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WELCOME – UULMCA Immigrant Justice Webinar

WELCOME – UULMCA Immigrant Justice Webinar. Opening Words. Crossing Borders by Stephen Shick Spirit of my longing and lonely heart, help me travel through the barren borderlands that separate me from others. Teach me to willingly explore relationships with those who frighten

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WELCOME – UULMCA Immigrant Justice Webinar

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  1. WELCOME – UULMCA Immigrant Justice Webinar

  2. Opening Words Crossing Borders by Stephen Shick Spirit of my longing and lonely heart, help me travel through the barren borderlands that separate me from others. Teach me to willingly explore relationships with those who frighten or threaten me, grant me the courage to risk confidently my own comforts, that I might make others more comfortable. And when I am burdened by the isolating choices I have made, grant me the wisdom to invite a stranger to travel with me. Open my heart to my new companion’s needs and desires until I relax my defensiveness and become a calming presence. As we travel, grant me the vision to notice how each step we take together moves us closer to the promised land, where all souls grow in hope and the resilience of love.

  3. Immigrant Justice Update AGENDA • Welcome and Intros • Compassionate Immigration Reform - CIR • An Historic Confluence of Factors • Five Essential Features of CIR • Strategies • Questions and Answers • How Do We Get There • Inspire – Educate – Organize – Advocate – Witness • Questions and Answers • Closing

  4. Welcome & Introductions • Your Name • Congregation • One word that describes how you feel about this moment and immigrant justice

  5. Compassionate Immigration Reform An historic confluence of factors gives us the unique opportunity to take our UU principles to the next level in the coming months.

  6. Over 10,000 days have gone by without the right for 11 million immigrants to: Live with nuclear family members, Gain lawful employment, Vote in democratic elections, Drive, or serve as jurors, Gain access to a basic safety net, To receive federal loans for higher education. Compassionate Immigration Reform

  7. Changing demographics The November 2012 election results Public opinion shift – 62% in favor of a legalization program leading to citizenship, including a Republican shift of 22 points The capacity for nationwide mobilization Political will Our boundless compassion Compassionate Immigration Reform

  8. Compassionate Immigration Reform What is Compassionate Immigration Reform? • Interfaith Platform on Humane Immigration Reform (Interfaith Immigration Coalition) • Rectifying the Violation of Fundamental Human Rights The right to live in family – The right to work – The right to vote & participate – The right to federal jobs – The right to serve on juries – The right to a safety net – The right to higher education – The right to drive and travel -- The right to live free from fear • Compassionate vs. Comprehensive Immigration Reform

  9. Compassionate Immigration Reform Five Essential Features of Compassionate Immigration Reform 1. Uphold Family Unity as a Priority • Recognize the importance of all families to the creation of healthy individuals and strong communities. • Reunite immigrant families separated due to lengthy visa backlogs - now range from 2 to 25 years – example: the unmarried adult child of a lawful permanent resident from Mexico can immigrate if they applied in 1992 (over 20 years), siblings of Filipinos currently have a 24 year wait.

  10. Compassionate Immigration Reform Five Essential Features of Compassionate Immigration Reform Uphold Family Unity as a Priority, cont. • Revise family preference categories to prioritize family unity, e.g. allowing the spouse and minor children of a legal resident to live with their spouse or parent immediately – current waiting period is about 2 years, 4 months. Even though you are legally living in this country, you cannot live with your 5 year old child. • Include same-sex couples. Under current immigration law you cannot sponsor a foreign-born partner for an immigration visa if you are a same-sex couple. • Remove “unlawful presence penalties” (currently a 3 or 10 year wait before allowed to re-enter the US)

  11. Compassionate Immigration Reform 2. Create a process for undocumented immigrants to earn their legal status and eventual citizenship – Earned Legalization • Allow 11 million undocumented immigrants to earn lawful permanent residency using reasonable criteria, with a pathway to citizenship. For example: Pay taxes Learn basic English Five Essential Features of Compassionate Immigration Reform

  12. Compassionate Immigration Reform 2. Earned Legalization - cont. • Examples of unreasonable or punitive criteria: Mandating that immigrants leave the country (touchback) or pay exorbitant fees Conditioning CIR’s access to citizenship for current immigrants with strict enforcement measures : mandatory E-Verify further militarizing the border. Five Essential Features of Compassionate Immigration Reform

