Category Archives: de immigrantibus

Please read FIEL director Cesar Espinosa’s op-ed for Houston Press: “The Definition of Courage.”

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Please read FIEL director Cesar Espinosa’s op-ed for the Houston Press: “The Definition of Courage.”

It’s hard to turn on the local news in Houston these days and not see Cesar Espinosa and FIEL in action.

The immigrant-led civil rights organization was not only successful in its campaign to free Emmanuel, the unjustly incarcerated autistic 15-year-old, who spent nearly two months separated from his mother.

It also forced Houston mayor Whitmire to reveal that he was a liar: in fact, his administration had been cooperating with ICE when he claimed it was not.

The mayor tries to write-off FIEL as a for-profit law firm. Nothing could be farther from the truth!

FIEL is a non-profit group that provides discounted legal services for vulnerable and financially stressed community members.

But first and foremost, it is a community leader and builder that advocates for people like Emmanuel and his family and provides educational resources for immigrants in this city (FIEL was founded in 2007 by future DACA recipients and they have never abandoned their founding ideals and aspirations).

I’ve been working with FIEL as a media consultant (pro bono) for nearly a year now. Over that time, I’ve learned something that a lot of people don’t know about FIEL and its director Cesar: not only is he a tireless super hero and champion of human rights; he is also a great writer. I know that because I read everything he writes (I manage the website among other roles I play).

I couldn’t be more thrilled to see his writing published by the editors of the Houston Press. Please read his first op-ed for the weekly: “The Definition of Courage.” Thank you.

FIEL co-founder Cesar Espinosa featured in Houston Chronicle. Please consider supporting FIEL by donating or volunteering.

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Please check out this week’s Houston Chronicle feature story on Cesar Espinosa, co-founder of FIEL, an immigrant-led organization that provides legal service and advocates for immigrants in greater Houston.

(Disclosure: I’ve been working for the last six months as a pro bono media consultant for the group.)

I can’t share the entire article here, but here’s a snippet:

    FIEL’s impact is measured not just in legal victories but in human stories. Stories like that of a father deported under one administration, reunited with his family after years of legal struggle. Or the mother who once served Espinosa dinner at a gala, quietly telling him that thanks to FIEL, her son had just graduated from Harvard. He said he still thinks about the young student who approached him after a workshop and said, “Because of you, I finally believe I belong here.” These victories, he said, are what sustain him through the long nights and heavy sacrifices.

Click here to continue reading.

The story of how Cesar, his siblings, and mother faced the challenges of being “undocumented” in this country is as compelling as it is inspiring.

When you read how Cesar and his family began working to help and protect immigrants, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that they are genuine super heroes for our time.

Please consider donating to FIEL or volunteering: FIEL needs people to challenge ICE agents at the asylum court; it needs bodies to show up at protests, rallies, and to populate information fairs. Just following and sharing their media on your own channels helps.

Check donation links and volunteer opportunities on their site.

And stay tuned: FIEL is planning a wonderful event for November 1. I’ll be sharing details here as soon as I have them.

Have a great weekend “on purpose,” as my good friend Annette Purnell likes to say.

I have a new job! And I need your help…

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I’m excited to share the news: I have a new job!

For the last six months, I’ve been quietly working as a media consultant for FIEL Houston, an immigrant-led group that advocates for immigrants in the greater Houston megalopolis.

Inspired by their mother Olivia, an immigrant herself, the Espinosa siblings founded FIEL in 2007 to aid people like them. The acronym stands for “Familias Inmigrantes y Estudiantes en la Lucha” (“Immigrant Families and Students in the Fight”). The word fiel means faithful in Spanish.

Read their story here.

After the current administration took office earlier this year, Tracie and I decided that we needed to do something more — much more — to help those who are oppressed by U.S. policies. Block walking and protesting wasn’t enough, we gauged. We needed to do something that had a direct impact on the most vulnerable among us. I had been following FIEL for a while and so I reached out to them to start talking about how I could help out (my work is all pro bono, for the record).

Whenever I meet with the team at the office, I feel like I am hanging out with superheroes!

FIEL does a number of things to help the immigrant community in Texas:

    – low-cost legal services for immigrants
    – educational resources for immigrants
    – advocacy for those arrested by ICE
    – awareness campaigns regarding immigrants’ rights
    – awareness campaigns regarding legal scams that prey on immigrants

There’s so much more that they do. I hope you will join us to learn more.

When the Espinosa family and their team get to work every day, they face life-and-death challenges. The work they are doing is vital to the immigrant community here.

In coming months, I will be sharing stories — some heartbreakingly tragic, some miraculously joyous — of FIEL’s work.

In the meantime, please help us by signing up for the FIEL newsletter, volunteering (FIEL needs bodies!), and donating. FIEL is suffering financially right now (more on that later) and every penny they receive helps the vulnerable among us.

Thanks for your support and solidarity. And even if you can’t donate, please help spread the word! Stay tuned…