Interfaithimmigration.org

1. Interfaithimmigration.org Welcome to this month’s Webinar on Breaking Bread and Building Bridges: Strengthening the movement for just and humane immigration reform Monday, December 10th, 2012 Call and Webinar will begin at 4:00 p.m. EST For audio, please dial 805-399-1000 and enter access code 104402. The audio and visual portions are NOT linked. You must dial this number to hear the audio portion of the webinar.

2. AGENDA 4:00 Welcome & overview of call 4:05- Jen Smyers- National State of Play on Immigration Reform 4:10- 4:15 Rev. Noel Andersen Campaigns at Local and State level 4:15-4:25 How to Create a Breaking Bread Event Rev. Craig Rosenhaven 4:25-4:30 Rev. Noel Andersen Family Unity Vigils and Neighbor to Neighbor Meetings 4:30- 4:40 Importance of Effective Strategy- Kristin Kumpf Midwest Academy 4:40-4:50 Report backs from campaigns in the field Beth Poteet NSM Portland, and Petra Faclon Promise AZ 4:50 Q&A

3. STRATEGY • Breaking Bread andBuilding Bridges is part of a larger strategy to lift the voices of faith communities at the local level and turn the tide for immigrants’ rights. Local events such as potlucks, vigils, and detention visitation connect advocates with those most directly affected by unjust immigration policies. The relationships that are nourished serve to build understanding and strengthen dedication for continued work toward just and humane immigration reform. • The post-election reality in 2012 ushered in a significant shift in the narrative for humane immigration reform. Grassroots involvement, including in-district meetings with members of Congress and public, prayerful witness will be critical to any national reforms. At the same time, it will be critical to continue to push for local and state policies that build welcoming communities and stop deportations.

4. Goals of Breaking Bread and Building Bridges To create and strengthen relationships of solidarity among people of faith, impacted communities, and immigrants’ rights groups to effectively organize to win just immigration policies at the local and national level.

5. 2012 Post-Election Analysis • Voters have clearly rejected the GOP Platform of “self-deportation” – trying to make life so miserable for undocumented immigrants that they leave the United States voluntarily. The power of the New Citizen vote has shifted significantly shifted the GOP strategy on immigration creating new opportunities for immigration reform. • At the same time, it will be important to push back against anti-immigrant laws and harsh enforcement policies (S-Com/ 287 (g)) at the local level. Local wins for immigrants rights are continually important to stop deportations and family separation while building a stronger movement.

6. National and Local Campaigns • Push for compassionate and humane immigration reform: Host an interfaith prayer vigil outside the local office of your senators and/or representatives, calling for immigration reform that prioritizes family unity. • Join Restoring TRUST Campaigns at the city, county or state level to resist ICE’s harmful enforcement program known as “Secure Communities” or S-Comm. A prayer vigil can include stories of families torn apart by S-Comm and call for local officials to stop honoring ICE holds, which will help keep families together and keep communities safe. • Stop state-led Arizona styled anti-immigrant bills:Join campaigns in Kansas, Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, and elsewhere. Prayer vigils can take place outside of state capitol buildings to highlight the opposition to anti-immigrant state legislation. • Work toward the passage of pro-immigrant bills, such as the equitable/ in-state tuition for DREAM Act youth at the state level. Prayer vigils can include the stories of DREAM Act youth and others who would be helped by these pro-immigrant bills.

7. Phase I- Breaking Bread Together • The relationships that are nourished serve to build understanding and strengthen dedication for continued work toward just and humane immigration reform. • Local events such as potlucks, vigils, and detention visitation connect advocates with those most directly affected by unjust immigration policies. • Part of a larger strategy to further grassroots support of faith communities joining impacted groups at the local level and turn the tide for immigrants’ rights. • Timeline: Start planning in December and begin having events in late January- March according to what’s best at the local level

8. Phase II- Family Unity Vigils • Host a Family Unity Prayer Vigil to highlight the need for local, state and national reforms to reunite and keep families together. Be strategic about your actions and identify what makes most sense for you in your region and community • Register your Vigil on the Interfaith Immigration Website • Identify timeline for your vigil possibly starting in Feburary-March/ April

9. Phase III- Neighbor to Neighbor Meetings with Decision Makers • Organize local neighbor-to-neighbor visits with your senators, representatives, and local decisionmakers. By linking local congressional visits with DC-based visits, we can send a strong message that people of faith care about immigrants’ rights. • Set up meetings with strategic decision makers and coordinate a delegation of faith leadersand/or service providers to meet with influential politicians on your campaign. • Join and organize local actions such as marches, rallies and press conferences.

