As federal policies on immigration become increasingly restrictive, the work of community organizations supporting immigrants and their families is more important than ever. Last spring, we granted $20,000 to the Sanctuary Families Project at the Center for Family Life (CFL) to support immigrant parents at risk of deportation to create long-term childcare plans for children remaining in the United States.

Last week, CFL along with the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) hosted Sanctuary Families: Preparing and Protecting Our Immigrant Neighbors, a symposium featuring workshops and a panel discussion, and released an infographic to help families make guardianship choices.

Recent stories about families separated by deportations illuminate the need for education and planning around the issue. The visual tool breaks down the process for choosing a guardian into five steps, including copying important documents and making the designation official.

CFL was recently featured on WNYC describing their work not only informing immigrants but also training neighbors and community members to become potential guardians as part of their Sanctuary Families Project. While people often designate friends or family members as guardians, the project aims to involve the community as a source of support in case friends or family are not able to take on the task of caring for children.

The grant to the program came through our Immigrant Rights Fund, started in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election in response to unjust policy changes affecting Brooklyn immigrants and their families.

An estimated 172,000 immigrants in Brooklyn are undocumented—accounting for 7% of Brooklyn’s total population. In a political climate that is increasingly unfriendly to immigrants, we continue to stand with advocates and organizations that promote unity and justice for all Brooklynites.