Category: Immigration - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

Davenport Immigrant and Refuge Proclamation - After Action Report

6/3/2025

Immigrant and Refugee Proclamation presented to the City of Davenport - After Action Report

Civil Rights Forum

The Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities presented a proclamation to the Davenport City Council affirming the value of immigrants and refugees in our community. Several coalition members were in attendance, and the proclamation was accepted with support!

Allison Ambrose

World Cultures Festival artwork - After Action Report

4/8/2025

World Cultures Festival and Fines Arts Showcase - After Action Report UPDATE

Civil Rights Forum

The Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities hosted a Fine Arts Showcase for Immigrant and Refugee students at the Rogalski Center at St. Ambrose University. Local art submissions were showcased as part of the QC World Cultures Festival. There were 12 submissions, including artwork, poetry and essays that were created by students from age 5 to 14. The winning submission was a poem, written by an 11-year-old, titled They Become which describes the journey of immigrating to the United States. More the 400 people attended the festival, with some expressing interest in joining the coalition. A QC Times reporter interviewed us about the Immigration Coalition and the article is available in the Saturday, April 5th edition. It's titled New Quad Cities immigrant coalition launches 'anti-dehumanization' campaign. This is a good way to spread the word that we are all neighbors!

We are honored to be able to add all of these submissions to our website! Take a close look below! From Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities: Our “Immigrants Are Our Neighbors” Contest was wonderful! There were over 400 attendees at the Quad Cities World Cultures Festival, so there were lots of eyes on our contestants’ works! Check out all of the submissions below!

Allison Ambrose

Immigrant and refugee support in Rock Island - After Action Report

3/17/2025

Pro Immigrant and Refugee resolution presented - After Action Report

Civil Rights Forum

Members of the Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities, which is an arm of the PACG Civil Rights Forum, were present at the Rock Island City Council meeting where our pro-immigrant and refugee resolution was read. Margie Mejia-Caraballo was able to say a few words about the work of the coalition and when the resolution was passed, coalition members stood up and clapped! All in all, this was a very positive experience.

Allison Ambrose

Wold Cultures Festival - Community Event

3/11/2025

World Cultures Festival
Sunday, March 30th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm

Rogalski Center
St. Ambrose Univeristy
Corner of Lombard and Scott Streets
Davenport, IA 52803 (map)

Quad Cities World Affairs Council

This year the Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities will be hosting a table at the World Cultures Festival and has sponsored an Immigrant and Refugee Poetry, Essay and Visual Arts Contest. Come by to experience the many wonderful cultures present in the Quad Cities and to see the contest submissions created by local students.

Allison Ambrose

Know your rights to support immigrants - No Hate in Our States

3/6/2025

Know your rights! Talking to people about their rights

ACLU Iowa

In response to increased attacks on immigrants’ rights organizations and many others who provide know your rights information to people, our national office has put together a short guide on your rights in advocating and sharing information. Read more here from the ACLU. The guide begins this way:

You have the right to share truthful, lawfully obtained information about law enforcement and tell people about their legal rights—even if they’re in trouble. You can also advocate for changes to laws without fear, as long as you’re not directly inciting or aiding and abetting illegal activity. Understanding these protections can help you navigate conversations about our constitutional rights with confidence.

It gives five choices which include sharing info about a law enforcement incident, how you can decrease your risk when talking to people, how to support people who are fearful of law enforcement, and more.

Cindy Garcia
Communications Manager
American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa

Celebrate Las Posadas - What You Can Do Now

12/18/2024

Celebrate Las Posadas with your neighbors!
Tuesday, December 17th to Monday, December 23rd at 6:00 pm

St. Anthony's Church
3rd and Main Streets
Davenport, IA (map)

Civil Rights Forum

"We are all neighbors" initiative - Las Posadas

Las Posadas is a nine-day celebration that commemorates the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph's search for shelter for the birth of Jesus. The word "posada" means "inn" or "lodging." The celebration is primarily observed in Latin America, including Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, and by Latin Americans in the United States.

St. Anthony's Las Posadas will start at 6pm each night from December 16th through December 23rd, except on Saturday, the 21st, when the Posada will begin right after the 4:30 pm mass.

Each evening will include "activities relating to the Holy Family" and a Rosary, which will be hosted by a different family. Food will be served.

Join us to learn about a cultural tradition that is brought to our community by our neighbors of Latin American origin.

Allison Ambrose

International Migrants Day - Of Interest to Our Community

12/15/2024

International Migrants Day
Wednesday, December 18th

The Civil Rights Forum has started a new initiative to recognize immigrants as our neighbors! December 18th is International Migrants Day. We have submitted the following Letter to the Editor to our local papers:

International Migrants Day is December 18th

According to the United Nations website, on December 4, 2000, the General Assembly
of the United Nations, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants
in the world, proclaimed December 18 to be International Migrants Day. On that day in
1990, the Assembly adopted the “International Convention on the Protection of the
Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.”

On International Migrants Day, we reflect on and celebrate the contributions of millions
of migrants worldwide. Migrants and displaced people represent some of the most
vulnerable and marginalized groups in society. Migrants have proven to be a source of
prosperity, innovation and sustainable development to the countries in which they
reside.

