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

Deportation Defense Summit via Zoom

8/13/2020

Deportation Defense Summit via Zoom
Saturday, August 22nd at 10:00 am

Deportation Defense Summit Registration

Join us for a virtual Deportation Defense Summit on Saturday, August 22nd from 10:00 am to noon, to learn how you can help in the fight to stop deportations and keep families together. This dynamic training will offer an orientation on protective accompaniment and how we can use organizing, direct action and movement building to win!

Read more about the Deportation Defense Summit in Newsweek.

Registration is free, but required. Speaker announcements will be coming soon.

Julie Ross

Spread the Word About the Illinois COVID-19 Immigrant Family Support Project - What You Can Do Now

6/11/2020

Spread the Word About the
Illinois COVID-19 Immigrant Family Support Project

On Monday, June 8th, Illinois launched a $2 Million COVID-19 Immigrant Family Support Project to provide financial assistance to low-income immigrant families impacted by COVID-19.

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) explains:

The COVID-19 pandemic put the systemic failures of our health care, labor, economic and public safety infrastructure on full display. Our communities have been uninsured, underpaid, and over-policed long before this crisis struck.

As the faults of these systems are laid bare, we have an opportunity and responsibility to fight for a vision of a world where the most vulnerable are not left out but also given the opportunity to live lives of dignity and respect.

The COVID-19 Immigrant Family Support Project is just one avenue to respond to the needs of our communities.

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois Immigration Funders Collaborative will provide direct assistance to families that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences. ICIRR and IDHS will work with Illinois Welcoming Centers (IWC), Immigrant Family Resource Program (IFRP), and New Americans Initiative (NAI) partners with current contracts to deliver this much needed program.

Quad Cities Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees (QCAIR), World Relief - Moline and Open Door (Rock Island Welcoming Center) each received a grant for 20 applications for Rock Island and Henry County residents. They’re working together to ensure that 60 eligible QC families complete the application process prior to the June 30, 2020 deadline.

Qualified applicants must be not eligible for the federal stimulus package, unemployment insurance and federal benefits; he/she must have a photo ID and proof of address (official document with printed name and address, e.g. phone bill, utility bill, bank statement, etc.).

The deadline for application is June 30th. The successful applicant will receive a cash award of $1000, which is limited to one per household. This is state funding, and is exempt from Public Charge.

Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. To expedite your application, please contact them no later than Friday, June 26th.

Contact one of the people below to begin this process. Assistance in Spanish and French are also available (flyers in each language may be downloaded below).

QCAIR: Nana Ouro-Agoro – 309-716-7437 or nana.ouro-agoro@qcair.org

World Relief:  Habie Timbo -309-938-0275 or htimbo@wr.org

Open Door:  Loredia Dixon – 309-793-8201

French Speakers:  Nana Ouro-Agoro – 309-716-7437 or nana.ouro-agoro@qcair.org

Spanish Speakers:  Maria Bribriesco – 563-505-5711 or qcair@qcair.org

Note:  When you go to the ICIRR website, it says "Funding Update – the $2 Million funds have been exhausted." Disregard this message! The QC groups have already been granted these applications and funding is guaranteed (although application submission does not guarantee approval of request). The state of Illinois is continuing to seek further funding for this program.

Flyer in English

illinois_immigrant_covid_relief_eng.pdf
File Size:	279 kb
File Type:	pdf

Flyer in French

illinois_immigrant_covid_relief_french.pdf
File Size:	211 kb
File Type:	pdf

Flyer in Spanish

illinois_immigrant_covid_relief_spanish.pdf
File Size:	211 kb
File Type:	pdf

After Action Report - Civil Rights Forum Met with Theresa Greenfield

2/20/2020

After Action Report - Crisis at the Border Visit with Theresa Greenfield
Tuesday, February 18th at noon

The PACG Civil Rights Forum organized a visit with Theresa Greenfield, who is running in the Democratic primary to be the candidate to run against Senator Joni Ernst. Immigration activists from the many organizations in the Quad Cities working on immigration issues met with Ms. Greenfield to deliver our message, beginning with: "Children do not belong in detention." At the PACG Blog you can read our complete "ask" and some proposed legislation.

We are trying to set up a similar meeting with Republican candidate, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who is running in the Republican primary for the Congressional seat of retiring Representative Dave Loebsack. We will also visit with other candidates or elected officials in both Iowa and Illinois. Contact Alta if you want to participate.

Alta Price

Dr. Bobrow-Strain Lecture on the U.S. - Mexico Border at Augustana

2/16/2020

The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez: Understanding the U.S.-Mexico Border

The Civil Rights Forum of PACG invites everyone concerned about the crisis on the southern border to attend this lecture.

