Heading to San Antonio to volunteer

Since hearing about children being separated from their parents at our southern border, I have felt sick, heartbroken, and sometimes hopeless.  Our family decided to give money to the ACLU , but just giving money has not felt like enough. In June I reached out to RAICES  (Refugee and Immigration for Education and Legal Services) and found out about the Karnes Pro Bono Project.  This project sends lawyers and supports into the Karnes Detention Facility and provides legal advice and education for people seeking asylum.  You can read more about the program here.  

I am committed to using my education and privilege to reduce suffering, and this seems to be the most direct way I can do that.  The Karnes Pro Bono Project has accepted me as a volunteer in November!  I am scheduled to fly to San Antonio November 9th and will be there until around November 20th . I’ll work four twelve hour days at Karnes one week, and then two additional days at the Greyhound station where the government drops off people after getting out of detention centers.  

Thanks to my generous community, this entire trip has been funded through a gofundme campaign!  Now I am preparing by taking the online tutorials and learning more about the entire asylum process.  

I know that my time in San Antonio will only be a small drop in the bucket to reduce suffering and support people seeking asylum. That said, I plan to use my experience to educate myself firsthand about what is going on, and then share this experience with my community when I return to Portland.  In these dark times, it is all too easy to feel hopeless and helpless. My hope is that through some concrete actions, I can empower all of us to make an impact on this situation.  Thank you!

Sincerely,
Jen Patterson

PS- I included a picture of me years ago, holding my precious daughter and pregnant with my son.  I can't imagine anyone separating me from my children, and don't want any child or parent to experience that trauma!