A new initiative launched last month is seeking funds to protect immigrant communities in the commonwealth that are currently under attack by ICE and the federal government at an unprecedented scale.
Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition (PIC) announced the Pennsylvania Fund for Immigrant Rights and Equity, or PA FIRE, whose goal is to create “a groundbreaking, statewide initiative to protect immigrant rights, expand vital services and drive long-term systems change across the commonwealth.”
“This is more than a fund – it’s fueling our movement to meet this moment. PA FIRE ensures that our collective response is swift, equitable and rooted in the leadership of immigrant communities themselves,” said Jasmine Rivera, executive director at Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition.
The movement is in response to threats unfolding across the nation to immigrant individuals and targeted communities – not seen in such force and magnitude in the U.S. before.
PA FIRE’s goals include establishing long-term advocacy funding; ending Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) partnerships – like the contested 287(g) agreement Bucks County Sheriff Fred Harran enlisted his department in. This agreement has been challenged locally by the ACLU and community immigrant advocates and is currently moving through the Bucks County court system.
PA FIRE will include funding sources from 38 immigrant-service organizations to respond to immediate needs and work to build long-term power and equity.
Rivera said in a recent phone interview that free legal representation to those involved in deportation proceedings is “at capacity since last fall (2024), and the PA Immigrant Family Unity Project is the first publicly funded defense counsel project for those who have been detained by ICE.
She said coalition members had been planning ahead – like many other immigrant advocacy organizations across the country – for the outcome of the 2024 elections – and next presidential administration leadership change.
“We developed two different plans. We knew whoever won [the presidency] that it would be an uphill battle for human rights with one hill significantly steeper,” Rivera explained.
Key components of the new plan include building upon successful efforts taken during the first Trump Administration and recognizing that a substantive budget would be necessary to carry out meaningful work toward change.
“This is more than a fund – it’s fueling our movement to meet this moment. PA FIRE ensures that our collective response is swift, equitable and rooted in the leadership of immigrant communities themselves.” – Jasmine Rivera, Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition Executive Director
This multi-year nitiative’s goal is to raise from $6 to $12 million in year one, Rivera said.
“The reality is immigrant rights groups across the country have seen less support from philanthropy, while the community has grown and an increase in hostilities” have been faced, she said.
The state-wide plan for Pennsylvania includes 15 tax-exempt programs and a hard look at the “true costs to do this work. No one organization can do it all,” Rivera added.
She said over the next three years consistent work will be required to achieve lasting, long-term results.
“It’s not about defending the status quo – as it has never served our communities. [This is about] transformational system change, which means a pathway to citizenship for those who are undocumented. We live in a globalized world. Our immigration system is not living in the 21st century,” Rivera explained.
She noted even by accomplishing a better pathway to immigration and citizenship the housing and health care crises remain; as does language access for non- or limited-English speakers facing significant hurdles to simply be in the U.S.
READ: Using Black Hawk Helicopters and Chemical Agents, ICE Agents Turn Chicago Into a ‘War Zone’
Rivera said successful models used by conservative philanthropic groups – some of which have 20 and 30-year timelines – could be useful to PA FIRE’s strategic planning.
“There is already a model to study, and clearly it has been successful,” Rivera said.
She said contributions will also provide for impacted families’ resources for groceries, rent and utilities, acknowledging their daily hardships “when your primary bread winner is locked up. We’re making sure people can survive.”
For more information or to donate, visit PA FIRE.
