Aloha Friends,

Thank you for supporting a cause I believe in deeply. I'm raising funds to support The Legal Clinic in honor of this year's Guardians of Immigrant Justice and the new Clare Hanusz Emerging Leader in Immigrant Justice awards.

Having been born abroad myself, to immigrant parents from Germany and the Philippines (of Chinese ancestry), I recognize the many barriers--social, economic, cultural, political--that immigrants and migrants in the U.S. are faced with, even years or decades after having settled here. My siblings and I too struggled to adapt, after relocating to the U.S. after our formative years in Thailand

It wasnʻt until my work at The Legal Clinic, however, that I learned more about the many legal hurdles that can either unite or tear families apart, and that can be so daunting to navigate without expert legal counsel.

These hurdles have only intensified under a federal administration that is focused on deporting immigrants-including longterm, hardworking, tax-paying, law-abiding residents--as rapidly as possible.

Calls and requests for our free legal help and rights training are coming in daily now, and our staff attorneys regularly visit the federal detention center in Honolulu where Hawai'i residents--including seniors and teens--have been detained, separated from their families, and scheduled for deportation hearings without legal counsel.

There are tens of thousands more in Hawaiʻi who just donʻt know where to start when it comes to applying for asylum, citizenship, or permanent residency, or appealing an order of deportation.

Because the clients that TLC serves are very low-income, we donʻt bill them for our services, and must rely on individual donations and grants to support our work. By donating and/or purchasing a ticket for this event, youʻll be directly supporting this critical work. 

https://givebutter.com/c/2025T...

Please share this event invitation and link with your peers and encourage them to attend/support as well. Itʻs one way that, together, we can help build a strong immigrant justice movement in our state.

One of the best ways to support our work year-round is to become a recurring (annual, quarterly, or monthly) donor by signing up on the TLC website at tlchawaii.org/donate and checking the box that says "Show my support by making this a recurring donation."

Mahalo. Dankeschoen. Xiexie. Salamat. Gracias, Khàawp Khun Kha.

Bettina