IMMIGRATION
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Archive: Educational Events
2010-2011
Contact Us
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This is a brief resource list on U.S. immigration issues and public policy.
Faith-Based Resources on Immigration and Public Policy
- Interfaith Immigration Coalition
www.interfaithimmigration.org
- Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Web: www.lirs.org
LIRS provides services to individuals, families, and church congregations on a variety of refugee and immigration
issues, including hosting new immigrants and supporting families and individuals facing detention and deportation.
In 2007 LIRS compiled a report
on two immigrant detention facilities --
the T. Don Hutto Residential Center Care Facility near Austin, Texas, and the Berks Family Shelter at Leesport, Pennsylvania.
In 2009 the Don Hutto facility was converted to a women's detention center, but Leesport, PA facility still a family lock-up -- men, women, and children.
The Pennsylvania affiliate of LIRS (in Lancaster and Philadelphia) is:
- American Friends Service Committee Project Voice
1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: (215) 241-7000
Web: afsc.org/project/immigrants-rights
Conducts local and national organizing and education cad paigns to equip immigrant-led organizations in setting the national agenda for immigration policy and immigrants’ rights.
- Borderlinks
620 S Sixth Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701 Phone: (520) 628-8263
Web: www.borderlinks.org
Conducts travel seminars in U.S.-Mexico border communities, works with U.S. and Mexico partners to build peace both sides of the border. A member of the No More Deaths Campaign (www.nomoredeaths.org), a coalition of faith communities and human rights organizations working to end border deaths.
- Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.
Web: www.cliniclegal.org
- Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
www.faithandimmigration.org
2012-13 Immigration Reform Campaign - Resources
Resources for Clergy
Movie Discussion Guide - Faith and Immigration
CCIR is supported by an ecumenical coalition of church leaders and faith-based organizations.
- Justice for Immigrants: A Journey of Hope
Web: www.justiceforimmigrants.org/
The Catholic campaign for immigration reform.
- Interfaith Worker Justice
www.iwj.org
[look for new resources in February, 2013]
- Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Immigration Education Program
Immigration Program Director: Saulo Padilla
Office Location: Goshen, IN
Phone: (574) 534-4133
Email: spadilla@mcc.org
Web: us.mcc.org/programs/immigration (Immigration Education Program)
Web: http://immigration.mcc.org (Immigration Education Resources)
- Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office
920 Pennsylvania Ave, SE
Washington, DC 20003
Phone: (202) 544-6564
E-mail: mccwash@mcc.org
Web: washington.mcc.org
Monitors U.S. public policy for its impact on MCC’s domestic and international relief, development and
peacemaking work.
- Presbyterians for Just Immigration
Web: www.pcusa.org/immigration/
- Sojourner'sImmigration Resources
www.sojo.net
- United Methodist General Board of Church and Society
The Washington Office (addresses public policy issues on immigration)
100 Maryland Ave N.E.
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202-488-5600
Email: bmefford@umc-gbcs.org (Bill Mefford)
Web: see GBCS/immigration
or go to www.umc-gbcs.org and search for immigration.
- U.S. Interfaith Trade Justice Campaign
1225 Otis St., NE, Washington, DC 20017
Phone: 202-635-2757 x134
Web: www.tradejusticeusa.org
Partners with church organizations to facilitate engagement of faith communities in educational activities, policy advocacy and fair trade efforts around global trade and investment policies.
Denominational and Interfaith Statements on Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Economic Impact of Immigration
Recent immigrants - documented and undocumented are major contributors to the U.S. economy. As described in the Perrymany Group study, the economic impact of expelling all undocumented immigrants would be comparable to the "Great Recession" which began in late 2008.
U.S. Legislative Issues
Comprehensive immigration reform needs to address worker rights, detention practices, and policies that break families apart.
- Legislative Issues (Interfaith Immigration Coalition)
Provides a concise summary of current U.S. public policy issues relating to immigration.
Also see other links below for more information on specific immigration issues.
Pennsylvania / State Legislative Issues
U.S. Refugee Resettlement
Undocumented Immigrants - U.S. Overview & Statistics
U.S.-Mexico Border
Detention Centers and Immigration Enforcement
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security> (DHS)
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- ICE Detention Facilities
"Public" list of immigrant detention facilities (about 22 total).
- The Business of Detention with
links to other resources.
- Prison Town: Paying the Cost.
