Community Advocate Update |
July 2, 2026 Update: Recent Attacks on Immigrant Rights & Donation Drive Needs for Charlotte Families |
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We wanted to give you a quick update on the last few months. While the large-scale operations we saw earlier this year and at the end of last year no longer seem to be the primary approach, attacks on immigrant communities have not slowed. They've simply changed.
ICE recently detained more than 10,000 people in just five days and continues to target people at immigration appointments and places of work. Since January 2025, the agency has also detained more than 6,200 children. These actions continue to separate families and create deep uncertainty and fear. While we celebrate the Supreme Court's recent decision to uphold birthright citizenship, the challenge itself reflects the continued attacks on immigrant rights.
In North Carolina, lawmakers overrode the governor's veto of SB153, requiring the State Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies to work with ICE and expand immigration enforcement. We will see this directly affect families here in Charlotte in their daily lives, including travel to and from school and work.
Taken together, these actions continue to target immigrant families, advocates, and the organizations working alongside them.
We see the impact here in Charlotte every day. Since September 2025, our Family Support Team has worked with more than 890 families, and we are on track to work with more than 1,000 this year—more than three times as many as the year before.
At the ourBRIDGE Charlotte is Home Center, more families are walking in for low-cost healthcare at the Ophelia Garmon-Brown Clinic, as well as diapers, wipes, food, and other basic essentials. In May alone, ourBRIDGE worked with more than 130 families at the center. In response, we're opening a pantry stocked with the food, diapers, wipes, and essentials families have told us they need most. Our goal is simple: every family who walks through our doors can leave with something they need while our team connects them to longer-term support.
Right now, our biggest need is help keeping that pantry stocked. If you're able to organize a drive for food, diapers, or wipes, reach out to info@joinourbridge.org, and we'll send more information along with our list of needed items.
As always, donations allow our team to keep responding and show up for families in Charlotte every day. Thank you for your continued support and for advocating alongside immigrant families. With care, |
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Here's where our hope for the future lies, and why we won't slow down. |
Below are two poems written by our Middle School BRIDGE Kids. Amid the stress many kids and families are navigating, children across our city are showing up with hope, so we must too.
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I come from I come from Where was I born? On a land that isn’t torn I come from Not far But not as close as the stars I come from Somalia, land of the poets
Where every heart has a story to show it I come from Crispy sambusa fried and gold With a spicy secret they always told With a dhunto beat it brings me to my feet I come from A vibrant community |
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| Mi Venezuela
En mi Venezuela querida, bajo el cielo tropical, en nuestros pueblos vive la felicidad y la armonía, que están presentes hasta en los momentos más malos. La música nos hace bailar; las familias se reúnen, celebran y comparten.
En mi país la felicidad nunca dejará de existir, porque nuestro país siempre estará feliz y las familias nunca dejarán de compartir. En mi país la música no falta, porque la música reúne a la familia. Nos hace reír, nos hace bailar y compartir con nuestros seres queridos. En mi país las familias compartimos aunque no nos conozcamos, porque lo que importa es compartir. |
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| Mi Venezuela (English Translation)
In my beloved Venezuela, underneath the tropical sky, in our village lives happiness and harmony, that is present even in the hardest moments, the music makes us dance, families come together, celebrate, and share. In my country, happiness will never stop, because our country will always have happiness, and families will never stop sharing with each other In my country music will never stop, because the music unites our families, it makes us laugh, it makes us dance, and share with our loved ones In my country families share even if they don't know each other, because what matters is sharing. |
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Ways you can support ourBRIDGE |
1. Donate - We can't do this work without the backing of a strong community. If you believe in our work, please consider donating today or becoming a monthly donor.
2. Organize a Food Drive or Baby Essentials Drive: Email info@joinourbridge.org to set it up.
3. Read a book from our 2026 Recommended Reading List: Selected books by our staff that center immigrant, refugee, and first-generation stories and authors. Keep an eye out for more details on our Silent Book Club Fundraiser on September 18th.
4. Save the date for Saturday, October 17 for our 13th Annual International Fall Fest — a day of food, dance, music, and performances from around the world. More info here. |
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Ways you can support Charlotte Neighbors |
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