Systems of incarceration and detention separate families. New Breath Foundation supports grassroots organizations that help keep families together by providing navigation and referral, case management, legal representation, culturally affirming youth leadership and community engagement programs, and support services.
In addition to direct grants, New Breath Foundation provides additional capacity-building resources these organizations need for sustainability—coaching, connections to other funders, training, and community-building convenings.
In the coming weeks, you’ll meet several of our grantee partners—the organizations showing up every day to keep families together. Your support helps them expand their programs and deepen their impact, and we hope their stories inspire you to join us.
We’re committed to this work more than ever.
We’re working to raise $100,000 by December 31st, and every gift brings us closer to that goal.
When you give to Keep Families Together, you directly fund this work.
Fighting to Keep Families Whole: KhAAG’s Frontline Deportation Defense
Note: The following is based on an interview with KhAAG and has been lightly edited and reformatted for readers.
As deportations surge and increasingly dangerous situations emerge, including third-country deportations, KhAAG has positioned itself at the forefront of this fight. We work directly with families, provide critical media training, and reach out to communities beyond Southeast Asia who are also facing the threat of third-country deportations. Our work extends far beyond individual campaigns and cases. It impacts entire communities regionally, nationally, and now internationally.
One of our team members, Bong Many, was incarcerated over 30 years ago and has been instrumental in connecting with those who’ve served time and now face deportation. When people learn that Many shares their experience, it changes everything; they’re not just talking to an advocate—they’re talking to someone who truly understands.
Keeping Families Together
When a Vietnamese national was re-detained at an ICE check-in, Bong Many worked through the night to launch his case. With other organizations overwhelmed, we contacted the Seattle Clemency Project (SCP) for legal support. SCP successfully filed a habeas corpus petition, and he won his release, had his conviction vacated, and regained his green card. The heartfelt letter from him and his family reminded our team why we answer emails in the middle of the night. Cases like these make the work worthwhile.
The Work Continues
We continue to push for expedited gubernatorial pardons and new legislation while sharing our expertise with other organizations to help them achieve similar goals. We also mobilize our networks quickly, leveraging the collective experience, knowledge, and leadership of those directly impacted.
The proof is in the results: families reunited after loved ones were pulled off deportation flights at the 11th hour, and we’ve helped them secure permanent residency and citizenship.
Recently, and specifically this year, we have expanded significantly, thanks in no small part to New Breath Foundation’s We Got Us Fund grant. With NBF’s support, we’ve been able to participate at a much greater level and expand our support to include individuals in Laos and Vietnam, meeting the surging demand. While we can’t fulfill every need, these examples illustrate some of the pathways we’ve been able to forge.
The Khmer Anti-deportation and Advocacy Group (KhAAG) is dedicated to advancing the rights and welfare of all refugee and immigrant communities by offering support, assistance, and guidance in navigating the immigration system in the United States.