Overview of the U.S. private prison industry in comic book format, from realcostofprisons.org.
- America's Private Gulag (June 2000).
- Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) is the largest U.S. private prison corporation ($1.6 billion annual revenue). CCA contracts with the government to incarcerate immigrants during deportation proceedings.
Detention Retention (June 2009) comments on Obama immigration policy and CCA facilites.
- Inside Look at a GEO Detention Center
The GEO Group is the second largest private prison contractor in the U.S., with $1.5 billion in annual revenue.
- T. Don Hutto Detention Center near San Antonio, TX.
with links to other stories about DHS/ICE detention centers.
-
Gulags American-Style: Where People Disappear (WMI Central)
- America's Secret ICE Castles (The Nation: Jan. 4, 2010).
How ICE makes suspected "illegal immigrants" disappear.
- Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center (PIRC)
near the York County Prison - provides legal services for immigrants and their families
- Detention Watch Network
- Immigrant Detention Policy - National Public Radio (NPR: Aug. 6, 2009)
Immigration policy discussion, as T. Don Hutto Detention Center is transitioned from families to women only.
- Homeland Security Contracts for New Detention Camps (Feb. 2006)
In 2006, not long after Halliburton was reprimanded for grossly overcharging in its military contracts in Iraq, Halliburton subsidiary KBR was awarded a $385 million contract to build immigrant detention facilities.
- ICE Raids 2010
Note that the frequency of ICE raids has decreased during the Obama administration, compared with the Bush administration, but the rate of deporations has increased.
- Immigration Detention Overview and Recommendations (Homeland Security / ICE, Oct. 2009).
- Texas Prison Bid'ness
Monitors the prison-for-profit industry in Texas.
- Corporate Con Game (In These Times, June 21, 2010)
Private prison, anti-immigrant lobby in Arizona and Pennsylvania.
- US Marshall Service, Department of Justice:
Detention statistics.
Includes 18 facilities in Pennsylvania.
- Prison Economics Help Drive Arizona Immigration Law - Part 1 (NPR - Oct. 28, 2010)
- Prison Economics - Part 2: Shaping State Laws with Little Scrutiny (NPR - Oct. 29, 2010)
Proposed Private Detention Center in eastern Pennsylvania
The GEO Group has proposed to build a 2,500-bed private immigration detention center in Upper Mount Bethel. This project would require approval of both Northampton County and the federal government.
Private Prison Corporations
Children and Youth
The DREAM Act - legislation to provide a path to legal status for undocumented youth who were brought to the U.S. as young children. Current federal law requires that public education be provided for all children through high school, but after high school graduation there are legal barriers to jobs and higher education.
- DREAM Act - U.S. Senate vote in December 2010
- DREAM Act advocacy and information site.
- National Immigration and Law Center
Detailed information about DREAM Act, personal stories, updates on legislative status.
- ASPIRA - works with Puerto Rican and other Latino youth.
Recommends bilingual education for children whose native language is not English.
New Sanctuary Movement
Immigration Stories, Movies & Video Clips
Mexican Perspective on Immigration
"Quiero recordarle al gringo, yo no cruce la frontera, la frontera me cruzo, America nacio libre, el hombre la dividio, ellos pintaron la raya, para que yo la brincara. Es un error bien marcado, nos quitaron ocho estados, ¿Quien es aqui el invasor? Soy extranjero en mi tierra."
"I'd like to remind the Gringo, I did not cross the border, the border crossed me, America was born free, but the man divided her. They drew the line, so I would have to jump over it. It is a grave injustice, they took eight states from us, who is the invader here? I'm a foreigner in my own land ."   - from "Somos Más Americanos,"
written by Enrique Valencia and recorded by Los Tigres del Norte
- Mexican Perspectives on Mexico-U.S. Immigration:
Implications for Adult Education in the U.S. & Mexico
(research paper with Mexican immigrant stories: PDF)
- Immigration: The Mexican Perspective and Addendum on Recommended Books (April/May 2009)
- Why MCUSA must boycott Arizona (The Mennonite, July 1, 2010)
- Immigration, the United States and Mexico (mexidata.info)
Commentary by Jeffrey Davidow, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico (1998-2002).
Immigration and Trade Policy
- Highlander Center
Many resource links on immigration.
