Refugee Justice Project

Refugee Justice Project panel“The first meeting with members of Congress is always the hardest,” explains Many Uch of the Refugee Justice Project. “But then you learn to cut down your story to the essentials, tell them what needs to change, and ask for their commitment.” Many should know. He and other community members affected by deportation have been to Washington D.C. for a half dozen visits in the last 18 months, explaining the need to change to immigration laws that are splitting up families.

The Refugee Justice Project (formerly known as RAFT) was founded in 2006, and became a Social Justice Fund grantee this year. Refugee Justice Project educates the community about problems with the immigration system, and leads work for change to the system. They focus on immigrants who face deportation because they have been convicted of felonies – the law requires their deportation no matter how minor the crime or how long the person has been a legal resident.

“We want to bring back judicial review, so that someone is looking at the case and deciding whether it makes sense to deport someone,” says Many. Refugee Justice Project’s presentations, which have reached thousands of people, show community members that these harsh new laws requiring deportation have, in some cases, led to the deportation of immigrants who have lived most of their lives here in the U.S.. In these cases, people face deportation following a single criminal conviction that would result in probation or a fine for a citizen.

“Mostly people say, ‘wow, I didn’t know. What can I do?’ when they learn about the changes to the immigration system we made in the 1990s and what it means now.” Many relates by phone while driving from one meeting to another. “Today’s current blanket laws don’t treat immigrants as individuals with families and connections in this country.”

Many’s presentations often include the film, “Sentenced Home” which profiles three immigrant families who have been affected by the new laws (including his family’s story).

“These are stories that people haven’t seen or heard. It shows these guys having to leave their family, their mothers and fathers are crying. It’s personal.… Afterwards, we share our toolkits, and people sign onto our letter calling for a return to judicial review in immigration court. Some of the young kids who are immigrants, they want to know what they can do.”

One thing they can do is get involved with Refugee Justice Project, and be part of the group’s work making community presentations, putting up fliers, helping locate immigrant and refugee families who are affected by the law, or meeting with members of Congress to make clear the need for change.

Their strength and numbers are growing, and they’re getting opportunities to network with other groups from across the country who are working to change the law. Many thinks changes in the law are possible in the next couple of years.

After all, Many says, “Tearing families apart is un-American. All we’re calling for is a return to judicial review in this process.”