Migrant Support Collective fights for LGBTQ+ migrant liberation.

Migrant Support Collective is on a mission to fight for the liberation of LGBTQ+ migrants in ICE detention. Migrant Support Collective is a multiracial, multiethnic, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ led coalition fighting for the liberation of LGBTQ+ migrants in ICE detention. Our home is in Chicago, and our members span 22 detention centers in 18 states.

By supporting our work, you:

Support LGBTQ+ migrant mental health
Bring LGBTQ+ migrants together
Push for systemic change that affirms everyone's right to dignity

LGBTQ+ migrants in ICE detention face violence and isolation.

Since 2025, the number of people in ICE detention has grown by over 75%. Every day, nearly 70,000 people are in detention.

This is the reality of being in ICE detention:

Food is commonly spoiled or moldy.
Toothpaste can cost $11.
A 15 minute phone call can cost $17.

ICE detention is even more dangerous for LGBTQ+ migrants. In a 2024 study of formerly detained LGBTQ+ and HIV-positive migrants:

One third of participants reported being sexually abused, physically assaulted, or sexually harassed;
About 50% reported worsened mental health;
Nearly all participants reported abuse or threats of violence based on their identity.

Our members fight back.

We share resources for people's immediate needs.

Our mental health and book programs get people through the day while detained. A gay asylum seeker who received books from us shared:

“A lot of people don’t understand how a book can make a difference to someone inside. They don’t know the hardship of just being in here. Receiving a book and knowing there are people out there that really care for other people, it just makes you feel special. It makes you feel like everything’s going to be better.”

We bring LGBTQ+ migrants together.

Our art programs create shared space for people to share their experiences and dreams with one another while detained. We see art as a powerful tool for social change.

We push for systemic change that affirms every person's right to live with dignity.

We amplify the stories of detained LGBTQ+ migrants. In October, we will host a Community Action Summit with Center on Halsted, the largest LGBTQ+ community center in the Midwest. There, detained LGBTQ+ migrants will share their art and stories.

When you support Migrant Support Collective, you create change.

Our two-pronged approach makes us a uniquely strong cause to support. We don't just meet the needs of LGBTQ+ migrants in detention. We fight for a world where detention is unthinkable. Join us by making a donation today.

Throughout the month of October, the impact of your donation will be doubled!

An anonymous donor with a passion for creative and intellectual freedom is matching all donations to Migrant Support Collective's books fund up to $10,000. That means for every $1 you give, Migrant Support Collective will receive $2! When you give, your donation will automatically be routed to our books fund.

Books and journals offer detained migrants more than just a pastime—they create a crucial connection to the outside world. In an environment where freedom is restricted, the power of reading and writing becomes even more profound. These resources foster mental well-being, empower self-expression, and can be a lifeline of support during difficult times. To date, we have sent books to over 175 people in 24 detention centers across 18 states.

In the words of one of the first people who received books from us:

"A lot of people don’t understand how a book can make a difference to someone inside. They don’t know the hardship of just being in here. Receiving a book and knowing there are people out there that really care for other people, it just makes you feel special. It makes you feel like everything’s going to be better." - Carlos, a formerly detained migrant who has always loved romantic novels and happy endings. An openly gay man from Latin America, he dreams of getting married and having two kids of his own one day - what he calls his "American dream."

Migrant Support Collective is a fiscally sponsored project of Organized Communities Against Deportations.

Migrant Support Collective

Team Members