Locally, we recognize (im)migrants as our neighbors, especially when we hear their
personal stories, like Eduardo’s, a local nurse and cardiac sonographer. Eduardo
gained citizenship 30 years after crossing the border when he was 9. His parents made
the decision to cross the border to protect their family. A Mexican cartel had targeted
Eduardo’s father, who fought for better equality in the Mexican healthcare system. He
was very involved in social justice and publicly denounced the injustices and threats
brought on by the cartels, which exposed the family to danger. Once across the border,
Eduardo’s parents remained undocumented but worked hard to provide their two sons
with the American Dream, which Eduardo is happy to say he has been able to pursue.

Today, let’s celebrate our (im)migrant neighbors!

Allison Ambrose
Davenport
(This was written on behalf of the Civil Rights Forum of Progressive Action for the
Common Good.)

Call to Action! Contact your Iowa legislators about bills affecting immigrants

2/28/2024

Call to Action! Contact your Iowa legislators now!

Civil Rights Forum

Various bills that attack immigrants have been introduced into both the Iowa House of Representative and the Iowa Senate. The bills reject "Iowa Nice" ideals and could destroy opportunities of prosperous futures for those impacted and have negative ramifications across the state. Our legislators should be focusing on proposals that strengthen our communities versus proposing solutions to problems that do not exist.

TAKE ACTION NOW by letting your Iowa legislators know how you feel about these bills! Learn the details of each one through the links below. The legislative voting process in Iowa is very fast and we expect that they will try to pass these sometime this month. Contact them today! And again this week!

Making us a state that is not migrant friendly will have a negative impact on Iowa's economy. Read the attached pdf below from the American Immigration Council that explains: As neighbors, business owners, taxpayers (emphasis added), and workers, immigrants are an integral part of Iowa’s diverse and thriving communities and make extensive contributions that benefit all. You may read the entire article, Map the Impact - Immigrants in Iowa, here or download the pdf attached below. Make sure your friends and family educate themselves on the important roles that immigrants play in our state!

Use this link to find the names of your Iowa State legislators. Senator Scott Webster of Bettendorf (District 47), has been identified as a key legislator to contact. His contact information can be found on this link. Call, email or write to him!

Some of the talking points to bring up with your legislators are:

Migration policy is typically handled at the federal level.
What are the problems that these “solutions” address?
How do these bills accomplish anything productive?

Here are the bills that we are concerned about. Click on the blue name to read each one. SF stands for Senate File and HF stands for House File.

SF 2340 would create a state crime of “illegal entry into the state by an alien.” This bill is believed to be pre-empted by federal law and the U.S. Constitution. It is problematic that this bill would explicitly allow state officials to prosecute an individual for state immigration crimes, even if that person’s application for immigration relief is pending before federal authorities. Read a summary of SF 2340 here.
HF 2112 would create the state crime of “smuggling of persons.” The language of the bill is vague. Does “encourage” or “induce” a person to remain in the U.S. mean providing food or shelter to an immigrant? Does it mean a person sending money home to a family? That should not be out of bounds. Read a summary of HF 2112 here.
HF 2320 would forbid state universities and community colleges from offering in-state tuition to residents of Iowa unless they can prove “lawful presence.” Young people should not be hindered from working towards a promising future only because they were brought to the United States by their parents at a young age without legal status. As state and local taxpayers, we have already invested in the education of these young people for many years and in some cases this proposal might stop us from getting a return on our investment. Read a summary of HF 2320 here.
SF 108 would make use of the voluntary federal “e-verify” program mandatory for employers in Iowa. E-verify is a web-based system that allows enrolled employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. This bill is duplicative in part because the federal government is already authorized to investigate employment violations in this context. Read a summary of SF 108 here.

Contact me with any questions!

Allison Ambrose

aic_map_the_imapct-iowa.pdf
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Post Card Writing Party - Support Immigrants - What You Can Do Now

2/20/2024

Postcard Writing Party!
Saturday, February 24th at 9:30 am

The Brewed Book
1524 N. Harrison St
Davenport, IA 52803 (map)

Civil Rights Forum

Come to advocate for immigrants by writing postcards to your legislators! Between 9:30 and 11:00 am, the Civil Rights Forum will have the materials needed for you to express your opinion to your Iowa State legislators on some of the proposed bills dealing with immigrants in Iowa. These bills are moving quickly and affect peoples' lives! Your legislators need to hear from you. Your first cup of coffee will be compliments of PACG. We hope to see you there!

Allison Ambrose

Help an Afghan family - Of Interest to Our Community

1/2/2024

An Afghan family needs your help

Quad Cities Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees (QCAIR)

An Afghan family of nine came to the United States in 2021. The father was employed by the US embassy in Afghanistan. Right now, the mother is being treated for cancer, she has daily doctor's appointment. She became so sick from the treatment, she is unable to care for their seven children. Another surgery is scheduled for March of 2024. Her husband was advised by her doctor to stay home from his job to care for the family. At this time, this family has no income, and is at risk of being evicted. QCAIR is doing what they can to help them pay bills, find affordable housing and look for a night shift job.

If you like to help, please contact Amy at the QCAIR office below or make a donation at: gofund.me/QCAIR QCAIR will ensure that 100% of these donations go directly to this family's needs.

Susan Leuthauser

Amy DeHaven
[email protected]
563-639-5491