Cribbed from- https://www.reddit.com/r/roanoke/s/9QgPDVSq2u

**Title:** Support networks for immigrants & people affected by ICE in the Roanoke area (resources + links)

Looking for local help in the Roanoke / Southwest Virginia area for immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, or families dealing with ICE involvement (detention, court hearings, check-ins, legal fees, etc.)? Here’s a rundown of established community organizations that provide practical support.

**Roanoke Asylum-Seekers Support Network (RASN)** 
All-volunteer 501(c)(3) that focuses on asylum seekers. Volunteers mentor families, provide transportation to immigration court hearings and appointments, connect people to medical/dental/educational resources, and help with rent, utilities, and legal fees. They support people navigating the asylum process, which often involves ICE interactions. 
Website: https://www.rassn.org/

**Immigrant Connection Blue Ridge** 
DOJ-accredited immigration legal services office offering affordable help with citizenship, family petitions, green cards, TPS, asylum, DACA, VAWA, U visas, and more. Good starting point for legal questions. 
Website: https://icblueridge.org/ 
Phone: 540-581-2963

**Commonwealth Catholic Charities (CCC)** 
Provides immigration legal services (citizenship, family petitions, asylum, etc.) and longer-term support for refugees and immigrants in the Roanoke area. 
Website: https://www.cccofva.org/ 
Immigration services: https://www.cccofva.org/immigrationhelp

**Roanoke Refugee Partnership** 
Volunteer network that builds support teams around refugee families — mentoring, tutoring, transportation, job help, emergency household/rent assistance, and help navigating systems. 
Website: https://www.roanokerefugeepartnership.org/

**Friendship House Roanoke** 
Temporary housing for refugee families (Good Neighbor Program), household goods, food, English classes, and practical support. 
Website: https://friendshiphouseroanoke.org/

**Casa Latina (Roanoke Valley)** 
Supports the Spanish-speaking community with food distribution, ESL, education programs, cultural activities, and know-your-rights information related to immigration enforcement. Works with the Mexican Consulate on visits. 
Website: https://casalatinarv.org/
Phone/WhatsApp: 540-579-2776

**Blue Ridge Literacy** 
English classes (multiple levels, in-person and online) and citizenship preparation classes. 
Website: https://www.blueridgeliteracy.org/

Many of these organizations run on donations and volunteers. Check their sites for current needs or ways to help. If you know of other solid local resources, drop them in the comments so people can find them.

Statewide / regional groups that serve Virginia detainees (including Farmville and local jails)

Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition / Amica Center for Immigrants’ Rights

Primary source of free or low-cost legal assistance for detained immigrants and asylum seekers in Virginia facilities. Offers group legal orientations, individual consultations, and matches people with pro bono attorneys.

Detainees can call the toll-free Detention Line: (202) 331-3329
Family/friends: (202) 331-3320
Website: https://www.caircoalition.org (or search Amica Center)

Legal Aid Justice Center
Fights immigration detention through individual representation (limited cases), impact litigation, and advocacy. Offers a rapid-response toolkit and hotline for ICE activity reports and connections to legal help.
Hotline: 1-844-253-7882
Website: https://www.justice4all.org/ (Immigration / Detention sections)

ACLU of Virginia
Litigates against unlawful ICE detention practices, provides know-your-rights resources, and has handled cases involving Roanoke and statewide facilities. Not a direct case-by-case service provider but important for systemic issues and rights information.
Website: https://www.acluva.org/issues/immigrants-rights/

Other useful resources
ICE Online Detainee Locator – First step to find where someone is being held: https://locator.ice.gov/

CASA raid tip hotline (for reporting ICE activity and getting connected to resources): 1-888-214-6016

Practical tip: If someone has just been picked up, locate them quickly with the ICE Detainee Locator, then contact a legal service provider (CAIR/Amica, Immigrant Connection Blue Ridge, or CCC) as soon as possible. Community groups like RASN can sometimes help with secondary needs such as legal fees or family support.
Capacity and services can change, so call or check websites for current availability. These organizations rely on donations and volunteers.

Printable handout version-

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12JC90TmF2845 -ik-cKUuqdJCJG9XL8ZQ/view?usp=sharing

I finally learned what this is, instead of calling it “that corner brace thing with the thicker bricks”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quoin

Ironic that you passed on BHK’s birthday, and that your first hit single was Happy Birthday, Baby.

