For hundreds of people, transfer could mean disappearing into the system all over again.

Pamela, it’s happening: Alligator Alcatraz is shutting down. For the past 43 weeks, the Workers Circle and our allies have been holding freedom vigils outside this detention facility in the Florida Everglades, bearing witness, building relationships, and refusing to let the people inside be forgotten. The vigils will continue until no one is detained in that reprehensible facility. And we are not standing idly by. In a new initiative, the Workers Circle and Sanctuary of the South are working together to identify as many people as possible at Alligator Alcatraz in need of legal consultation and provide that to them free of charge. And even if the people are scattered to another detention center before we can get them help, our support will follow them. We need to reach as many as possible before they disappear into the system all over again. We’ll put it bluntly: We need to raise $300,000 as fast as possible. Our team is working day and night to secure these funds so that we can get detainees the support that they deserve. At this critical moment, will you donate directly to the Workers Circle? DONATE Through our vigil work at Alligator Alcatraz, we've already connected directly with about 50 people and their families who have no legal representation and no money. Many of them likely have viable habeas or bond cases – legal arguments that could get them freed. But they'll never know that if no attorney ever looks at their file. Of the roughly 1,500 people who have been detained at Alligator Alcatraz, the vast majority are navigating this system without counsel. Most cannot afford counsel and thus languish for months without due process. We aim to change that. Participating immigration attorneys will provide low bono (greatly reduced) legal rates, to provide universal consultations for all in need and assess cases for viability, with a focus on securing release. The money being raised right now will cover attorney’s fees and costs, filing fees, and bond payments, as well as the infrastructure to intake, screen, triage, and represent as many of these people as possible before Alligator Alcatraz closes and to allow legal support to follow them wherever they go from there. This is what the vigils were for, so that we could build the trust and relationships that make something like this possible. Over these past 43 weeks, we have built a community with the activists, families, and even some of the detainees who have suffered under the actions of this administration. Pamela, some of the people we've met have already been scammed. They handed over thousands of dollars to attorneys who never filed a motion, or who let their cases sit. They've been failed, exploited, and abused at every turn. All too often, when this administration takes an action that is cruel and meant to harm our neighbors, we have little to no recourse to stop them. This is one of the few times where we can make a direct impact in the lives of people targeted by Donald Trump, and we cannot let it pass. And this is only the beginning. We plan to grow the pilot program at Alligator Alcatraz to encompass other detention centers, and when Alligator Alcatraz finally closes its doors, we will immediately funnel these resources to other individuals suffering in detention, prioritizing detention centers such as Alligator Alcatraz that are able to operate inhumanely and detain individuals without due process largely because they have been able to operate in the dark, without insight or oversight. This collaboration changes that, and we will continue to mobilize to address the current detention crises wherever it remains. As quickly as we are moving to get legal help to the people detained at Alligator Alcatraz, this administration is moving even faster to scatter them in other detention facilities around the country, and their families, advocates, and attorneys will have to start tracing all over again. Your donation – $18, $36, $72, or even more – truly, whatever you can give – directly funds accessing legal representation for people who have none. Make a donation directly to the Workers Circle, which will go toward attorneys reviewing cases, filing petitions, and fighting to get people home >> If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your secure donation will go through immediately: Chip in $25 now Chip in $50 now Chip in $75 now Chip in $100 now Chip in $250 now other amount Your support has gotten us this far. The closing of Alligator Alcatraz is not the end of this fight. But it is a window to do something that could change thousands of lives. The clock is ticking. Can we count on you? Noelle Damico The Workers Circle Paid for by Progress America, a project of Strategy & Hustle   Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Progress America, please click here.