Urgent! Asylum Seekers Crisis!

How To Help: Mayor Tim Keller sent out the message below asking all of us to help with the ongoing Asylum Seekers Crisis.

This weekend, several hundred Asylum Seekers are being bussed to Albuquerque from ICE Detention Centers in El Paso.

Please see Mayor Keller's  list of
where to donate and some ways to volunteer.

Along with eleven other organizations in Albuquerque, Congregation Albert is accepting a bus of 50 people who will be arriving to the designated hotel in Albuquerque sometime on Sunday.

Please help Congregation Albert with this enormous task.

Please know that anyone who volunteers in any capacity MUST attend a training at the hotel at 1:30 pm. The time commitment on Sunday working with the Asylum Seekers should be about 2 hours post arrival at the hotel in addition to the 1-hour training.

Congregation Albert has an urgent need for 12 people to cook a hot dinner for Sunday night, as well as provide transportation on Monday and Tuesday.

THIS IS URGENT.
If you can volunteer, please contact the Social Justice committee
of Congregation Albert ASAP through Rabbi Rosenfeld at
rabbi@congregationalbert.org.

The Tikkun Olam Committee of Congregation Nahalat Shalom
is also helping in this crisis.

This is a very fluid situation, and we have some later updates:.

• Albuquerque Interfaith is coordinating volunteers: general volunteers, interpreters, and health care workers. Contact: abqinterfaith@gmail.com.
• Donations of cash are urgently needed. You can make cash donations to Catholic Charities at https://secure.donationpay.org/catholiccharities/
• Cheap, disposable (burner) phones are needed (available at Walmart, etc) and can be donated to St Therese Catholic Parish Hall 212 Mildred NW, M-F 9-5.
• St Therese still needs children's clothes, food, toiletries and diapers.

Latest News (Friday @ Noon):
We've got plenty of volunteers! Thank you!
Still Needed: Donations and phones!

Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh

Leviticus commands, "When a stranger resides with you in your land,
you shall not do them wrong. The stranger who resides with you
shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love them as yourself,
for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" [19:33-34]. 

Letter from Mayor Tim Keller

Dear Community Members,

Just under 300 migrants - folks who presented themselves at a point of entry and formally (and legally) requested asylum status - are currently moving through Albuquerque. More families and individuals are expected in the coming weeks.

As part of the asylum process, each person has a sponsor somewhere in the US who is responsible for their travel, helping them acclimate, and hosting them while they wait for their application to be reviewed. They are in Albuquerque while their sponsors arrange travel either by plane or bus to their destinations.

The city is primarily playing a coordination and support role for work being led by private and religious charities in the city. We are helping to organize volunteers and collect donations.

Currently, there has been an overwhelming response for physical donations, so at this time we are asking folks to make donations online to Catholic Charities or Annunciation House. If you are interested in mailing gift cards you can do so by sending them to Casa de las Comunidades.

We are also looking for volunteer coordinators and bi-lingual speakers who can help take down information. If you are interested, please contact Albuquerque Interfaith or email Catholic Charities at yapitac@ccasfnm.org. Organizations with vans are encouraged to volunteer transportation services.

If you would like to help provide meals, new or gently used clothes for children and petite adults, or toiletries please email donationsabq@gmail.com or drop donations off at St. Therese Catholic Church Parish Hall at 212 Mildred Ave NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107

Thank you, together we are One Albuquerque!

Mayor Tim Keller