Emergency Fundraiser Amid the ICE Crackdown in the US
As Trump sends military troops to Los Angeles to crack down on protesters, and ICE is dispatched to other cities to ambush immigrants at their court dates, the Bishop Myriel Fundraiser will be once again using the format used in 2020 to raise funds to support those affected by these arrests.
Rules:
Make a post with your item offer and tag @bishopmyrielfundraiser in your post and I will reblog it here on the auction blog. Your offer can be art, writing, crafts, physical items, etc. Use your imagination and just don't get me in trouble by offering anything illegal. Contribute a post with the number of prizes you are offering and the minimum donation to receive it. First come, first served. Use the tag "#bishop myriel emergency fundraiser 2025" to help people find your original post.
Claim the prize you want by reblogging the reward post with a screenshot of your donation in the required amount, including the DATE of donation. (Do NOT reuse screenshots or try to claim for a donation made before you saw the offer--show the date in your screenshot). Crop out your personal information. If you can't donate immediately, you can also reblog with the amount and the group you are donating to to claim an item, so long as you follow up by emailing [email protected] with the receipt proving your donation within three days of your reblog, or reblog your own reblog with the screenshot in the same timeframe.
Unlike our normal auctions, DO NOT bid in replies and wait for confirmation before donating. This is a first come, first served emergency fundraiser; there is no bidding, so those offering items should feel free to have a higher minimum donation than usual. To avoid trying to claim an offer that has already been claimed by someone else, check reblogs on the post first. If you are making the offer, keep an eye on reblogs and reblog your own post with "The offer has now been claimed" when there are no more items left in your offer. You can reach out directly to those who reblog with screenshots, although if it's a placeholder claim, DM me first to see if the receipt came through on email. I will not be retaining those emails long-term to protect your privacy, just using them to verify and record the amount donated, date, and your tumblr handle.
Places you can donate are:
--General immigrant rights groups working locally or nationally. --Any groups providing legal services to detained immigrants or protesters. --Know your rights trainings, deportation defense, and immigration defense groups. --Bail funds and jail support, because protesters are being arrested. --Groups filing lawsuits against the actions of the current administration related to the violation of people's rights by ICE, police, military, and the government in relation to immigration, protests, and the sending of troops to enforce the government's will. Some example groups: In Los Angeles: CHIRLA, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights
Immigrant Defenders
The ACLU of Southern California, which also lists the above groups and others on their Rapid Response Network page.
In New York: Make the Road, Unlocal, and New York Legal Aid Society provide lawyers "to those detained, or at imminent risk of detention and deportation, who may not have the right to see an immigration judge or are otherwise facing a fast-track to removal." Make the Road is also suing with the ACLU to stop fast-track deportations.
Envision Freedom Fund for bonds for both those in the regular court/jail system and in ICE custody.
South Brooklyn Mutual Aid is a mutual aid network that does Know Your Rights and otherwise provides support for immigrants.
Although our annual auctions allow for donations to groups working on similar causes in any country, given the current immediate situation in the US, on this occasion I'm going to ask for donations to be to groups that work here--although if they also work in other countries, that's fine. If you're donating from outside the US, it's probably a good idea to stick to larger organizations with official websites to donate through, as I don't know if international funding could be used to demonize smaller groups. If you are in the US, you can use local knowledge of your own state or city to direct your donations to the most effective use, which may be smaller groups that aren't official. Do name the group, though! This ensures that all donations are real and that other people learn of groups you think are doing good work. So, for example, my list above ranged from organizations with tax deductible donation pages to mutual aid networks on Venmo.
As Los Angeles is currently most at risk, donations to groups there are particularly welcome.
If any issues come up in offering or claiming an item, please DM me at @bishopmyrielfundraiser or email [email protected]