- Immigration FAQs
(National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights - NNIRR)
- Myths versus Facts
(ImmigrationProf Blog)
- Myths and Facts on Immigration (National Immigration Forum)
- National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
310 8th St., Suite 303, Oakland, CA 94607 Phone: 510-465-1984
Web: www.nnirr.org
A coalition of local immigrant and refugee organizations. Offers popular education tools for community organizers including Project BRIDGE, Building a Race and Immigration Dialogue in the Global Economy, and a video, “Uprooted: Refugees of the Global Economy,” in English with Spanish subtitles.
- National Immigration Forum
50 F Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 2000 Phone: (202) 347-0040
Web: www.immigrationforum.org
Convenes hundreds of national groups to advocate on a range of immigration policy issues, and equips local advocates and service providers across the country.
- Oxfam International Advocacy Office
1112 16th Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 496 1170
E-mail: advocacy@oxfaminternational.org
Web: www.oxfam.org
Hosts the Make Trade Fair campaign, calling on governments, institutions and multinational companies to change the rules so that trade can become part of the solution to poverty, not part of the problem.
- Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
2105 1st Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: (612) 870-0453
Web: www.iatp.org
Promotes resilient family farms, rural communities and ecosystems around the world through research and education, science and technology, and advocacy.
- Fair Trade Resource Network:
P0 Box 33772, Washington, DC 20033
Phone: (202) 234-6797
Web: www.fairtraderesource.org
Conducts research and offers resources about fair trade. Connects individuals and organizations seeking
to get involved in fair trade advocacy.
- Ten Thousand Villages:
704 Main Street, P0 Box 500, Akron, PA 17501
Phone: (717) 859-8100
Web: www.tenthousandvillages.com
Provides fair income to people in developing countries bymarketing their handicrafts and telling their
stories in the United States and Canada.
Organizations
- Amnesty International:
www.amnesty.org
Promotes human rights and campaigns against specific human rights abuses.
- Asylumlaw.org:
www.asylumlaw.org
A free website run by an international consortium of agencies that help asylum seekers in
Australia, Canada, the United States, and several countries in Europe. Over 95% of the
content on this site is open to the public, including asylum seekers from any country and the lawyers or advocates who represent them.
- Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc:
www.cliniclegal.org
- Church World Service:
www.churchworldservice.com
- Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees:
www.gcir.org
A good site to find out statistics in each state on numbers of immigrants.
- Human Rights Documentation Exchange:
www.handplant.com/mockups/hrde/
The Human Rights Documentation Exchange defends immigrant survivors of human rights abuses by providing information critical to their claims for refuge in the United States, advancing public awareness of human rights abuses and encouraging public policy development.
- Human Watch Reports:
www.hrw.org
Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. HWR investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable.
- Refugees USA:
www.refugeesusa.org
- Immigrant Legal Resource Center:
www.ilrc.org
ILRC provides legal alerts, publications, seminars, trainings and other resources on immigration laws.
- Asian American Justice Center:
www.advancingequality.org
AAJC works to protect and advance the civil rights of Asian Pacific Americans. It also offers alerts, updates and briefing material on immigration, naturalization, language rights and welfare reform.
- National Council of La Raza:
www.nclr.org
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization established in 1968 to reduce poverty and discrimination, and improve life opportunities, for Hispanic Americans.
- National Clearinghouse on Agricultural Guest Worker Issues:
www.crlaf.org
- National Immigration Forum:
www.immigrationforum.org
NIF advocates and builds public support for public policies that welcome immigrants and refugees. NIF offers a series of short papers featuring useful statistical and historical information related to immigration, as well as immigration facts.
- National Immigration Law Center:
www.nilc.org
NILC staff specialize in immigration law, the employment and public benefits rights of immigrants. NILC also conducts policy analysis and impact litigation and provides publications, technical advise and trainings on immigration.
- National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights:
www.nnirr.org
NNIRR offers extensive coverage of issues relating to INS raids and the militarization of the border.
- Pew Hispanic Center:
www.pewhispanic.org
PHC’s mission is to improve understanding of the diverse Hispanic population in the U.S.
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:
www.unhcr.ch
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established by the U.N. General Assembly in 1950, one of several attempts by the international community during the 20th century to provide protection and assistance to refugees.
- U.S. Committee for Refugees:
www.refugees.org Information about refugees worldwide.
Legal Sites
- American Bar Association Immigration Pro Bono Development Project:
www.abanet.org/immigprobono
Resources for local Bar associations seeking to develop pro bono projects for immigrants. Directory of local pro bono panels.
