Looking for a way to resist? Volunteer.
Giving a child a cookie.
Buying new underwear and socks for men.
Simply chatting with women.
For me, these small, simple acts are part of how I engage in resistance against racist and fear-based government policies on immigration and asylum.
Although, frankly, when it comes to helping, political views on immigration policy don’t matter. Whether you think countries need a guest-worker policy or completely open borders or strict entrance limits is not important. What matters is that there are fellow humans who are suffering — and that you might be able to do something about it. Even if you’re able to affect the lives of only a few people, it can be enough to know that you kept a human being from going hungry for at least one night.
My agenda in this post is simple: I’m sharing my experiences in the hope that you’ll think about ways you might help displaced people as part of your own acts of resistance.
Over the past three years, I’ve volunteered with groups helping refugees and asylum seekers in Austin, at the US/Mexico border in Texas, and at a refugee camp in Greece. I’ve had the privilege of meeting hundreds of people from countries including Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Honduras, Guatemala, Cameroon, Eritrea and the Democratic Republic of Congo — all people who’ve been displaced because of violence and war.
These folks have another thing in common: People in power don’t want them around.
I think that’s wrong.
No one puts their children in a raft or takes them walking across a continent unless that’s safer than staying home. I want countries, especially the U.S., to offer safety because it’s the right thing to do. It’s also good for us. Multiple studies show that immigration makes our economy stronger. We don’t need studies to show that it makes us stronger culturally.
Now, the issues of immigration and asylum have a higher urgency at the U.S./Mexico border, so that’s where I’m focusing my time as a volunteer. This is a true humanitarian crisis. It’s also an issue of serious political contention, with the Trump administration and many Americans arguing that asylum seekers have entered the U.S. illegally and should be immediately deported. I disagree.
In fact, seeking asylum is legal. Law requires people to be on U.S. soil when they request asylum, which means they either have to walk across one of the border bridges — if they’re allowed to — or cross another way and present themselves to U.S. immigration officials. The photos you’re seeing of hundreds of people massing at the border reflect a bottleneck created by the Trump administration in order to feed Americans’ fear of an “invasion.”
We have laws and legal processes in place for responding to asylum requests — processes that are being blatantly violated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). What these agencies are doing at the border — forcing asylum seekers to stay homeless in Mexico, often until they can pay a bribe to Mexican officials or the cartels that control access to the bridges across the Rio Grande; torturing people by placing them in freezing detention center cells; releasing hundreds of asylum seekers at a time from detention, effectively dumping them onto overwhelmed nonprofits who offer respite, clothing, food, and more; taking children away from parents — is morally wrong. Much of it is illegal. All of it requires strong resistance.
These things are not just happening here. The U.S. and other countries such as Greece are purposefully creating miserable living conditions to deter refugees from coming. We see from the numbers of refugees continuing to leave their countries that it simply doesn’t work. If you know there is a high probability of you and your family being killed in your country, the risk of leaving to seek asylum seems reasonable. I believe those of us who live in safety have a moral duty to help people who don’t.
As one person, I can’t change how governments are treating refugees. What I can do is bring food and clothes to the asylum seekers who are trapped in Mexico and sleeping on concrete. I can help refugee women resettled in the U.S. get jobs by helping them practice English. I can collect donations for setting up a safe space for refugee women and children in Greece. By directly helping people who need it, I believe I’m saying, “No, this is not acceptable.”
Perhaps as important is that by helping, you’re showing displaced people that there are people who care about them and who disagree with how they’re being treated. You’re showing refugees that we see them.
What do volunteers get from helping? For me, part of this work is selfish. I get a mood boost from feeling useful and receiving smiles and hugs. Seeing a child get new shoes or talking to a woman with new-found confidence in speaking English makes me happy. I’ve also met many incredible people, including volunteers and refugees who’ve become good friends. I know I’ve made a difference in the lives of at least some people. I know they’ve made a difference in mine.
I’ve also had a lesson in politics. Even though the U.S. 2016 campaigns and election are what prompted me to act, I’ve learned that politics is not the motivation for many volunteers. I’ve met many politically conservative volunteers who help because their faith calls them to.
I also believe these experiences have given me personal insight into the refugee crisis. I’m not an expert, but now I view news stories with a more critical eye. Meeting refugees has put a human face on issues that can seem far away from our daily lives.
