a safe location with loved ones.
The Welcome Team
The members of our welcome team are usually the first people that folks will interact with upon being released from immigration detention. Staff and volunteers in this role ensure a warm initial welcome and continue to work alongside folks providing logistical support that helps them reach their next destination, which could be anywhere in the US. This often means communicating with family members, assisting with booking tickets, and ensuring that people have necessary items such as toiletries, phone chargers, shoelaces, a warm meal / snacks, and more. Once the day has wrapped up and travel arrangements are made, Casa de Paz provides people with transportation to the airport or greyhound station.
We meet a very specific need for a very wonderful set of individuals.
In 2023, we welcomed over 4,400 people from over 63 different countries. This year we have welcomed over 1,750 people from over 67 countries! Since 2012, we have welcomed over 20,000 people from over 83 different countries.
Cartas de Paz
Casa de Paz also attempts to ease the isolation brought by immigration detention before release. Through our Cartas de Paz letter writing program, volunteers are paired with people in immigration detention centers across the US who have requested a buddy to write to. This program is even more vital now, as with calls in detention no longer being free, people feel alone. This program connects people.
Since December of 2021, our volunteers have written to over 1,600 people from over 34 countries, from over 55 detention centers.
Through this program we have also been able to provide people in detention with over $40,000 in commissary. Through commissary, people are able to afford things like a cup of noodles, a decent toothbrush, toothpaste, and other things we consider daily items.
Visitation
While our Cartas program aims to ease isolation through letter writing, our visitation program aims to ease isolation through face to face conversation. Volunteers in this program spend an hour visiting folks in detention. This is an opportunity for them to have others to talk to and be outside of their usual routine and the same walls. Post pandemic, we are back to visiting folks on the weekends and we continue to seek volunteers. People are often detained for months, even years. Many don't get to fight for their immigration cases outside of detention and must remain detained the entire time. The visitation program attempts to lessen the loneliness.
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