For Immediate release: Nov 18, 2022

The Florida Immigrant Coalition Launches “Choose Welcome” Campaign to Bolster Communities Welcoming Immigrants and Reject Politicians Playing Games with Lives of People Seeking Safety

As the abuses of families seeking safety across the U.S. continues, everyday people are pledging their support for a compassionate welcoming system, saying they #ChooseWelcome.

WHO: Tessa Petit, Co-Executive Director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition
Ade Ferro, President of the Venezuelan-American Caucus
Paul Christian Namphy, Political Director, Family Action Network Movement
Eric Knowles, President and CEO of the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce
Guadalupe De La Cruz, American Friends Service Committee

WHEN: Friday, Nov 18th at 11am

WHERE: Family Action Network Movement Office, 100 NE 84th St, Miami, FL 33137
 
MIAMI, FL— The Florida Immigrant Coalition has partnered with Families Belong Together, Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP), National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), Amnesty International, Community Change, Local Progress, and Family Action Network Movement to launch the #ChooseWelcome campaign, a nationwide initiative inviting individuals, organizations, and elected officials to pledge to stand on the side of welcome as vulnerable people seek safety in their communities. 

The campaign comes at a time when politicians including Governors Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott have used families, children, and vulnerable people for their political gain, sending them out of their states on buses or flights to Martha’s Vineyard, Washington, D.C., New York, and Chicago. In these cities, everyday people have seen a need, recognized their capacity to help, and have chosen to welcome them.

ChooseWelcome will help build collective support for welcoming at a time when it's most needed. 

The campaign is uniting individuals, faith groups, business leaders, community-led organizations, and elected officials to reject cruelty and be part of building a compassionate welcome system. A public pledge on the website allows individuals and organizations to join the campaign’s network, be displayed on a national map, and receive information and regular updates on how to get and stay involved. So far, 1,591 people have signed the #ChooseWelcome pledge. 

The campaign welcomes anyone across the U.S. to pledge their support by signing the pledge and showing that we will always #ChooseWelcome.

Adriana Rivera
Florida
adriana@flic.org
786-340-8006