RAICES was founded in 1986 during the Sanctuary Movement as a response to immigration policies that created impossible legal barriers for Central American refugees to seek protection in the U.S. In June 2018, publicity regarding the
Trump administration's family separation policy led to the creation of an Internet campaign to collect funds for RAICES. A
Facebook user in California created a fundraiser for RAICES called "Reunite an immigrant parent with their child." Raising over $20 million, the fundraiser was created in response to a "
zero tolerance" immigration policy implemented in April 2018 by
United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions, which requires
United States Border Patrol agents to detain for criminal prosecution all adult immigrants suspected of crossing the border illegally, which requires separating children from their incarcerated parent(s). In 2018, the organization refused a $250,000 donation from
Salesforce because the company had contracts with the
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Executive Director Jonathan Ryan wrote in an email to Salesforce, "Pledging us a small portion of the money you make from [CBP] contracts will not distract us from your continuing support of this agency. We will not be a beneficiary of your effort to buy your way out of ethical responsibility." ==See also==