After Action Report - Crisis at the Border Visit with Bobby Schilling

2/6/2020

After Action Report - Crisis at the Border Visit with
Bobby Schilling

Civil Rights Forum

The PACG Civil Rights Forum organized a visit with Bobby Schilling, who is running in the Republican primary for the Congressional seat of retiring Congressman Dave Loebsack. Immigration activists from the many organizations in the Quad Cities working on immigration issues met with Mr. Schilling to deliver our message, beginning with: "Children do not belong in detention." You can read our complete "ask" and some proposed legislation at our PACG Blog post.

We are trying to set up a similar meeting with Republican candidate Mariannette Miller-Meeks. We will also visit with other candidates or elected officials in both Iowa and Illinois. Contact Alta if you want to participate.

Alta Price

Civil Rights Forum - A Message to Members

2/6/2020

Message to Our Members from the Civil Rights Forum - Update

The anti-immigration rally at the Pleasant View Baptist Church in Bettendorf and the subsequent protests have contributed to polarization in our community. We want to use Restorative Justice practices to bring people together and promote healing.

The Civil Rights Forum has used these negative events to take action promoting dialogue and education about immigration issues. We are also bringing people with different viewpoints together to bring healing to those who have been hurt by the controversy.

We have done a Peace Circle bringing immigration activists together with members of the Pleasant View Baptist church. It was very successful. We hope to work together with them on future social justice projects.
Both Republican candidates for Dave Loebsack's seat in Congress, Bobby Schilling and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, attended the anti-immigration rally at the church. We have already met with Bobby Schilling to talk about the crisis on the southern border (see After Action report). We will try to set up a similar meeting with Dr. Miller-Meeks.
We still intend to approach the City of Bettendorf about the problems with racial profiling in Bettendorf. Bringing Nick Fuentes (an avowed white nationalist) to speak in Bettendorf, and the recent distribution of hate flyers, make addressing the issue of racial profiling more urgent.

Contact Margie Mejia-Caraballo or Alta to get more involved.

Alta Price

After Action Report - Civil Rights Forum Met with Bobby Schilling

2/1/2020

After Action Report - Crisis at the Border
Visit with Bobby Schilling
Monday, January 27th at 5 pm

The PACG Civil Rights Forum organized a visit with Bobby Schilling, who is running in the Republican primary for the Congressional seat of retiring Congressman, Dave Loebsack. Immigration activists from the many organizations in the Quad Cities working on immigration issues met with Mr. Schilling to deliver our message, beginning with: "Children do not belong in detention." At the PACG Blog you can read our complete "ask" and some proposed legislation.

We are trying to set up a similar meeting with Republican candidate, Mariannette Miller-Meeks. We will also visit with other candidates or elected officials in both Iowa and Illinois. Contact Alta if you want to participate.

Alta Price

The Crisis at the Southern Border: Principles and Proposed Legislation - Updated

2/1/2020

The Crisis at the Southern Border:
Principles and Proposed Legislation

Representatives from various organizations in the Quad Cities have been meeting to address immigration issues. Our organizations include Progressive Action for the Common Good (Civil Rights Forum), One Human Family (Immigration Task Force), the Quad Cities Sanctuary Coalition, the Sanctuary Project of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities, Quad Cities Interfaith (Immigration Task Force), Quad Cities Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees (QCAIR), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and the Catholic Diocese of Davenport. Many of us are concerned about the humanitarian crisis at the border. We are opposed to locking up children and separating them from their adult family members.

Principles

Although we may differ on the problems we address and our proposed solutions, we agree on the following principles regarding the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees who come across our southern border. We call upon all members of Congress and candidates for Congress to consider these principles when devising legislative approaches to fixing the humanitarian crisis at the southern border.

Children should not be locked up in detention centers.

Children should not be separated from their adult family members, or used as bait in immigration enforcement actions.

For-profit private prisons or detention centers should not be used to detain asylum seekers or refugees. Any immigrant in a detention facility should receive adequate food, water, medical care, soap, toothpaste, bedding and access to legal representation.

Asylum seekers and refugees should be protected from sexual abuse.

Alternatives to incarceration should be prioritized for families and other asylum seekers who pose no risk to the community. Bring back and expand the Family Case Management program started as a pilot program under the Obama administration.

Develop new ways to streamline processing of asylum seekers and refugees. Follow international and U.S. laws on treatment of asylum seekers and refugees, and ensure they are treated fairly and receive due process.

Provide aid to countries like Guatemala and Honduras to help them address the problems that cause their citizens to flee their homes.

Proposed legislation on the crisis at the southern border:

Immigration Court Improvement Act of 2019 - Would establish immigration judges as independent judges so that they are not under the Department of Justice, which prosecutes immigration cases. https://www.aila.org/advo-media/press-releases/2019/aila-joins-senators-in-call-for-immigration-court

Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2019 - Would require legal counsel for indigent asylum seekers, children and other vulnerable groups who cannot afford a lawyer.
https://www.aila.org/advo-media/press-releases/2019/aila-joins-senators-in-call-for-immigration-court

Other legislative approaches to help resolve the crisis at the border:

Many problems combine to create what we call the border crisis. So, there is neither one cause nor one solution. Political attacks focused on fear of the other interfere with finding solutions. Attempts to enforce a narrow vision in response to the border crisis add to the complexity of the problem and may result in long-term undesired consequences. Legislative approaches to immigration must consider U.S. labor and security needs, the vast differences in the standard of living between the U.S. and other nations, and the level of violence in those nations.