Surprisingly, volunteering has also helped me deal with my emotions. When you’re directly helping people, you must put aside your sadness and anger because you just need to get the job done. Seeing people living in deplorable conditions might make you cry or shake with anger, but right at that moment your concern is getting someone food or a coat or a hot shower. Later, when you process it all, you look at life in different light.
I know it’s not possible for everyone to make a large commitment to volunteering, but you don’t have to. Sometimes, you can just pop in for a few hours of work—taking food to people in Mexico or driving a refugee in your community to a health clinic, for example. There are multiple ways to be involved based on your abilities and availability.
If you can’t help personally, please consider making even a small donation to a group that serves displaced people. When you know that many groups must buy consumables like diapers or toothpaste, for example, you know it’s absolutely true that every little bit helps.
Volunteering, donating—these are both forms of dissent. And if you hear a voice in your head say, “Resistance is futile,” you will know in your heart that it’s not.
LEARN MORE
Want to get involved? Here are some tips and suggestions.
Where to help
Please note: This is a list of groups that help refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers and/or migrants in Texas and in Greece. It’s not comprehensive but includes groups with which I or people I know have personal experience. If you can’t volunteer, please consider donating.
Refugee Services of Texas (Austin), www.rstx.org/austin
Casa Marianella (Austin), www.casamarianella.org
iACT (Interfaith Action for Central Texas), interfaithtexas.org/iact-for-refugees-2/
American Gateways (Austin, San Antonio, Waco), www.americangateways.org
RAICES (Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio), www.raicestexas.org
Grassroots Leadership, grassrootsleadership.org
At the border:
Team Brownsville (Brownsville), www.facebook.com/TeamBrownsville
Good Neighbor Settlement House (Brownsville), www.facebook.com/GoodNeighborSettlementHouse , www.goodneighborsettlementhouseinc.org
Catholic Charities Respite Center (McAllen), www.facebook.com/Catholic-Charities-of-the-Rio-Grande-Valley-155063511172204/ , www.catholiccharitiesrgv.org
International:
Indigo Volunteers, indigovolunteers.org , www.facebook.com/indigovolunteers
Humanity Now, humanity-now.org (Note: They use monetary donations to provide direct relief in Greece. They refer questions about volunteering to Indigo Volunteers.)
Drop in the Ocean / Drapen i havet, www.drapenihavet.no/en/home/
What you can do
Take time for research and reflection. What issues pierce your heart? Who are the people marginalized by politics and policies? Passion for a particular issue makes volunteering much more satisfying.
Contact refugee resettlement or aid nonprofits. First, look at their website to see what they need. They might need volunteers to do simple tasks, like teaching a refugee how to use public transportation or giving someone a ride to a doctor appointment. Or they might need donations of things like children’s books or cleaning supplies for families moving into a new apartment. Nongovernmental agencies (NGOs) abroad might need English teachers or project coordinators. (These jobs usually require a commitment of at least a week or even months, depending on the job responsibilities.)
Spread the word. Share fundraising appeals on social media. Tell people where they can volunteer. Post articles from reputable sources that explain what’s going on. Simply trying to increase awareness can have an impact you may never even know about.
How to be a great volunteer
Be flexible. Nonprofits seldom have the staff required to meet the needs, and that includes people to coordinate volunteer tasks and schedules. Try not to get frustrated if the group seems disorganized. They’re trying their best.
Find out what’s needed before you bring donations. Some groups can store donations; some groups have no room and can’t efficiently distribute them. Ask before you bring things. If you can’t reach someone, bring your donations but understand that you might need to take them elsewhere.
Be dependable. If you say you’ll do something, do it or take responsibility for finding a replacement.
Be clear. Understand your boundaries. Know what you can and can’t do, and explain that.
Be realistic. You’re not a savior. You’re not a martyr. You can’t do everything, and you can’t fix the problems. You’re a piece of a puzzle that couldn’t be done without pieces like you. Know that what you do matters, even if you don’t think it does.
Take care of yourself. Volunteering can be rewarding and even fun, but it can also be emotionally overwhelming. It can be part of your self care. It can also require you to engage in other forms of self care. Pay attention to your needs.
Beth Clark, Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption.
