Minnesota Interfaith Coalition on Immigration

ICOM is an antiracist grassroots, 501c3 non-profit organization that formed in 2008 in response to state and national policies which unfairly target immigrants and refugees. 

Guided by our faith values, ICOM is dedicated to advancing systemic changes to legislative and political structures to better protect the human and civil rights of immigrants and shield them from racial profiling and nativist bigotry. 

By working in coalition with immigrant rights and legal organizations, ICOM advocates for policy changes at all governmental levels. We are currently leading campaigns to end cooperation of county sheriffs with ICE and to pass state-level legislation limiting voluntary and unnecessary collaboration between state, county, and municipal law enforcement and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We are also supporting campaigns to oppose expansion of ICE detention facilities in Sherburne County.

On the second Tuesday of every month, ICOM hosts a prayer vigil at the Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, the regional ICE headquarters for a five-state area and the site of both immigrant detention facilities and an immigration court.

People of any faith and no particular faith are invited to join in an hour of prayer and song, hosted by a rotating cast of faith communities and social justice groups. Guest speakers provide attendees with concrete opportunities to show solidarity with detainees and to oppose inhumane detention practices.

After each vigil, ICOM invites attendees to join in observing immigration court proceedings — a powerful opportunity to witness how the deportation system works. ICOM’s courtwatch is unique in that it can also lead directly to helping detainees and their families. If you’d like to help organize an upcoming vigil or want to lend your voice, music, or other skills, don’t hesitate to reach out.

And last but not least, ICOM has a unique program called AID (Asylees, Immigrants, and Detainees) that offers emotional and material support to immigrant individuals and families that face significant barriers to obtaining resources. We prioritize our resources for clients who are asylum seekers, undocumented individuals, and ICE detainees that face extreme hardship due to the immigration system and that do not qualify for or cannot access more traditional or institutional services for immigrants. AID volunteers develop relationships with clients, and help families in a variety of ways: securing emergency food and clothing, locating community resources, offering rides to important appointments and court hearings. Because of our network of volunteers, associates and community partners, we are able to locate most resources quickly. AID is also able to offer limited financial stipends to help in situations of urgency or crisis.