January 2026. It has been a bitter start to the year.

The scale of the cruelty of our national immigration policies is difficult to comprehend. It is shocking to us all to see the hideous murders in Minnesota, the warrantless home invasions by menacing masked agents, and the arrest and detention of refugees who have full legal status. To make matters worse, underneath these brutalities lies an outrageously expensive national-scale policy which takes food from the hungry, protection from the vulnerable, and care from the sick.

In October 2025, SNAP food benefits were stopped for refugees, asylees, SIVs and other legally-present people, increasing hunger. 1.5 million people from troubled countries had their Temporary Protected Status removed last year, making their insecure situation worse. This coming October, Medicaid benefits will end for refugees and asylees: people to whom we have promised safe harbor as they seek to rebuild their lives from nothing. These policies are having a direct effect on the people we serve here in Baltimore. Several participants in our program are now required by ICE to wear ankle monitors, forcing them to wear these shackles while they go to work, care for their families, or attend university. Other participants have lost TPS and the ability to work legally, and fear deportation. Since our last newsletter, we have gained 30 new participants in the ERICA programs: people coming for legal advice, housing, help finding work, English lessons and emergency financial support. The situation is getting worse.

However, in these bitter times, we are filled with hope. In January, ERICA started a third ESL class for Afghan mothers who are not literate in their home languages.  A woman from Sudan has joined our Pathways to College program and is attending Towson’s full-time academic English program, supported by the warm generosity of our 23 volunteer drivers.  And in the last eight weeks, ERICA has kept eviction at bay for a dozen families through rent support, and has supported other emergency financial needs. While we have about $10,000 of such assistance going out each month, ERICA supporters have kept a lot coming in. We are deeply grateful for the $73,000 donated by individuals in November and December. In 2025, we were also blessed to receive significant support from Baltimore foundations, including the Abell, Blanket Fort, Fancy Hill, Goldseker, Krieger, Middendorf and Stulman Foundations. THANK YOU!

Our gratitude also extends to employers, particularly Greater Baltimore Home Care, who hired two participants in our program at the start of 2026. Additionally, we are deepening our cooperation with our brothers and sisters at Beth Am Synagogue and Stony Run Friends Meeting, inspired by both groups’ commitment to justice in a very dark time.  While it is a bitter time, we at ERICA are committed to serving the stranger with the resources you so generously share with us. THANK YOU!