The Hollywood Foreign Press has announced a donation $250.000 to the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) to help in the organization’s efforts towards the reunification of children separated from their parents by immigration authorities. As an organization with a membership composed largely of immigrants, the HFPA strongly believes that all who arrive in this country should be afforded lawful and humane due process. This is especially true of children.

In the current humanitarian emergency, the priority is to reunite families and we believe RAICES to be well equipped to assist in returning separated children separated from their parents and help them recover from the extreme trauma of separation.

“We believe Hollywood can play an important role in changing our hearts and minds to welcome new ideas and cultures to our society,” said Jennifer K. Falcon, RAICES Communications Director.  “The  generosity of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association attests to the fact that Americans believe that families belong together and will use not just their voice, but also their money to reinforce that point.”

Founded in 1986 as the Refugee Aid Project by community activists in South Texas, RAICES has grown to be the largest immigration legal services provider in Texas. In 2017, RAICES staff closed 51,000 cases at no cost to the client. 

The HFPA has donated more than $30 million to entertainment-related charities, scholarship programs and humanitarian efforts over the last 25 years and awards over $2.4 million to philanthropic causes annually including film education, preservation, and restoration.  We have also been committed to aid refugees, combat persecution of journalists, support free expression and combat abuse against women. The fact that thousands of children are still separated from their parents made extending support to RAICES  a logical step. “Our members felt it imperative to step up and contribute to RAICES’ efforts to reunite families,” said HFPA president Meher Tatna. The grant will be formally presented during our Grants Banquet which will take place on August 9 at the Beverly Hilton.