Dear Tara, This is an exciting and critical time for our movement. President Obama is expected to make a historic decision granting administrative relief to immigrant communities, as early as tomorrow. While details on the scope of the plan are not yet out, it is essential that our local and statewide response be as coordinated as possible. The New York Immigration Coalition and our members and partners have been working towards this exciting moment for over a year. Our efforts to build towards this have included: The publication of our “Preparing for Legalization” report which launched in December 2013 that analyzed the lessons learned from past legalization efforts. The inaugural conference of the New York Immigrant Assistance Consortium (NYIAC) in June 2014, a gathering of nearly three hundred immigrant advocates, legal service providers, government officials, and community members to discuss how to better coordinate support for New York’s immigrant communities. The creation of a response plan for Administrative Relief in order to offer the highest quality assistance to the largest number of eligible immigrants through NYIAC. Administrative Relief is not mass legalization or a path to citizenship; it is however temporary relief from the unjust deportations plaguing our communities as we keep pushing for broader legislative solutions to our broken immigration system. As we mobilize a comprehensive on-the-ground response, here are some essential tips for what you and your communities can be doing now to prepare: Be ready to spread good information, get rid of the bad. While we have high hopes that the administrative relief options will be robust and highly inclusive, it is extremely important that you let your community members and networks know there is nothing to apply for right now. As with any change in immigration law, many people will attempt to prey on immigrants by giving them false hope and encouraging them to apply for immigration benefits that are not yet available. To combat those attempts, we must spread correct and easily-accessible information. Check our Ready for Relief page for up-to-date details and essential tools. Also check out our national partner CIRIs resource page HERE. Access services now to know where you stand. By doing so, individuals can find out whether they are eligible for any current forms of immigration relief and ensure that they understand their status when other possibilities become available. Individuals can call the New American Hotline at 1-800-566-7636 or click HERE to find an organization that can offer a full immigration consultation. The NYIC will also be holding a large community event this Sunday, November 23rd, in Queens where legal consultations and other services will be available. We encourage one and all to attend! Think. Plan. Work Together. Consider the role your organization might best play in this effort, whether it be in community outreach, non-legal pre-screenings, legal services, parallel social services, or logistical support. Also, meet with your Board, volunteers and stakeholders to develop plans for how you will participate, prepare organizationally and reach out to partners in your network or community. Send us your stories. We are gathering stories of affected individuals to support our organizing and advocacy efforts. If you would like to share some information about the experiences that you, a loved one, or a community member have had in relation to this country’s unjust immigration laws, or how you have benefited from previous programs, such as DACA, please send them to us via email at [email protected]. The NYIC looks forward to serving as a clearinghouse for inquiries, questions, referrals, and technical assistance, including the creation of toolkits, checklists, and clinic coordination. Together we can bring positive and lasting change to hundreds of thousands of immigrant New Yorkers! Thank you, Steve Choi Source: general email circulation from NYIC received on November 19, 2014
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 19:58:10 +0000
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