You did so much for us all. Thank you.

amy won the number game

allison won number game 2

fairy

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/408545/fairy

i won x2 both time

Next up


https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/232405/western-legends

Animal visitors

An ink and watercolor illustration depicts the charming storefront of an Italian restaurant named “Antica Osteria Rugantino.”

Storefront and Architecture

Facade: Made of warm, textured stone covered in creeping green vines and ivy.

Entrance: A central, open double doorway painted a muted green with decorative black wrought iron grates.

Interior View: Inside, a wooden barrel, framed pictures on the wall, and a small table set with a white tablecloth and a red flower are visible.

Lighting: Two classic black street lanterns flank the main sign, with smaller lamps illuminating side menus and the doorway.

https://games.jackbox.tv/artifact/TriviaDeathResults/70055d028c8dcc69cb53f5776e516e71/

https://games.jackbox.tv/artifact/TriviaDeathResults/790de67a5a19e3ac15d815855e8cd2f0/

https://games.jackbox.tv/artifact/TriviaDeathResults/df4de6269e2b756f16b15a9cc267313f/

https://games.jackbox.tv/artifact/TriviaDeathResults/c77c65252c5f0bb5250af6584931c102/

https://games.jackbox.tv/artifact/TriviaDeathResults/a5d17e1ed89e156973336f3710834af1/

https://games.jackbox.tv/artifact/TriviaDeathResults/974e7f445ade48884baaaea58966ffab/

The ranked players and their statistics are:

Rank 1: Scotto — High Score: $13,000; Average Score: $8,465; Times Kidnapped: 7; Times Escaped: 4; Killing Floors Survived: 6; Questions Correct: 23; Charisma: 0.

Rank 2: Poopheed — High Score: $12,667; Average Score: $8,603; Times Kidnapped: 7; Times Escaped: 1; Killing Floors Survived: 11; Questions Correct: 21; Charisma: 0.

Rank 3: Amy — High Score: $11,617; Average Score: $7,505; Times Kidnapped: 7; Times Escaped: 0; Killing Floors Survived: 4; Questions Correct: 18; Charisma: 0.

Sitting in the den, and this young lady pops her head up to say hello, and chew on some milkweed.#backyardwildlife #backyardzoo #RoanokeVA #deer

— Scottobear (@scottobear.bsky.social) 2026-08-21T23:55:08.161Z

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deer flyby

more deer

whoopie pie skunk

Amy is coming to visit today and will be here for a week. We will likely spend time doing the usual tooling about, working on arts and crafts, watching movies, and playing games, both digital and analog. It is going to be a great time having her around with BHK and me.

Pearl has been having a really good time lately, too. We have been seeing quite a few deer and skunks outside on the cameras, and she is getting more interested in being a sweet lap cat when she is not actively exploring and being a sweet little goofus.

I have not been doing much doodling lately, but I have been reading a bit more. Some recent additions to the future queue include *So Far Gone* by Jess Walter for book club, *The Winter Folk* by Jen Julian, *Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life*, *James* by Percival Everett, and the rest of the Murderbot novellas after number two.

On a different note, I am getting a little tired of some of the nonsense going on in the Roanoke region’s social media lately. I am really glad Facebook and Twitter are not on the menu these days, but looking at Instagram and Reddit is bad enough. I went through and weeded out some of the extreme nonsense because I do not need the mess of character assassination aimed at folks who are just trying to do good.

I will still keep an eye on Flock cameras, city council, and budget updates. It looks like some folks have to be reminded that single-issue voting is a bad idea. We can all agree that Flock cameras and a surveillance state are rotten, but I sure as heck do not want conservative or Republican policies spreading more evil by hurting taxes, education, housing, and mass transit just because we agree on one specific topic.

Does anyone else remember hearing that “w” is also sometimes a vowel?

When I was a little kid, they used to do the whole “A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y” thing with an added “and sometimes W” on the end.

In diphthongs, “w” acts as a vowel component by gliding off another vowel sound, such as in “how” or “cow.”

“W” acts as a vowel when present in a diphthong like “low” or “cow.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphthong

Not over yet though. Last week vs this week.

This is one of many reasons why we don’t need any additional data centers/golf courses/

Upon rereading Fahrenheit 451, I feel that a modern title could be “I Blame Our Screens” or “TikTok Wrecked Us.”

View this post on Instagram

deer flyby

whoopie pie skunk


went to radford, visited a couple of neat spots. hot wheels store, paper assembly, and a creative reuse spot. picked up a couple of art cars, lots of art supplies.

Came home,  watched a bit more nautilus,  enjoyed some Arnold Palmers with BHK, and we read a bit, recharged a bit