Today, UnTours and the UnTours Foundation are pausing normal business operations.
We are giving our team the opportunity to participate in today’s general strike and to stand in solidarity with immigrant and refugee communities, and with all those standing up to injustice across the United States.
We are acting in response to the vilification, detention, and deportation of immigrants and refugees, and the use of violence by ICE and other law enforcement agencies against immigrants, demonstrators, and community members. Continuing with business as usual simply does not feel appropriate.
We want to be clear: we stand against violence in all its forms, by anyone. As we reflect on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (whose birthday we just celebrated), we affirm the power and necessity of peaceful protest, moral courage, and nonviolent action.
In moments like this, radical kindness—a principle that sits at the heart of our work—demands action that meets immediate, urgent needs and invests in long-term resilience.
For those looking to act alongside us, we encourage you to protest, call your representatives, and support organizations on the ground that are providing immediate assistance to individuals affected.
This is not the full extent of our response.
Next week, we will share more about how UnTours and the UnTours Foundation will commit resources to support long-term economic resilience for immigrants and refugees.
We are living through a moment in which real policies are causing real harm to real people, many of whom are part of the communities we travel with, learn from, and belong to. As an organization rooted in travel, cultural exchange, and shared humanity, we cannot remain silent.
Radical kindness guides how we make decisions, especially when those decisions require us to pause, to redirect, and to give something up. Closing our doors for a day is one such decision. More will follow.
Thank you,
The UnTours and UnTours Foundation Team