A protester at the Families Belong Together March in Chicago. Photo by Sarah-JiThroughout the month of December, we are sending a series of emails featuring grantee profiles. In our most recent grant cycle, we funded 120 amazing grantees doing truly important work. This week the spotlight is on Northern Illinois Justice for our Neighbors (NIJFON), a Rockford-based organization that advocates for immigration laws that are just, humane and righteous.Crossing the border is not a choice for migrants but a necessity as they are forced to leave their countries due to violence, persecution, human rights violations, and extreme poverty (the role that the US has played in the destabilization of Central and South America cannot be overlooked). The trip itself is dangerous and there is no guarantee of entry into the US. The situation has worsened under President Trump, whose anti-immigration stance has resulted in the implementation of truly horrifying policy: separating and detaining families at the border; putting migrant children in detention camps; limiting the number of asylum seekers allowed to enter the US each day; increasing military presence at the border; and, most recently, firing tear gas at men, women and children who are seeking asylum.NIJFON, whose mission is to provide free, high-quality immigration legal service, engage in education and advocacy, and build cross-cultural-communities, is vitally important in the face of the current administration’s crackdown against migrants and asylum-seekers. NIJFON’s education and advocacy occurs primarily through church and community settings with a focus on migrants’ rights. They have lobbied the governor and legislators on refugee rights and for the creation of a sanctuary state in Illinois, and organized in-district meetings with state and federal legislators. NIJFON is a necessary watchdog for a system that is run by private, for-profit detention facilities and overseen by an inhumane judicial system. An end-of-the-year gift to Crossroads Fund will enable us to continue supporting NIJFON and others who are fighting against deportations, detention, criminalization, and the incarceration of immigrant communities. Please consider a gift of any amount today to keep Crossroads Fund at the forefront in the fight for racial, social and economic justice! //