Who We Are

We are a vibrant Service Team of the Justice and Witness Ministry.  More than 70 volunteers are actively engaged in this critical work.  In addition, we work closely with the  Seacoast Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition (SISC), the  NH UCC Immigrant and Refugee Support Group (IRSG)and community groups such as the American Friends Service Committee-NH Program (AFSC-NH).

When we are working with an individual or family, we form a small Immigrant Housing and Accompaniment Team (I-HAT).  This team provides hands-on practical support and friendship for the individual/family. This support often includes providing rides, assisting with moves, providing opportunities to practice English, and sharing coffee and conversation.  

We have also formed an Emergency Response Team.  This group of people has offered to be on-call to bear witness and offer support if immigration officials attempt to make an arrest without authorization. 

Finally, we have a Coordinating Team who recruits and supports the IHAT and Emergency Response Teams, identifies immigration attorneys, secures Temporary Host Homes, and makes decisions about revenue and expenses.  In addition, the Coordinating Team keeps the congregation educated and informed through our Focus on Immigration newsletter and periodic reports and updates.

 

What We Do  

Motivated by the Biblical call to welcome the stranger, we accompany immigrants in our community as they seek to make a new life here in the United States.  We have a particular focus on those who are seeking asylum because it is unsafe for them to return to their home country.  Specifically, we:
 
 
1. Provide Housing and Friendship and Practical Support.  This takes several forms:
  • Temporary housing and financial support during the six-seven-month period when asylum seekers are prohibited by law from working. 
  • Access to attorneys
  • Rides, companionship, language lessons, connections
  • Jail visitation at the Strafford County Jail
  • Sanctuary for individuals fleeing injustice

    Read our Sanctuary Statement here.

 
2. Call for Fair and Humane Immigration Policies