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

How many people shot in ICE raids-Of Interest to Our Community

8/3/2026

How many people have been shot in ICE raids?

Civil Rights Forum

from the Trace.org

Using Gun Violence Archive data and news clips, The Trace has identified 30 incidents in which immigration agents shot at people since President Donald Trump’s operations began last year. We have found another 46 incidents in which agents held bystanders, protesters, or other people at gunpoint under questionable circumstances. Eight people were killed in these incidents. Another 14 people were injured. Read the article here and view the updated map of the locations of this violence.

Allison Ambrose

A nation of immigrants-ICQC member statements

7/4/2026

A nation of immigrants

By Brendan O’Brien, Great Grandchild of Irish Immigrants
We’re about to mark 250 years since the founding of these United States, and it’s a good opportunity to reflect on our history. What we could really call our histories. Because the thing about this country is it has never been just one thing. Not one religion, one cuisine, or one culture. Not one story. At least not a simple one. Because you’d have to tell about the long march many took across the Sonoran Desert. And the long march many took from Auschwitz. And the long march many took along the Trail of Tears. You’d have to tell about the march across those sub-Saharan lowlands and the march across that Emerald Isle. And all we are is but a people walking. And all we are is but a people boarding a ship. Who’d been so thoroughly stalked by the specter of violence and famine and persecution that we’d eventually had to leave our beloved homeland and set out for an unknown land.

Some people feel threatened by this, like we must forget where we came from in order to be here. But we did not come here with nothing. And the Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities recognizes that the we’re better for bringing these parts of ourselves—our music, our food, our language, our past—with us. We welcome our most recent immigrants because we were once strangers in this strange land, ourselves. Every story makes us stronger. Another stitch in the flag.

By Patricia Bird of the Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities
On July 4,1776 the second continental congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence. This document severed the colonies’ ties with Great Britain and established the United States as an independent nation.

But what does it mean to be an independent nation? Are we a country that manages without the assistance of others? Are we inhabiting the earth with no interaction or contribution from other nations?

Historically, our country has moved forward from the contributions of independents. Those who fled their homelands to build a better life not only for themselves but for the good of this country. We accepted the Albert Einsteins, the Madeleine Albrights, the Gloria Estefans – all fellow humans in need of refuge. In return, they enriched not only their own lives but our lives as well.

This is our heritage. This is our history. America is a country of independents, those who fled to this soil for equality and those born on this soil who continue to seek it.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (and women) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

250 years of independence created and upheld by immigrants.

Please subscribe to Immigration Coalition of the QC's Substack here.

Allison Ambrose

Another Immigrant Story-Of Interest to Our Community

6/27/2026

Jose's Immigrant Story

Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities

This is another in a series of stories about local immigrants that will be appearing on the QCIMBY (Quad Cities In My Back Yard) Facebook page. These stories are also available in the Immigration Coalition QC Substack email. Please subscribe here.

Name: José Burgos

Family: 1 brother who lives abroad.

Native country: Venezuela

Occupation/Volunteer or School: Multilingual High School Teacher

When did you immigrate to the United States?
January 2021

What motivated your decision to immigrate?
Actually, I did not want to immigrate to the United States! I was based in Honduras and I came here as an international student on a graduate scholarship with Southern Illinois University - Carbondale. My plan was to return to Honduras once I finished my program, but I had visa complications with Honduras and I had to find a way to stay in the U.S.

Who accompanied you when you immigrated to the U.S.?
I traveled alone.

Why did you choose the Quad Cities area for your new home?
It was by chance. Once I finished my program at SIUC, I found a teaching job in the area.

What language or languages did you speak when you arrived in the U.S.?
Spanish and English.

If English is not your first language, how did you become more familiar with English?
I got my bachelors in ESL Education in Venezuela, where I learned English.

How were you treated when you first arrived in the Quad Cities area?
Everyone has been really welcoming. I was lucky to find a Latin dance community through which I have met a number of really great people. Communities around the QC area truly know how to utilize the human and professional capital I have brought.

How do you get more involved in life in the Quad Cities area?
I love going to events around the area. Me and other friends started a social event called the Quad Cities Spanglish Table on Facebook, where people who speak a little bit of both languages (English and Spanish) come together to socialize and discuss various themes. I also volunteer every now and then with some nonprofits, churches, and social initiatives in the area. Last year, I helped with the organization of WQTP PBS Multilingual Education Conference at Western Illinois University. You can always find me involved with something outside of work.

