Annie Comes Home: Triple your impact for immigrants this Giving Tuesday

Monday, December 1, 2025

Triple your impact for immigrants this Giving Tuesday

Having the right lawyer made all the difference for Andres*. Everyone deserves that chance.

Your 3X matched gift helps expand access to legal representation for people facing deportation. Donate 3X now →

Dear Pamela,

For decades, the immigration system has failed to ensure a fair and humane process for people seeking safety, security, and stability in the United States.

People like Andres*, who shared what it's really like to be undocumented:

I moved to New York City from Ecuador in March 2001 with my family. After a few years, we overstayed our visas—not because we meant to, but because the immigration lawyer we hired took nearly $10,000 from us and botched our case. And just like that, we became undocumented. When Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was announced . . . it felt like a lifeline. DACA protected me from deportation and allowed me to work and pay taxes, no longer having to live in the shadows. Suddenly, I could work legally and was less afraid of being deported for jaywalking or taking a domestic flight. Yet the uncertainty of the program was always looming and never went away. Every court case and election reminded me that my status wasn't permanent. So, when it was finally time for me to apply for DACA and, years later, for citizenship, I wasn't taking any chances. . . . And let me tell you—even with my education, training, and everything I know about immigration, having a lawyer was a game changer. The system is just that complicated. I was lucky. I got help. But no one should have to rely on luck to get a fair shot in a system this complex. Everyone deserves a lawyer. Everyone deserves a fighting chance.

Support the fight for immigrants' rights →

Pamela, as Andres said, "guaranteeing the right to legal counsel [is] essential. It's the difference between staying with your family or being deported. Between safety and danger. Between justice and chaos."

That's why Vera is working every day alongside our partners to expand immigration legal defense programs at the state and local levels.

These are our communities, and this is our fight. Before our Giving Tuesday match ends tomorrow, consider making a 3X gift to Vera, to support more families like Andres's.

Together, we can protect one another and advocate for due process, family unity, and humanity in our immigration system.

In solidarity,
Vera Institute of Justice

*Name changed to protect identity.

Gifts made by midnight on December 2 will be 3X matched up to $25,000.