10. Strategy Components • Effective community organizing is always about building collective power to win concrete changes in peoples lives • The IIC encourages people to join local interfaith teams and coalitions, but to also focus on outreach and building a stronger base in your own denominational/ tradition/ organization • It is important to identify our goals first, then think about our organizational capacity, constituents, allies, opponents, targets- Decision makers • Once you have identified the above categories, you can move to tactics, activities and actions that will help you accomplish your goal and place strategic pressure on the decision maker.

11. Decision Makers (Targets) • It is important to identify the decision maker who has power to get you want you want. • For a campaign against S-Com or 287 (g) it is most likely the county Sheriff • For Federal Immigration Reform, it will be key Senators and Congresspeople, such as Sen. Graham, Sen. Menendez, Rep. Goodlatte

12. Continued Activity and Involvement • Connect with local service initiatives. Find ways in which to work together through service initiativessuch as detention ministry, legal clinics or refugee settlement volunteer work. Develop relationships of solidarity. Even if humane immigration reform is enacted, there will still be much work to do to bring communities together and ensure equal rights for all. Be part of joining advocacy efforts to service work! • Participate or organize a detention visitation program. Connect with interfaith and ecumenical groups who have established programs in your region. Many long-termdetentions of immigrants who may not have family in the region Detention visitation – LIRS Visitation resources with toolkit, Advocacy resources from Detention Watch Network • Connect with a local refugee resettlement agency to see how you can volunteer orbecome a sponsoring congregation. • Bring advocacy to service work by working to change immigration enforcement policies locally, advance immigration reform, and preserve funding for refugee programs.

13. Detention Ministry and Refugee Resettlement Co-Sponsorship

14. Full Toolkit A toolkit will be released shortly to help you think about strategies and activities and to provide resources for planing and publicizing events. The toolkit will include: Introduction to strategy, goals, activities and timeline How to host a Breaking Bread and Building Bridges event Hosting a public prayer vigil on family unity Organizing a local congressional visit for immigration reform Education, resources and contacts Communications: messaging, talking points, media advisory and social media

15. Signing Up To Host Event http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1272/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=7179

16. IIC Contacts by organization • African American Ministers in Action: Leslie Malachi, lmalachi@pfaw.org • American Jewish Committee: Chelsea Hanson, hansonc@ajc.org • Bread for the World Institute: Andrew Wainer, awainer@bread.org • Church World Service: Jen Smyers, jsmyers@churchworldservice.org • Disciples of Christ: Ken Brooker Langston, revkenbl@yahoo.com • Episcopal Church: Katie Conway, kconway@episcopalchurch.org • Franciscan Action Network: Patrick Carolan, pcarolan@franciscanaction.org • Friends Committee on National Legislation: Ruth Flower, flower@fcnl.org • Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society: Liza Lieberman, liza.lieberman@hias.org • Interfaith Worker Justice: Thomas Shellabarger, tshellabarger@iwj.org • Irish Apostolate USA: Geri Garvey, administrator@usairish.org • Islamic Information Center: Hajar Hosseini, hosseini@islamicinformationcenter.org • Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, Shaina Aber, saber@jesuit.org • Jewish Council for Public Affairs: Elyssa Koidin, ekoidin@thejcpa.org • Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service: Nora Skelly, nskelly@lirs.org • Mennonite Central Committee: Tammy Alexander, talexander@mcc.org • Muslim Public Affairs Council: Hoda Elshishtawy, hoda@mpac.org • Sisters of the Good Shepherd: Larry Couch, lclobbyist@gsadvocacy.org • NETWORK: Sr. Mary Ellen Lacy, D.C., melacy@networklobby.org • Pax Christi: Scott Wright, scott@tassc.org • PICO: Michele Rudy, michelerudy@yahoo.com • Presbyterian Church, USA: Melissa Gee, melissa.gee@pcusa.org • Sisters of Mercy of the Americas: Regina McKillip, rmckillip@sistersofmercy.org • Sojourners: Ivone Guillen, iguillen@sojo.net • Union for Reform Judaism: Amelia Viney, aviney@rac.org • Unitarian Universalist Association: Craig Roshaven, croshaven@uua.org • United Church of Christ: Rev. Mari Castellanos, castellm@ucc.org • United Methodist Church: Bill Mefford, bmefford@umc-gbcs.org • UNITED SIHKS: Harpreet Singh, harpreet.singh@unitedsikhs.org • U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: Kevin Appleby, kappleby@usccb.org • World Relief: Jenny Yang, jgyang@worldrelief.org