What work, volunteer activities, children’s activities and/or hobbies keep you engaged?
Aside from what I said before, I serve in a couple of committees at my workplace, and I’ve volunteered teaching English as a second language with Black Hawk. I’m planning to do that again as soon as I find the time. I am also involved with the Illinois Education association and other pro-public education organizations. In my free time, I enjoy working out, dancing, playing the piano, learning new things, and spending time with my girlfriend. I really like the events that some nonprofits put out here for the community, such as El Ritmo, The Gray Matters Collective, QC AIR, and St. Anthony Catholic Church in Davenport.

What gives you the most joy?
Making someone’s day a little easier and better, especially for young people. Youth in the U.S. have it incredibly tough right now, and they need our compassion and guidance more than ever.

What challenges have you navigated as an immigrant?
The list is heartbreaking: language barriers, cultural isolation, social and systemic discrimination, traumatic stress related to my immigration status, my mom passing and being unable to travel abroad, being taken advantage of because I don’t “know the system” well, higher taxes, higher interest rates, SIUC losing my international transcripts and effectively making it borderline impossible for me to get a teaching license in the U.S., the Midwest weather.

Who are your mentors, the people you admire most?
When I was growing up, one of my uncles, one of my aunts, and one of my teachers were my biggest mentors. They taught me how to be a decent human, to always seek to add value, and to always have fun while doing it. I also admire a couple of historical figures like Simón Bolívar and Joan of Arc, who so brilliantly fought for the freedom and independence of millions of people from massive empires.

What gives you hope?
Seeing my students being kind to one another gives me hope; seeing this makes me think everything I do is worth it.

What is your favorite quote, motto or religious verse?
“I shall make the child I once was proud of the adult I am becoming” - Me

Is there anything else you’d like to share?
In the good years of Venezuela, before the dictatorship, I look back realizing that I grew up in a multicultural environment where the children of immigrants seamlessly became Venezuelan; a place where the word “foreigner” carried NO negative weight, and where the education system, the media, and politicians taught people to welcome them as “siblings.” This so organically nurtured a culture where being born abroad or speaking with an accent was met with curiosity, fascination, and utmost hospitality. Yet, I must admit there was much I didn’t fully understand about my neighbors’ lives back then, nor did I ever asked many questions; I grew up hearing a beautiful tapestry of Italian, Portuguese, Colombian, Peruvian, and German accents all around me, always engaging with them and having fun with people, but never quite stopping to realize the journeys behind them.

Having witnessed a world where people from different backgrounds smoothly and happily integrate to enrich the economy, culture, and the very soul of a nation. It is my hope that the people in the United States can one day move past this country’s historical tensions surrounding immigrants and teach their children to truly embrace people for who they are: human beings deserving of dignity based on their deeds, not their passport stamps or the miles they traveled to get here.

Allison Ambrose

QC IMBY Giveaway

5/27/2026

QC IMBY - It's giveaway time!
Vote by Friday, May 29th

Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities

QC In My Back Yard is celebrating the amazing immigrant-owned businesses that help make our community stronger, more diverse, and full of incredible food! You need to have a Facebook account to participate.

We’re giving away THREE $25 gift certificates to some amazing local immigrant-owned restaurants:
Eddy's Snack Bar
Restaurante Sabor Catracho
Nally's Kitchen, Inc.

THREE winners will each receive ONE $25 gift certificate!

HOW TO ENTER:
1. Like & Share this Facebook post.
2. Tag a friend in the comments.
3. Follow this page.
(You must complete all 3 to be entered!)

Winners will be randomly drawn on Friday, May 29th. Make sure you’re following our page so you don’t miss future spotlights, stories, and giveaways highlighting the positive impact immigrants make in our community every day.

Allison Ambrose

Quotes from immigrants in 1840s Iowa-Immigration Coalition QC

5/3/2026

Excerpts from The Goldfinch

Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities

The Goldfinch: Iowa History for Young People was a magazine published four times a year between 1975 and 2000 by the Iowa Historical Society. The November, 1981 edition, edited by Margaret Atherton Bonney, focused on immigrants, particularly in Iowa. Her edition includes quotes from actual immigrants in Iowa.

