Sanctuary MKE

A preparedness tool rooted in care, grief, and accompaniment

Sanctuary MKE is a free, privacy-first web app created to help individuals and families prepare for immigration encounters and other emergencies with clarity, dignity, and care.

It exists because fear, separation, and uncertainty are forms of grief — and people deserve support before a crisis, not only after one.

  • At North Node, our work is grounded in accompaniment through life’s most vulnerable transitions — including death, loss, separation, and profound uncertainty.

    Before Sanctuary was ever a technology project, it was a response to what we witnessed in real lives: families caught unprepared in moments of sudden disruption, struggling not only with systems, but with fear, confusion, and anticipatory loss.

    Our founder spent more than fifteen years working as an immigration attorney, walking alongside individuals and families navigating detention, deportation, and prolonged legal uncertainty. Over time, that work revealed a deeper truth: the most devastating harm often came not only from legal outcomes, but from the absence of preparation, clarity, and support when families were abruptly separated.

    Sanctuary was born at the intersection of that experience and a calling toward death doula and grief-centered care — a recognition that immigration enforcement creates its own forms of loss, ambiguity, and mourning.

  • Sanctuary MKE helps people:

    • Know their rights if approached by ICE or law enforcement

    • Prepare an emergency plan for children, pets, and loved ones

    • Store important documents securely on their own device

    • Find trusted local legal and community resources in Wisconsin

    • Access information without creating an account when needed

    The app is intentionally simple, bilingual (English/Español), and designed to be usable even under stress.

  • Care requires trust.

    • Sanctuary MKE stores information on the user’s device, not on a central server

    • No personal data is sold, tracked, or shared

    • Users choose if and when to back up or share information

    • “Know Your Rights” content is always available without logging in

    Sanctuary is not affiliated with any government agency and does not provide legal advice. It connects users to trusted nonprofit and community-based legal resources.

  • Not all grief begins with death.

    Family separation, detention, deportation, and the threat of disappearance create their own forms of loss — often sudden, ambiguous, and deeply destabilizing. These experiences carry the same hallmarks as other profound transitions: fear, disorientation, and the need for grounding support.

    At North Node, we believe preparation is an act of care. Having a plan, knowing one’s rights, and reducing uncertainty can lessen harm and preserve dignity when people face forces beyond their control.

    Sanctuary MKE is offered in that spirit.

  • You can access the Sanctuary app here:

    👉 Open the Sanctuary App
    https://sanctuarymke.org

    You do not need to create an account to read Know Your Rights information