- American Immigration Lawyers Association:
www.aila.org
Has some basic immigration information and a updates on current immigration policies.
- American Immigration Law Foundation:
www.ailf.org
AILF, established to promote public understanding of immigration law and policy through education, policy analysis, and support to litigators.
- Find Law:
www.findlaw.com
FindLaw is the highest-trafficked legal Web site, providing the most comprehensive set of legal resources on the Internet for legal professionals, businesses, students and individuals. These resources include Web search utilities, cases and codes, legal news, an online career center, and community-oriented tools, such as a secure document management mailing lists, message boards and free e-mail.
- Siskind's Immigration Bulletin:
www.visalaw.com
Government Agencies
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE):
www.ice.gov
ICE focuses on the enforcement of immigration and customs laws within the United States.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services:
uscis.gov/graphics
INS offers press releases, downloadable immigration forms, statistics, the Immigration and Nationality Act, information on Naturalization, memos, 8CFR, information for
employers, etc.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection:
cbp.gov
- Congress:
thomas.loc.gov
The Library of Congress’s site for information on Congressional legislation, past and pending
- EOIR:
www.usdoj.gov/eoir
You will find BIA decisions, list of suspended Practitioners, List of BIA recognized organizations and their accredited representatives.
- Federal Bureau of Prison (BOP):
www.bop.gov
BOP has statistics of prisoners and detainees dating back to 1982. You can search for a detainee by inmate number, name or INS number. The results will provide you with the exact location of the detainee (if in a BOP facility), their inmate number, INS number, full name, age, race and gender.
- Federal Register:
www.gpoaccess.gov/fr
www.gpoaccess.gov/nara
You will find the publication of proposed, interim & final regulations; notices; and executive orders.
- Executive Office for Immigration Review Pro Bono Program:
www.usdoj.gov/eoir/probono/probono.htm
The EOIR has a list of free Legal Service Providers by States and other helpful information.
- Department of Labor Office of Administrative Law Judges:
www.oalj.dol.gov
Administrative law judges from the United States Department of Labor’s Office of Administrative Law Judges
preside over formal hearings concerning many labor-related matters. You will find selected statutes or regulations
relevant to the Immigration programs that may be adjudicated by the Office of Administrative Law Judges,
United States Department of Labor.
- Department of State:
www.state.gov
It provides an array of important services to U.S. citizens and to foreigners seeking to visit or immigrate
to the U.S. It also has DV Lottery information and Visa Services.
- Visa Bulletin:
travel.state.gov/visa/frvi_bulletin.html
This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers each month.
- Visa Services: travel.state.gov/visa/
It has information on different kinds of visa services, visitor visa application, affidavit of support, visitor visas, student visas, immigrant visas, employment visas, marriage to foreign nationals, public charge information, statistics and other visa questions.
- US Embassies: usembassy.state.gov
It has information on Embassies and other Diplomatic Missions.
- Freedom of Information Act
foia.state.gov
It has the Foreign Affairs Manual
- Employment and Training Administration
www.doleta.gov
You will find instructions for Filing Applications for Alien Employment Certification for Permanent Employment in the United States.
- Information on Foreign Labor Certification
www.doleta.gov
processing dates, forms, state contacts, prevailing wage, application process and appeals process.
- House of Representatives:
www.house.gov
Links to websites of members of Congress
- House Judiciary Committee / Immigration Subcommittee:
www.house.gov/judiciary/
Contains testimony from Subcommittee Hearings
- Human Rights Reports:
state.gov/global/human_rights
- Internet Law Library:
www.lawguru.com/ilawlib
- Office of the Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices
www.usdoj.gov/crt/osc
OSC was created by the anti discrimination provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 to monitor and litigate immigration related employment discrimination.
- U.S. Census Bureau:
www.census.gov
You will find statistics on the U.S. population including the foreign born.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
www.hhs.gov/ocr/immigration/
- U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service Asylum Resource Information Center
www1.umn.edu/humanrts/ins/inservie.htm
- U.S. State Department, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration
www.state.gov/g/prm
- U.S. Senate:
www.senate.gov
Links to Websites of Senators
- The White House:
www.whitehouse.gov
Presidential Statements and text of press conferences
Other Resources
For more information about the Peace and Justice Committee, see efpjc.ppjr.org.
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