  13. Compassionate Immigration Reform 2. Earned Legalization, cont. Resist efforts to include E-verify: Every person seeking employment has to show legal work authorization verified electronically. Leaves out millions of people Creates a permanent underclass Resist continued militarization of the border.Increased border militarization has deadly impacts and is not making our communities safer. Five Essential Features of Compassionate Immigration Reform

  14. Compassionate Immigration Reform 3. Provide more stable opportunities for students to study, employees to work, and employers to hire workers. • Enact the DREAM Act to give young people the opportunity to contribute and employers to access a bright and committed workforce • Enact the provisions of AgJobs to allow essential agricultural workers to migrate to the United States to work in a safe, legal, and orderly manner and meet employer needs, with a commitment to worker rights Five Essential Features of Compassionate Immigration Reform

  15. Compassionate Immigration Reform 3. Provide more stable opportunities for students to study, employees to work, and employers to hire workers - cont. Do not approve temporary worker programs unless they allow family unity and a path to legal residency. • Difference between AgJobs and Temporary Worker Program • Oppose mandatory E-Verify. • Address “future flow” by promoting true economic development and democracy in 3rd world countries, address climate change • If you have been in US without documentation, can apply for a green card 10-year“rolling registry” Five Essential Features of Compassionate Immigration Reform

  16. Compassionate Immigration Reform 4. Make our communities safe and facilitate immigrant integration. • End Secure Communities to promote public trust in the criminal justice system, enhancing community safety. • Provide financial support to government and community organizations to offer support for language and civics education, naturalization assistance, a safety net, driver licenses, and employment training. • Make citizenship affordable by reducing naturalization Five Essential Features of Compassionate Immigration Reform

  17. Compassionate Immigration Reform 5. Restore due process protections and humanitarian values. • Recognize that the deportation of 1.5 million immigrants under President Obama has ripped mixed status families apart, often making our communities less secure due to lack of trust. • Acknowledge extreme hardship and/or rehabilitation for individuals to prevent deportation. Don’t deport people for minor crimes Five Essential Features of Compassionate Immigration Reform

  18. Compassionate Immigration Reform Quickly introduce compassionate bill in the Senate. Focus on the President, Senate Leaders and National immigrant advocacy organizations to get a compassionate bill without inhumane enforcement mechanisms. 3) Advocate with the House of Representatives. 4) Piecemeal Legislation if CIR Does Not Pass DREAM Act AgJobs Residency Campaign for Central Americans with TPS STEM Act Uniting American Families Act (LBGT) Strategies - National

  19. Compassionate Immigration Reform The California TRUST Act – AB4 (Ammiano) - starts in Assembly Public Safety Drivers License Bill – AB60 (Alejo) - starts in AssemblyTransportation Get the Governor’s support Strategies - Statewide Strategies - Local • Mayors, City Councils and Police Chiefs • County Boards and Sheriffs

  20. Questions and Answers

  21. How do we get there? How do we get there? • Inspire • Educate • Organize • Advocate • Witness • Inspire • Educate • Organize • Advocate • Witness • Make Friends!

  22. Inspire Inspiration • Use Stories, Testimonials, Video • UU values & history • Worship service in March or April • Urgency and opportunity of the moment

  23. EducateCongregational Study Inspiration UUA Curriculum: Immigration as a Moral Issue - Six Sessions One: Understanding the Causes of Migration Two: History of Immigration in the U.S. Three: Economics of (Im)migration Four: Security, Enforcement, and Human Rights Five: Who Benefits from a Broken System? Six: Seeking Solutions

  24. EducateUULMCA Regional Spring Justice Trainings • March 23 - Los Angeles • April 6 - San Joaquin Valley (tentative) • April 26 (3-5PM Friday) UU Western Regional Assembly – San Jose • May 11 – Sacramento (tentative) • San Diego County (TBD)

  25. Educate Experiential Learning Human Rights on the Border Trip March 14 – 17, 2013 Register Here Farmworker Reality TourWatsonville from May – November – arrange a date with: Human Agenda and the Center for Farmworker Families

  26. Link with local immigrant services partners Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Detention Center VisitationHealthcare EnrollmentDay Labor SupportDREAMers

