Local agencies join forces to help aid immigrant families released by ICE

Sure Helpline Crisis and the Brown Bag Coalition announced today that they were joining forces to help immigrant families after they’ve been released by Immigration Customs and Enforcement.

Last Friday, after being released by ICE, two families of immigrants were awaiting a Greyhound bus to take them back to their homes or relatives.

With just the clothes on their back members of the Brown Bag Coalition and Sure Helpline Crisis came to their rescue. “You know a trip to Florida takes three or four days. And so we gave them water. We scrambled within two hours that we found out that they were going to leave. And so we were rushing to get things going and stuff,” said Maribel Padilla, founder of the Brown Bag Coalition.

But they need the help of residents and volunteers to continue their effort. Padilla said, “We’ve got children. We’ve got the mothers. We got dads and stuff. So now we need clothes for women, clothes for kids we need shoes for kids.”

By joining forces they hope to make it easier for these families on their trip home. “So these people are trying to save their children. So why not help them? You know it’s just humanity. You need to help,” said Padilla.

Margaret Sauza, Executive Director of Sure Helpline Crisis said this is a need and is more than happy to be there for them.”Can you imagine being on a bus with small children with no money for three or four days and not being able to provide for them a meal?,” said Sauza.

For more information on how to help in their cause, you can call the Brown Bag Coalition at (760) 997-2140 or the Sure Helping Crisis at (760) 352-7878.