ILAP Stands with Black Communities in Demanding Justice
The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) grieves and is outraged by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and the many other Black people in this country who have been killed by anti-Black violence. These recent murders and the glaring racial disparities of the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed, once again, white supremacy’s stain on every part of American society.
In our immigrant rights and legal services work, ILAP sees how anti-Black systemic racism permeates our immigration laws and enforcement agencies, including police, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). We stand with Black leaders in Maine and nationally to demand policies that dismantle white supremacy in these institutions and in the immigrant justice movement. We dedicate ourselves to taking meaningful action to build a state and a country where Black Lives Matter.
ILAP joins over 450 immigrant rights organizations across the United States in issuing a statement of solidarity with Black communities. As we pledge to center anti-racism when we look inward as an organization and in the work we do every day, we commit to:
Supporting and amplifying the voices of our partners from Maine’s Black and immigrant communities.
Using our privilege and influence as the only state-wide provider of immigration legal services to advocate for changes in racist laws and policies.
Bolstering the power within immigrant communities by sharing information about immigration laws and constitutional rights.
Providing legal guidance and representation to help community members navigate our racist immigration system and secure stable legal status.
Working as a staff and Board on internal equity and anti-racism trainings and policies.
In Solidarity,
Leslie Silverstein, Esq.
Board President
Susan Roche, Esq.
Executive Director
A PDF version of this statement is available here.