QCIMBY (Quad Cities In My Back Yard) will be sharing interesting things from this edition in a series of posts. For example, in 1848, a Dutch immigrant in Pella, wrote to his father, “…if we remain healthy, within a few years we can start on our own farm, which would never have become a reality in Vriesland (province in the Netherlands). …there is not one person who, by moving to America, does not earn more than a common laborer over there.”

Sign up for the Immigration Coalition of the Quad Cities Substack here.

Allison Ambrose

QC Civic Conversation on Immigration - After Action Report

2/21/2026

**QC Civic Conversation with Peter Kvisto on Immigration Fact, Fiction, and Solutions - After Action Report**

Over 80 people attended the 4th Quad Cities Civic Conversation event, co-sponsored by PACG, One Human Family, Quad Cities Interfaith and Iowa Citizens Action Network. Dr. Peter Kivisto, retired Augustana professor of Social Thought, informed the audience about various facts about immigration and immigrants in our country, revealing the contributions that the immigrant population brings to the country. He also discussed the needs and challenges for positive legislation and policy going forward. A question and answer session ended the event. The audience was very engaged and learn a lot about the state of immigration today.

If you missed the event, you can view it at Vince Thomas’ YouTube channel where he posts for Community News & Views which airs on Public Access TV Channel 11 Mediacom in the Quad Cities area of Rock Island-Moline, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. Here is a link to the video: Pete Kivisto, Sociologist on Immigration Fact, Fiction and Solutions.

Allison Ambrose

Half of Fortune 500 Companies founded by immigrants

9/12/2025

Nearly Half of Fortune 500 Companies in 2025 Were Founded by Immigrants or Their Children

American Immigration Council

In the 2025 New American Fortune 500 Companies list, 46.2 percent, or 231 companies, were founded by immigrants or their children—109 by immigrants and 122 by children of immigrants. Additionally, 10 out of 22 companies that were either new to the list or returning after a previous appearance were founded by immigrants or their children. These new American firms make important contributions to both the U.S. and the global economies.

View this report.

Susan Leuthauser (she/her)

Current State of Immigration - Immigration Coalition of QC

7/20/2025

The Current State of Immigration

Immigration Coalition QC

Here are where things are as of July 8th, 2025:

From January to July, there have been many changes to the immigration system. These rapid changes have completely reformed the immigration landscape and have been so numerous that it is difficult to keep track of them all! Here are where things are as of July 8th, 2025:

Deportation

At least 56,000 immigrants are currently being held in ICE detention centers
- Almost 30,000 of those detained have no criminal record
- The number of immigrants detained without a criminal record has nearly doubled since May
The Trump Administration has a goal of making 3,000 ICE arrests a day
- For reference, on June 3rd, 2025 ICE made the most arrests ever in a single day at 2,200.
The Supreme Court has blocked a lower court order that required 15 days’ notice to individuals the Trump Administration is trying to deport to countries other than their own. Potential deportees now are not guaranteed time to contact their lawyers and present evidence showing their lives would be in danger if deported to their own or third countries. This has resulted in deportations to third countries being conducted within 24 hours.

ICE and Immigration Enforcement Strategies

ICE is now the largest law enforcement agency in the country, with a budget of $170 billion
- $45 billion has been allocated to expand their detention capabilities to at least 116,000 beds
- $30 billion has been allocated for transportation and removals, and to hire 10,000 new deportation officers
- $46.5 billion has been allocated to complete a wall along the US-Mexico border
Top Health and Human Services officials directed the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services to share data with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about millions of Medicaid recipients for the purposes of immigration enforcement. The data already shared pertained to residents of California, Illinois, Washington, and Washington D.C..
The Department of Agriculture has told states that they need to turn over names, social security numbers, addresses, and dates of birth for all those who applied for SNAP benefits in the past five years or risk losing federal funding. DHS has also brokered agreements with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to get data on noncitizens.
In order to raise arrest numbers, DHS is now asking for immigration cases to be dismissed and arresting immigrants immediately at the courthouse.

Asylum, Temporary Legal Protections, and Naturalized Citizenship

In an executive order signed in January, seeking asylum through our southern border has been completely halted – meaning all claims are denied.
- In July, a federal judge ruled that this order is unlawful. This decision is being appealed.
The Trump Administration has ended or attempted to end temporary legal protections for migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Nepal, Haiti, and Venezuela.
The Justice Department has been directed to prioritize denaturalization in cases involving immigrants who have gained their citizenship but committed certain crimes (or at the discretion of the Justice Department).

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