Pride in Migration

Migrant Support Collective is dedicated to supporting the well-being of migrants detained in the United States. By advocating for the rights of those impacted by the immigration detention system, we strive towards a future of collective liberation, where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect.

My family's migration story deeply shaped my commitment to migrant rights. Growing up, I often heard about my family's struggle to migrate to escape the Holocaust in the face of discriminatory quota laws that limited Jewish migration to the United States. Today, we are seeing the same discriminatory mindset in modern-day policies that criminalize and dehumanize migrants who are simply trying to build a safe home in the United States.

While working at the National Immigrant Justice Center, a few coworkers and I started Migrant Support Collective in direct response to the needs voiced by our LGBTQIA+ clients who were being detained by ICE. That is the model we use at MSC to this day: MSC's programs are shaped by the leadership and knowledge of migrants who are detained by ICE, their social workers, their attorneys and paralegals, and undocumented organizers in Chicago. 

In response to the current political climate, Migrant Support Collective is rapidly expanding our programs to include mental health support, community-building art programs, and advocacy work that will shed light on the realities of the abuse that migrants face while detained. While Migrant Support Collective serves all detained migrants throughout the entire country, our programs center LGBTQIA+ migrants, who face a particularly high level of abuse in detention and who make up a significant portion of MSC’s participants.

The Problem

Detained LGBTQIA+ migrants do not have sufficient access to services that support their wellbeing. Where access exists, it is severely lacking. Immigration Equality, the National Immigrant Justice Center, and Human Rights First reported the following in their 2024 study of formerly detained LGBTQIA+ and HIV-positive migrants:

• One third of participants reported being sexually abused, physically assaulted, or sexually harassed;
• About 50% reported worsened mental health;
• Nearly all participants reported xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic, and/or racist verbal abuse or threats of violence.

Migrant Support Collective’s Solution

Migrant Support Collective takes a dual approach to solving the issues that detained migrants face, through a combination of direct services and advocacy:

• Direct Services: Our direct service programs address detained migrants’ immediate, material needs, building trust and reciprocity that encourages participants to engage in advocacy efforts with us as a team.
• Advocacy: Through cross-movement solidarity and intersectional analysis, we address the systemic issues that lead to the need for direct services in the first place. 

How You Can Help!

Pride in Migration is a month-long giving challenge, so join the movement by contributing by the end of July. Your donation will directly result in programs and services to further immigrant rights!

Through the end of July, anyone who gives a one-time donation of the below amounts will receive the following gift(s) from Migrant Support Collective, thanks to the generous donations of Waffle Studio Shop. You will receive your gift in August once the campaign ends.

$25

• An MSC themed bookmark

$50

• An MSC themed bookmark or cup cozy; MSC will email you to ask which one you prefer

$75

• An MSC themed bookmark, cup cozy, or magnet; MSC will email you to ask which one you prefer

$100

• A limited edition MSC ‘Pride Demands Liberation’ Shirt; MSC will email you to ask what your shirt size is
• An MSC themed bookmark, cup cozy, or magnet; MSC will email you to ask which one you prefer

$150+

• Two limited edition MSC ‘Pride Demands Liberation’ Shirts, plus one additional shirt for each additional $50 donated above; MSC will email you to ask what your shirt sizes are
  • Example: $150 = 2 shirts; $200 = 3 shirts; $250 = 4 shirts
• An MSC themed bookmark, cup cozy, AND magnet

Want to further your impact with your own crowdfunding campaign?

Email us at beck@migrantsupportcollective.org to let us know! As a thank you for your help, we’re offering even more gifts to people who raise different amounts of money for us through their own crowdfunding campaigns!

$100

• An MSC themed bookmark, cup cozy, or magnet

$250

• An MSC themed bookmark, cup cozy, or magnet
• A limited edition MSC ‘Pride Demands Liberation’ shirt

$250

• An MSC themed bookmark, cup cozy, or magnet
• A limited edition MSC ‘Pride Demands Liberation’ shirt

$500+

• An MSC themed bookmark, cup cozy, AND magnet
• A limited edition MSC ‘Pride Demands Liberation’ shirt

Thank you for supporting detained migrants! To help get the word out, you can share the fundraiser link to your social media.

To learn more about our mission, programs, and impact, please visit our website: www.migrantsupportcollective.org. 

Migrant Support Collective is fiscally sponsored by Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD), a nonprofit organization who resists the deportation and criminalization of immigrants.