Since this past Saturday morning, donors have given more than $10.3 million — and counting — to a Facebook fundraiser benefiting the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES). Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and the social media giant’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg, are among the big-name donors, as multiple news outlets reported.
What began as a modest goal of $1,500, which is the minimum to post bond for a single immigrant held in custody, per Quartz, now stands at $15 million and continues to climb. It’s become the single largest fundraiser in Facebook’s history, according to The New York Times.
RAICES is a Texas-based nonprofit organization “focusing on underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees,” per its Twitter bio. On June 19, the group described in separate tweets that it “speak[s] out against @ICEgov abuses” and that it will “pay bonds for families who need to get out of @ICEgov detention.”
The RAICES fundraising effort was initiated by Charlotte and Dave Willner on June 16, using Facebook’s fundraising platform, which has no fees for nonprofits.
In an FAQ-like statement linked to the fundraising page addressing how the money will be used, the couple quotes a New York Times article, saying, “The funds will go toward legal representation for immigrant children and parents in Texas, as well as toward paying parents’ bond so they can be released from detention centers and reunited with their children. The organization — which currently has about 50 lawyers on staff — plans to go on a hiring spree and fund training for volunteer lawyers willing to travel to Texas to assist Mr. [Jonathan] Ryan, [the executive director of RAICES].”
In response to questions on Tuesday about the origins of the organization, the group explained that its founding stemmed from the 1985 convictions of Jack Elder and Stacey Merkt. The pair were convicted on multiple counts of conspiracy and other charges for bringing illegal aliens to the United States and transporting them through south Texas.
As of noon on Wednesday, June 20, the San Antonio-based nonprofit’s website was down due to high traffic.
They were employees of a border shelter at San Benito, Texas, that was sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville, according to the Los Angeles Times.
As of about noon or so on Wednesday, June 20, the San Antonio-based nonprofit’s website was down due to high traffic.
New Friends: We're getting questions about who we are. We'd love to tell you! These are the folks that founded us. Sanctuary Workers Guilty of Assisting Illegal Aliens https://t.co/EwNCEuwn0A via @latimes
— RAICES (@RAICESTEXAS) June 19, 2018
Ok it's time: #adorables needed. I will donate $1 for every submission to the Refugee & Immigrant Center for Education & Legal Services and their project to #endfamilyseparation and represent unaccompanied minors in courts. Everything is bad. Animals help. https://t.co/JXh00lCZXJ
— ana marie cox (@anamariecox) June 18, 2018
This FRIDAY come party with us and bring cash for a good cause.
We’re collecting donations for the RAICES Family Reunification and Bond Fund, and we’re matching every dollar and cent we collect.
Info on the fund/donate: https://t.co/dRF7H55FrL
RSVP: https://t.co/8VCN5sdrKE pic.twitter.com/K9RxkRxjjk
— yc (@yc) June 20, 2018
Forced family separation is bigger than basketball, sports and, yes, politics. It needs to end.
For a week, use #ENDTHIS to receive 10% off everything: https://t.co/UwW0eva76R
Direct donations are preferable, but we'll donate all proceeds to RAICES: https://t.co/EbVNb4moEm pic.twitter.com/s14xsK2ThF
— NBA Math (@NBA_Math) June 20, 2018
Donate $15 or more to Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services(RAICES) or these other charities and send me a reciept and I'd love to help you with any questions you have about writing comics, pitching and process. https://t.co/8Ax1T2tsEb #makecomics
— Dave Scheidt: SDCC NOMAD (@DaveScheidt) June 19, 2018
Michele Blood is a Flemington, New Jersey-based freelance writer and a regular contributor to LifeZette.
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