Helping Your Immigrant Neighbors

Deacon’s Corner

Helping Your Immigrant Neighbors

Summary: Use the "5 CALLS" app and "red cards" to advocate

for and support immigrants' rights.

As we learned from our guest speaker last week, immigrants, both legal and illegal are being treated with hostility lately. What can we do? I have two suggestions for you. 

The first is an app called “5 CALLS”. You’ll find it in your Apple Store or Google Play Store. This app will give you the contact information for your local government representatives, a variety of scripts for a phone call to them, and a reminder to encourage you to make five calls a day. So far, I’ve only been able to do three, but it feels like I’m at least registering my dissatisfaction.

For the second thing, google “red cards” or visit https://www.ilrc.org/red-cards-tarjetas-rojas. This is a small red card that you and your friends can carry in your wallet. On one side are the recommended behaviors to observe if approached by an immigration officer. On the other, there is a script that you can read to them to protect your rights. These are available in many languages, so you can print them and give to your impacted neighbors. Or, you can order a bunch at https://www.redcardorders.com/.

Deacon Joanie+

The Rev. Joanie Cahill+

Deacon, St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church