The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the deep racial disparities and inequities in our healthcare system. Our Black and Brown neighbors got sick at a higher rate and were most likely to die from coronavirus. As the crisis unfolded, our communities mobilized to demand action from our elected leaders to address these disparities. Now, vaccination rates are […]
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If You Don’t Hate Me, Act Like It
by Kimberly Nario Sometimes it feels like I grew up in a hospital. When I was a kid, my mom and several aunties worked at hospitals across Hampton Roads. It was common for my dad to drop me off in the middle of my mom’s shift so I could spend an afternoon bouncing between the […]
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So Much Love for the 2021 Sesh
General Assembly Legislative Session Roundup Part 2 We’re sending our compliments to the chefs in the General Assembly who’ve been cooking up all sorts of progress for the Commonwealth! Our mouths are watering as we’re waiting for the Governor to put his pen on progressive bills so they can become law. There’s just so much […]
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Spotlight: VA LAN Leading the Fight for Reproductive Justice for Virginia Immigrants
Imagine being an immigrant woman in Virginia and finding out you’re pregnant. In a country that is so hostile to immigrants and women, even more so during the Trump administration, how would you move forward with little to no access to reproductive health care? People treat immigration and reproductive rights as two separate issues, but […]
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New Trump Immigration Czar Compared Immigrants to Rats
Washington, DC—Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, widely reported as Donald Trump’s pick as immigration czar, compared immigrants to rats in 2012 and appeared to endorse family separation policies. Speaking on a D.C. radio program, Cuccinelli said “It is worse than our immigration policy. You can’t break up rat families…and you can’t even kill ‘em.” “It is […]
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“I want to tell you what it’s like to not be listened to.”
An Immigrant Mother Says “No” to Trump’s Politics of Fear Recently, a woman in Richmond decided to say “no” to the separation of her family. Facing imminent deportation, Abbie Herrera-Arevalo, a mother of two, chose to seek refuge at a local church instead of turning herself over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Last Wednesday, […]
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Alejandra Pablos is being held by ICE indefinitely
Alejandra Pablos, an immigrant, community organizer, and human rights activist in Virginia was detained by the Tuscon, AZ Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office earlier this week. In early January, Pablos was leading a peaceful protest in Virginia when she was detained by local ICE agents. In a pattern of intimidation and retaliation against immigrants […]
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HB1257 Is An Attack Against Virginia’s Immigrant Community
Richmond— Immigrant justice advocates are disgusted at the Virginia House of Delegates’ approval of HB1257, a bill from Delegate Benjamin Cline that prohibits localities from enacting sanctuary policies. Since Virginia already has laws that forbid sanctuary policies, community members and organizations are speaking out against HB1257 because it attacks immigrant and refugee communities. The Virginia Coalition […]
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House of Delegates Conservative Leadership Is No Friend of the Immigrant Community
RICHMOND— Immigrant justice advocates are condemning conservative members of Virginia’s House of Delegates after legislation important to hardworking residents of the Commonwealth was killed this week. Bills on in-state tuition and driver’s privileges were left to die before the February 13 crossover deadline while a House subcommittee voted to advance anti-sanctuary legislation. The Virginia Coalition for […]
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Immigrant Justice Advocates Denounce Senate Committee For Failing to Pass Driving Privileges Bill
RICHMOND, VA— Despite hearing testimony from DMV Commissioner Rick Holcomb in favor of a bill that grants driving privileges to undocumented Virginians, the Senate Transportation Committee voted along party lines to reject SB621. More than 100 people packed the committee room to support SB621 and were disappointed by the bill’s outcome. Min Su Kang, a youth […]