The Immigrants and Refugees Action Group (IRAG) emerged from house meetings associated with All Saints Episcopal Church Palo Alto’s 125th Anniversary celebration. All Saints Episcopal Church Palo Alto parishioners together have pledged to use their time, talent and treasure to support and defend both undocumented and documented immigrants and refugees. Actions that have resulted from this commitment include:
- Parish forums on ways to get involved
- A partnership with Jewish Family Services Silicon Valley, supporting their refugee resettlement work
- Raising bond money to allow detained immigrants to be released
- Praying and writing letters of support for detainees
- Accompanying asylum seekers as they navigate the asylum process and their new lives in the U.S.
- Attending immigration hearings
- Establishing study groups
- Creating a fund that makes grants to individual immigrants and to immigrant-support organizations. Grants have been made to Episcopal and other faith-based agencies working on the US-Mexico border and within the U.S., as well as to local immigrant families in need.
- Advocating with the California and Federal governments for legislation that advances immigrant justice