Justice for Migrant Families

JFMF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that promotes justice for migrant families by providing support to individuals in the federal detention facility in Batavia, information and resources to families in the community, and advocacy both within and beyond the local community.

A future for all of us: 

We envision a world that supports systems characterized by equity, dignity, justice, and radical welcome for people who migrate. We envision a world in which stories of people and places are honored, stories of indigeneity, migration, and interconnection, and where we also remember the story of how we dismantled the detention system and began healing from it.

Our work: 

• Feeding solidarity:
  • JFMF has launched a mutual-aid food distribution program, providing grocery support to immigrant families, especially those who face barriers in accessing food.
• Community Defense:
  • Our community defense efforts have mobilized hundreds of people and brought together many groups and community members to take collective action. We’re holding a critical piece of a multi-layered protection infrastructure, offering family preparedness clinics, pro se support, and Know Your Rights workshops for both impacted people and allies. This broad, coordinated network has strengthened our community’s ability to respond, protect, and stand together.
• Food and connection:
  • JFMF supported 13 of 14 participating families through a food-solidarity and cooking project. With community partners, the project created a welcoming space where migrant families could connect, share resources, and access helpful information. 
    Families engaged in constructive, hands-on activities focused on food safety, food preparation, and small food-business skills, helping participants feel confident and supported. The gatherings centered not only on practical learning but also on community care, ensuring families had a place to feel good, supported, and empowered.

• Court accompaniment:

  • On May 21, ICE appeared at immigration courts nationwide and arrested four people in Buffalo. Justice for Migrant Families supported a young man who challenged his arrest and won his release. In response, the organization created a court-accompaniment and witness program to deter ICE activity, share information, and support families — from handing out flyers to sitting in court and spending time with kids. The community has stepped up, making the program a strong, protective presence.

• Detention support:

  • • Our detention support work has grown in response to escalating challenges — including a book ban in Batavia, where we’ve sent over 700 books and continue to fight for access. We’ve led ongoing advocacy, with numerous articles exposing ICE’s practices, and we remain committed to documenting and challenging their abuses. Our Batavia hotline remains on the hook--our dedicated volunteers run weekly shifts to connect with people who are being detained to hear their stories, help connect them to resources and let them know what is happening in the world outside of the cells they are being held captive in. Our phone program is more than a hotline, its a lifeline for support, solidarity and connection. 

      We’re doing extensive work to help families locate their detained loved ones, providing support both inside and outside the facility. And while releases have become harder to secure, we continue advocating for people to be freed and supporting them through the difficult transition once they are.

      In short: the work is intense, sometimes absurd, but essential — and we’re not stopping!

• Advocacy for all

  • In May, we brought the largest group we’ve ever taken to Albany to advocate for New York for All (NY4All). We’ve been pushing hard on all the non-collaboration policies, both locally and statewide, strengthening protections and pushing for real limits on harmful cooperation with ICE. We will continue to fight for fair rules, regulations and policies that put peoples dignity first on every level of government.