Client Newsletter / Winter 2025
Dear RILA Family,
As I write this letter, I know the landscape of all of our lives has shifted greatly in the last month. This is a note to each of you to affirm that we, at RILA, are with you. We are thankful for each member of our RILA family, made in the image of God to reveal His glory. We are thankful that God brought you here to us, and that we have the privilege of walking alongside you through your immigration process. Despite what you see on the news, you are not alone. So many Americans are praying for you, concerned for you and your family and stepping in to care for you in whatever ways they can. They are bringing meals to our clinics, signing up to volunteer, making donations to fund legal services and asking how they can pray. They care about you and your families.
Despite all of the bad news, or maybe because of the bad news, I want to share some good things we can celebrate. The RILA family now includes over 1000 clients and over 100 active volunteers. We have had 107 grants of asylum and almost 200 kids approved for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status! What a joyous thing to celebrate with you! We also hosted our 2nd Annual RILA Family Fiesta in September which was full of delicious food and so much fun! And just last month we hosted our first ever Client Advisory Board meeting. This Board is made up of RILA clients and former clients who want to invest in themselves and in the RILA family. I’m so excited for what God will do in and through this group of dedicated individuals!
Upcoming Events and New Resources
As the new administration is gearing up, your RILA staff team is doing everything we can to respond to changes in immigration policy and enforcement. We have also created a webpage with links to relevant information.
We are also planning an event to share about ways you can keep yourself and your family safe in this new climate. We’ll hold this event over Zoom on Tuesday, February 11 at 7pm and would love to have you there with us. The presentation will be available in English and Spanish. You can join us over Zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85650868922?pwd=0S12gwbjZ5ENkfp0nVWtDtgydjNkaU.1 At this event, we will also offer a sign-up for those who would like help creating a family preparedness plan.
Hopefully you also received notification of a new emergency number for RILA clients to call in the case that you are in contact with ICE: (571) 206-8537. If you have not already, please save this number in your phones and do not hesitate to contact us if you are engaging with ICE.
Join RILA staff and our friends at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church on Saturday, March 15, 2025 from 3:00pm - 6:30pm for a Seminar on Mental Health & Parenting provided in Spanish. Dinner and childcare will be provided. You can register for this event here.
In case you missed it, we also have this document which identifies who you should talk to on our RILA staff if you have questions.
As always, please let us know if you move or get a new phone number! You can do that by completing this online form: https://rb.gy/l6l6qs. It’s important that we stay connected as we walk through your immigration process together.