Immigration and Refugee Policies that Reflect U.S. Labor Needs
U.S. labor needs are the main reason that our nation supports a population of ten million undocumented immigrants, many of whom have been here for 20 years or more. Legislative approaches that provide a measured response to labor needs, while also protecting our security needs, would be a start for addressing the crisis at the border. Iowa needs immigrant workers to address workforce shortages. Nationally, immigrant workers are needed to address the nation’s aging population and the decline in workers paying into our Social Security and Medicare programs.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) - A good place to start the movement to a sane immigration policy is Congressional establishment of a form of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA was started by the Obama Administration by executive order and ended by the Trump Administration by executive order. ICE is preparing now to deport these 700,000 young workers if the courts rule against them. DACA recipients were brought to this country as children and in the U.S. we do not punish children for the actions of their parents. And, the U.S. needs these young people in the workforce.

Farm Workforce Modernization Act - This bill, passed by the House with bi-partisan support, is significant because it is the first Congressional response to the labor needs of farmers and ranchers, including dairy and vegetable growers. It is not perfect legislation, and the American Farm Bureau wants to modify some provisions of it as it passes through the Senate; however, it reflects America’s need for workers. Meatpacking plants, which are vital to Iowa’s Ag sector and economy, continually advertise for workers with a starting salary of $16-17 per hour. Nationally, hand-planted and hand-harvested crop work pays two to three times the minimum wage. Even with such high wages, farmers and ranchers struggle to fill these difficult jobs in the absence of immigrant workers.

For further information:

National Immigration Forum: Working Paper: Addressing the Increase of Central American Migrants, updated May 2, 2019
https://immigrationforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Border-Solutions_Revised_Final.pdf

Migration Policy Institute: Policy Solutions to Address Crisis at Border Exist, But Require Will and Staying Power to Execute, April 2019
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/policy-solutions-address-crisis-border-exist-require-will-staying-power

Bipartisan Policy Center: Policy Proposals to Address the Central American Migration Challenge, July 26, 2019
https://bipartisanpolicy.org/report/policy-proposals-to-address-the-central-american-migration-challenge/

Human Rights First: Testimony of Michael Breen, President and CEO, Human Rights First at the Hearing Entitled: “Kids in Cages: Inhumane Treatment at the Border” before the House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/sites/default/files/MB-Written-Testimony-House-Kids-In-Cages.pdf

Note: There are many other pertinent articles at Human Rights First. https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/

American Civil Liberties Union: Immigrants’ Rights and Detention
https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention

NPR: ACLU: Administration Is Still Separating Migrant Families Despite Court Order to Stop,
July 30, 2019
https://www.npr.org/2019/07/30/746746147/aclu-administration-is-still-separating-migrant-families-despite-court-order-to-

Southern Poverty Law Center: No End in Sight, October 3, 2018
https://www.splcenter.org/20181003/no-end-sight

WOLA: Beyond the Wall: A Campaign Defending Human Rights and Migrants in the Trump Era and Migration & Border Security
https://www.wola.org/beyondthewall/
https://www.wola.org/program/migration-border-security/

Note: There are many useful resources at WOLA (Washington Office on Latin America), with up-to-date analyses of new Trump Administration policies. WOLA advocates for human rights in the Americas. https://www.wola.org/

Farm Progress: https://www.farmprogress.com/farm-policy/farmworker-bill-clears-house-way-senate
A brief, but balanced report on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act.

Immigrants and Trafficking Among Us Program

1/25/2020

Immigrants and Trafficking Among Us Program -
Saturday, February 8th from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm

Eastern Iowa Community College - Urban Campus
101 W 3rd St, Davenport, IA (map)

Civil Rights Forum

Changing Systems, Changing Ourselves Webinar - Civil Rights Forum

1/15/2020

Changing Systems, Changing Ourselves Webinar - Update
Tuesday, January 28th at 7:00 pm

At home or at
the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities
3704 Eastern Av, Davenport (map)

Civil Rights Forum

The PACG Civil Rights Forum invites you to sign up for a five-session monthly online series on immigration and race sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee, Church World Service, Freedom for Immigrants, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and the Unitarian Universalist Association. The sessions are the fourth Tuesday of the month, usually from 7 - 8:30 pm central time.

Although you can sign up as an individual, there will be a group showing at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities in the Board room to facilitate discussion after the webinars.

The January 28th session explores "anti-racist practice, to reflect on how to show up consciously to work alongside those most impacted by injustice, with caucus groups for people of color and white people."

For more information and to register, sign up at the American Friends Service Committee website.

Alta Price
PACG Civil Rights Forum Co-Facilitator