  27. Detention Visitation Detention Visitation Resources Lost in Detention – Frontline Video • Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement CIVIC • Detention Watch Network • Visiting Immigrants in U.S. Detention Facilities - Detention Watch Manual • The Sojourner Detention Program video • Lutheran Access Toolkit • Women's Refugee Commission If your congregation is interested in learning more please contact: Jan Meslin from the UULMCA Immigrant Justice Team jmeslin at cox.net

  28. Organize! • UULMCA Immigrant Justice monthly callsPleasesend the name of your congregation’s Immigrant Justice contact to lramsden@uulmca.org • UULM Cluster Collaboration with the forming Alliance for Citizenship “Tables” • Daniel Stracka – San Diego County • Jan Meslin – Orange County • Richard Hobbs – Santa Clara County • Barbara Moore & Rev. Tera Little – LA County • Bob Lane – Contra Costa • Amy Moses Lagos – SF and Peninsula

  29. Advocacy CIR Advocacy in the Senate Senator Feinstein – 4 regional offices • San Francisco Los Angeles • Fresno San Diego As a person of faith, I urge the Senator to support a common sense, humane immigration reform bill that prioritizes family unity, creates a pathway to citizenship for aspiring Americans who are currently undocumented, and rejects draconian enforcement mechanisms that erode community health and safety. Your creative ideas for communicating support for CIR?

  30. Many New Members of Congress 53 California Representatives

  31. Congressional Representatives Please contact the UU Legislative Ministry Action Network, CA office for help in setting up a legislative visit to your Congressional Representative and/or joining one of the coalition visits in your area. UULM Action Network, CA 916 441-0018 x 202 lramsden at uulmca.org

  32. CIR Collaborating Organizations Asian Pacific American Legal Center APALC (LA) CCC Center for Community Change (DC) CHIRLA Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights for LA (LA) Interfaith Immigration Coalition (national) CIPC California Immigrant Policy Center CA CLUE Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice – (East Bay, LA, San Jose, San Diego) COFEM Consejo de Federaciones Mexicanas en Norteamérica (LA) Episcopal Diocese of California (SF Bay Area) JFI – Justice for Immigrants (Catholic Bishops) Mi Famila Vota (Riverside) NDLON National Day Labor Organizing Network (LA and National) PICO California (19 local faith based federations across the state) NBOP – North Bay Organizing Project (Gamaliel) SIREN Services Immigrant Rights and Education Network (Silicon Valley) United Farm Worker Foundation (LA, Salinas, Bakersfield)

  33. Community Partners TRUST Act California Immigrant Policy Center ACLU Immigrant Rights Project California Dream Network National Day Labor Organizing Network Asian Law Alliance - Santa Clara County

  34. UU & Interfaith Resources • Unitarian Universalist • UU Legislative Ministry, CA & UULM Action Network, CA • UU RISE UU Refugee and Immigration Services and Education • UUA Immigrant Justice Resources • PSWD Border Issues & Migration Resources • Interfaith • Interfaith Immigration Coalition • PICO California Affiliates Photo by Mike Kerwin • East Bay UUs protest expansion of Contra Costa Jail to hold more immigrant detainees • California CLUE • Interfaith Committtee for Worker Justice (San Diego) • Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights (SF East Bay) • Ventura County Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice

  35. How we can help How We Can Help • Identify stories of family separation where the family is willing to be public. • Sign on letter from your congregation or clergy to endorse compassionate immigration reform. • Identify supportive “Grass Tops” in your congregation and community.

  36. Public Witness Public Witness • National Days of Action • March 15-16 – Los Angelessupport Central American TPS • April 10 – Call Congress • May Day Rallies • State & Local Actions • Supporting CIR • TRUST Act • Driver’s License bill

  37. UULM Lobby Day in Sacramento May 19th evening & May 20th Immigrant Day in Sacramento Come up Sunday evening to build UU community, or come on Monday to join with our allies at California Immigrant Policy Center

  38. Make Friends

  39. MAKE FRIENDS!

  40. Plan Ahead! “Walking the Walk” UU Justice Leaders Summit 2013 The weekend before Thanksgiving – November 22-24 Camp de Benneville Pines

  41. Q & A - General Discussion

  42. Together we are making a difference. The UULMCA Immigrant Justice Team has made great strides in engaging UUs in moving from promise to commitment, from talking justice to doing justice. Together we are doing more than we could ever do alone!

  43. Thank you for joining us!

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