Immigration - Resources

• Interfaith Immigration Coalition
  www.interfaithimmigration.org
  
  • Faith Groups Respond to Senate Principles for Comprehensive Immigrarion Reform - (Jauary 28, 2013)
  • IIC Webinars - MP3 audio recordings and PPT slides from the following national webinar/conference calls are now available:
    • Jan. 14, 2013 - "Faith Strategy & Action for Compassionate Immigration Reform"
    • Dec. 10, 2012- "Breaking Bread and Building Bridges"
    • Nov. 2012 - "Post-election Analysis"
    • Oct. 2012 - "Farmworker Justice"
• 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:
  

  • Lutheran Children and Family Service (LCFS)
    Lutheran Refugee Resettlement Program
    
    • 231 N 63rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19139
      Phone: 215-747-7500
    • 123 E. Vine Street Lancaster, PA 17602
      Phone: 717-397-4757
      Contact: Eric Kennel
      E-mail: erick@lcfsinpa.org

• 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.
  • Resources on Immigration and Public Policy
    washington.mcc.org/issues/immigration/
    

  • Take Action on Immigration Public Policy:
    washington.mcc.org/advocate/alerts

  • MCC U.S. Coffee Project
    washington.mcc.org/advocate/coffee
    Invites constituent churches to purchase and serve fairly traded coffee.
• 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.

• A Call to Action on Comprehensive Immigration Reform,
  National Council of Churches (Nov. 10, 2010)
• Interfaith Statement on Comprehensive Immigration Reform (Oct. 24, 2008)
• Interfaith Statement on Immigration Enforcement Guidelines for Humane Laws
• Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office Guide to Immigration Reform
• Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
• Immigration statements and policies adopted by various religious bodies and faith-based coalitions

• "An Analysis of the Economic Impact of Undocumented Workers on Business Activity in the U.S. with Estimated Effects by State and by Industry." (The Perryman Group - April 2008).
• Also see, for example, Prison Town: Paying the Cost, which describes the economics of private prisons and detention centers (in comic book format).
• The direct cost of removing all undocumented immigrants from the U.S. (immigration enforcement) is estimated to be about $80 billion (see, e.g., GOP senators signal immigration showdown), in addition to the adverse impact on the U.S. economy. Also, since new immigrants will find ways to come here as long as there are economic incentives, a one-time removal program would not end illegal immigration.

• Legislative Issues (Interfaith Immigration Coalition)
  Provides a concise summary of current U.S. public policy issues relating to immigration.

• Reform Immigration for America - Resources for State and Local Elected Leaders for Immigration Reform (rather than enforcement-only legislation).
• Pennsylvania Legislation - anti-immigrant legislation introduced during the 2011-12 session and related resources.

• World Refugee Survey 2009
• Lutheran Refugee Resettlement Program

• Undocumented Immigrants (wikipedia)
• Undocumented Immigrants - Facts and Figures (Urban Institute, 2004)
• Foreign-Born U.S. Residents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 statistics)

• Arizona Immigration Law (AFSC)
• Fronero de Cristo
  Presbyterian Binational Border Ministry
  • Cafe Justo
    Fair-trade coffee cooperative in Mexico
• No More Deaths (No Mas Muertes)
  Provides water and aid along U.S. Mexico border for immigrants in the desert.

• 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

• GEO proposes prison for 2,500 undocumented immigrants (Morning Call: Oct. 20, 2010)

Private Prison Corporations

• Corrections Corporation of America
  
• The GEO Group
  The GEO Group, Inc. acquired Cornell Companies on August 12, 2010.
• Cornell Companies (Annual Reports through 2009)
• Management and Training Corporation (privately owned)

• Urban Institute - reports on how immigration issues affect children

• 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 (NSM)
• NSM - Philadelphia
• JUNTOS (Philadelphia) la casa de los soles
  JUNTOS works on literacy education,leadership development, and community organizing, particularly with Mexican and other Latino immigrants in Philadelphia.
• The New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City
• Sanctuary Cities (Wikipedia)

• Democracy Now - interviews, news stories, video clips
• Movie Discussion Guide - Faith and Immigration for several recent movies/videos available on DVD. (From Sojourners/Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform)

"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).

• 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.

• 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.

• 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
  

• 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

• Wikipedia -- the online encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
• Links to other National and International organizations (National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights)
• Asylum Seekers Housing Network is a ministry of the Resevoir Hill House of Peace and the North Baltimore Mennonite Church in Baltimore, MD.