The Mami Chelo Foundation, Inc

04/29/2026

🙏 Urgent call for support
A bond was granted, but the family cannot afford to pay it yet.
With the baby girl arriving this Monday, we are asking the community to come together and help bring her father home in time.

Please give what you can and share widely.

*spotfund is the easiest place to create beautiful and free online fundraisers. It takes just minutes to start raising money today.

04/29/2026

03/12/2026

Family demands accountability 3 years after Romanian father died in ICE custody at Otay Mesa!!!

Cristian Dumitrascu's daughters are calling for accountability three years after their father died in custody at the Otay Mesa Detention Center.

03/12/2026

Three years ago, Cristian Dumistracu died in immigration detention.

When someone inside a detention facility has a medical emergency, every minute matters. Delays in response can mean the difference between life and death.

Today, the Mami Chelo Foundation, with the support of Andrew Free is releasing video connected to Cristian’s death-footage that raises urgent questions his family has been asking for three years.

Video link: https://open.substack.com/pub/detentionkills/p/video-inside-the-black-box?r=1hha63&utm_medium=ios

This case remains ongoing litigation, and his family continues to seek truth and accountability.

Cristian was not a number.
He was a human being whose life mattered.

Justice for Cristian. Justice for his family.

We believe in accountability and dignity for those in detention. Please support the Mami Chelo Foundation so we can continue fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves:
https://mamichelo.org/

You can also support Cristian’s family directly here:
https://gofund.me/cd815343d

Two years ago, Cristian Dumitrascu’s life was tragically cut … The Mami Chelo Foundation Inc needs your support for Justice and Support for Cristian Dumitrascu’s Family!

02/05/2026

Letter from NJ migrant detainees says they feel ‘kidnapped’ without justification - Delaney Hall

https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/02/05/detainees-nj-migrant-jail-letter/y

The letter was written by an Ecuadorian detainee and 24 others who were arrested by federal immigration authorities.

02/03/2026

Judge blocks Trump administration bid to end protections for Haitians!

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from revoking Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, granting a last-minute reprieve to 350,000 immigrants who were set to lose protections on Tuesday.

02/03/2026

Last week the Senate voted to pass a continuing resolution that would continue funding DHS for two weeks, during which time they plan to negotiate a new bill.

The good news: Senators heard our demands and because of the pressure you helped sustain, they voted to separate the DHS funding bill from other components of the original funding package, giving us more leverage to push for cuts and other measures that will stop ICE and CBP from continuing their violent attacks. There was also widespread support for an Amendment offered by Senator Sanders that would have repealed billions given to ICE in the reconciliation bill and put it towards healthcare subsidies.

The bad news: The Senate voted to pass a two-week Continuing Resolution (CR) for the DHS funding bill which has now been kicked back to the House of Representatives for a final vote. If the House passes this CR as well, it means ICE and CBP will continue to receive funding at existing levels for two weeks, until Congress negotiates a new bill.

The bottom line: Your House representatives now need to hear from you. They vote as early as tomorrow (Tuesday) on the CR. If the CR passes, the next two weeks will be critical. We can’t lose momentum. It will be more important than ever for you all to keep up the pressure! Congress needs to keep hearing our message - No Funding for ICE & CBP and repeal of the billions that they were given last summer in reconciliation (One Big Betrayal Act, OBBA)

TAKE ACTION NOW: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/urge-congress-to-cut-ice-cbp-funding-no-business-as-usual?source=direct_link&

Share these graphics/post widely: https://www.instagram.com/p/DURZL5QgQ5A/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

09/22/2025

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has expanded the use of “Notices to Appear” (NTAs)—the official charging document that places someone into immigration court removal proceedings.

Anyone denied an immigration benefit including asylum, green cards, and work permits, will receive an NTA. USCIS is working with Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enforce laws and remove people from the country.

What changed? Since February 2025, USCIS has been instructed under new Trump administration guidance to more aggressively issue NTAs whenever someone is found to be removable (for example, when an application for immigration benefits like asylum, TPS, or green card is denied). Before, USCIS sometimes exercised discretion and didn’t always refer cases to immigration court, especially in humanitarian contexts.

What’s the impact? Over 26,700 people have been placed into removal proceedings since the new policy began. A large share of these NTAs are tied to asylum applications and TPS cases, meaning even people who sought humanitarian relief are now being sent to immigration court if their cases were denied.

The government is explicitly aiming to deter people from applying for humanitarian programs if they are not 100% certain of winning.

Why does this matter? People who previously may have only received a denial now face deportation proceedings. Vulnerable groups like asylum seekers, children, or TPS holders whose protections ended are at heightened risk.
This policy essentially removes discretion and compassion from the process, treating almost all denied cases as deportable cases.

The bigger picture: The administration frames this as “restoring integrity” and fighting fraud, however this is a massive escalation that punishes people for seeking protection, undermines humanitarian programs, and clogs immigration courts. This is about shifting USCIS from being a benefits-granting agency to more of an enforcement arm of immigration, feeding thousands more people into deportation proceedings.

https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/uscis-initiates-removal-proceedings-against-26000-aliens-since-february?fbclid=IwY2xjawM-WzRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHushPs-olN9ovFd2FB8ybJYJb1sZuVCEgffzHgGW2k64zD5SjY_k94djGCOy_aem_4qJXfHmU6l_3BVfEf2uPww

Since U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published new guidance on issuing Notices to Appear (NTAs) on Feb. 28, it has initiated removal proceedings against more than 26,700 aliens with no legal basis to remain in the country.

09/22/2025

Recent arrests involving migrants who were brought to the country as children are raising concerns among some immigrant rights and legal advocates that the Trump administration is disregarding protections provided by an Obama-era program.
| Read more:

A group counts at least 18 cases where recipients of the DACA program have been deported or are at risk of being deported after being detained by immigration authorities.