To get started on advocacy, review the Ignatian Solidarity Network Advocacy 101 guide.
Call your Senators and Representatives to speak out on behalf of migrants at the border. Dial the Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121 and use one of the following scripts:
Protect Due Process for People in Detention
“My name is _____ and I am a student at ____(school) in your district. I am calling to urge ____ (Rep/Sen) to ensure due process for immigrants held in detention. In particular, I ask that (he/she) write to Attorney General Sessions and demand that the Department of Justice immediately resume the Legal Orientation Program, which provides basic legal information to immigrants in detention so that they can represent themselves in court. In ____ I visited the Kino Border Initiative, a Catholic organization in Nogales, Sonora, and had the chance to learn about these issues. There, I have met people fleeing extreme violence from Central America or Mexico and learned about the difficulty they had in arguing their cases in the legal system. (insert story). The Legal Orientation Program is a basic protection for due process and makes the immigration courts more efficient. For that reason, the recent government funding bill required the Executive Office of Immigration Review to maintain existing programs. I ask ____ (Rep/Sen) to take initiative and demand the Department of Justice to resume the program immediately.”
Support DREAM Act
“My name is _____ and I am a student at ____(school) in your district. I am calling to urge ____ (Rep/Sen) to protect the youth in our school and community who were brought to this country at a young age, specifically by supporting a clean DREAM Act. Students at our school and others in the community who have DACA status are looking forward to contributing to our country through school and work. (insert story). We have to protect the members of our community without harming their parents or other vulnerable individuals. So I ask ____ (Rep/Sen) to vote yes on a bill includes protections for those with DACA and does no harm to other vulnerable people, especially asylum-seekers.”
Opposing Immigration Detention for Asylum Seekers
“My name is _____ and I am a student at ____(school) in your district. I am calling to urge ____ (Rep/Sen) to ensure that people fleeing violence can access protection in the US. In particular, I ask that (he/she) oppose an expansion of detention of asylum-seekers and instead support community-based alternatives. In ____ I visited the Kino Border Initiative, a Catholic organization in Nogales, Sonora, and had the chance to learn about these issues. There, I have met people fleeing extreme violence from Central America or Mexico. Instead of facilitating their access to the legal system, we are spending money to detain them. (insert story). We must remedy this injustice, and I ask ____ (Rep/Sen) to take leadership in opposing immigration detention for asylum seekers.”
Oppose Expansion of Border Patrol
More Training/Accountability for Agents
“My name is _____ and I am a student at ____(school) in your district. I am calling to urge ____ (Rep/Sen) to oppose an expansion of Border Patrol and support more training and accountability for agents. In ____ I visited the Kino Border Initiative, a Catholic organization in Nogales, Sonora, and had the chance to meet recently deported migrants. I have heard about the abuses that they suffer and think we should treat people with dignity and respect. (Insert story of migrant). We must remedy this injustice, and I ask ____ (Rep/Sen) to take leadership in supporting training and accountability for Border Patrol agents.”
Oppose Funding to Fast Track Border Prosecution Program
“My name is _____ and I am a student at ____(school) in your district. I am calling to urge ____ (Rep/Sen) to stop prosecuting people as criminals for simply crossing the border in search of a better life. In ____ I visited the Kino Border Initiative, a Catholic organization in Nogales, Sonora, and had the chance to meet recently deported migrants as well as witness fast track prosecution of individuals for illegal entry and reentry. This policy causes undue suffering to vulnerable people, especially asylum-seekers, costs taxpayers billions of dollars, and spends judicial resources on prosecuting people for actions that did not cause harm. (Insert story of migrant). We must remedy this injustice, and I ask ____ (Rep/Sen) to take oppose funding to the fast track border prosecution program.”
