Category: News

Queens Stands Up! / ¡Queens Se Solidariza!

Posted on October 28, 2018 by - Immigration, News

On the evening of October 18, the Jackson Heights Immigrant Solidarity Network (JHISN) sponsored a community forum to discuss a range of urgent immigration issues. The slogan for the event, held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, was “Immigration Activism From Neighborhood to Nation.”

The forum had a powerful panel of speakers. If you missed the event, you can watch the full video here, or watch videos of the individual speakers below.

Lea Ramirez detailed the programs that the Legal Aid Society of New York has developed to assist immigrants.

Afaf Nasher from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) gave a dynamic presentation on the rise of Islamophobia and the toll it takes on Muslims, including immigrants.

Ellen Whitt from the Immigrant Rights Committee and the Central New Jersey Coalition Against Endless War put a spotlight on local governments who accept ICE money to incarcerate immigrants, using these tainted funds to prop up their budgets.

Julie Schwietert Collazo updated us on the work of Immigrant Families Together, a crowd-funded group which is providing bail for dozens of immigrants trapped in ICE detention centers, reuniting them with their families.

The gathering also heard from our neighbors Alfredo Flores and his wife Wendy Valverde. Alfredo was arrested by Border Patrol after a Greyhound bus he was traveling on unexpectedly drove into Canada and back into the US. Now out of jail, he is working with an attorney to remain in the US with his US citizen wife and children.

He and Wendy described the emotional hardship caused to their family because of Alfredo’s incarceration, as well as their uncertainty about the future. The children have been especially affected—clinging to their father and constantly worried he will be arrested again. Alfredo and Wendy spoke out not just for themselves, but for the human rights of all immigrants.

Phillip Josselyn, representing the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), explained how the US’s destructive, long-standing foreign policy in Central America has forced millions of people to leave their homes in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

Carol Scott, from New Sanctuary Coalition, talked about their fundamental belief that no person should be deported and how this informs the work they do from immigrant accompaniment to pro se legal clinics.

The JHISN was represented by Melissa Greenberg and Marcus Longmuir. Co-sponsors included CISPES, the Jackson Heights Beautification Group, the Parent Association of P.S. 69Q, Queens Neighborhoods United, Rise and Resist and Socialist Alternative. Special thanks to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church for sharing their space and Joe Friendly for shooting the video.

 

We Need Your Comments!

Posted on October 20, 2018 by - ICE, Immigration, News, Your Voice

The Public Charge Rule: A New Wealth Test for Immigrants WE MUST STAND UP FOR AN INCLUSIVE AND WELCOMING AMERICA.

For over 100 years the “public charge test” has been part of US immigration law, used to define those who depend on the government as their main source of support. Until now, “public charge” has been narrowly applied to people receiving government cash assistance or institutional long-term care.

The Trump Administration has published a Public Charge proposal in the Federal Register. It vastly expands the definition to include many health and welfare programs for children and families. The proposed rule could make working class and lowincome immigrants who participate in medical and social service programs–food stamps (SNAP), Medicaid, public housing, and more–ineligible to receive a green card.

The rule has not yet gone into effect, but news of it has frightened many needy immigrants away from crucial support to which they are legally entitled. With about one in four children having at least one immigrant parent, this issue touches millions and is critical now and for our nation’s future.

Key Points

  • Housing assistance, food stamps and Medicaid are a gateway to economic self-sufficiency.
  • Short-term costs of social assistance programs are greatly exceeded by long-term economic benefits.
  • Studies show that affordable medication and health insurance improve health outcomes and reduce missed days of work or reliance on short-term disability. See Kaiser Foundation re public health implications: https://www.kff.org/disparities-policy/
  • Restricting lower-income immigration will hurt the United State economically. See: How public charge rule will affect employers and immigrants http://bit.ly/ForbesPublicCharge
  • Denying green cards to people with health problems will break up families.

PLEASE TAKE 15 MINUTES AND SEND COMMENTS BEFORE DEC. 10 TO: https://protectingimmigrantfamilies.org/

How To:

  1. Review key points above.
  2. Go on the comment link and use your own words to submit a comment.
  3. Use facts. Cite studies, point out costs, make policy arguments, and include personal stories about yourself or others to illustrate your points.
  4. Only one comment per person.
  5. Share widely on social media and by email with family, friends and colleagues.

To see Administration’s proposed Public Charge rules: Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds: http://bit.ly/PublicChargeRules

Download the flyer HERE.

 

Make Your Opinions Count!

Posted on October 20, 2018 by - ICE, Immigration, News, Your Voice

Under current law immigrant children cannot be detained by the government longer than 20 DAYS. The Trump Administration wants to be able to detain children and their families INDEFINITELY.

The Justice Department is trying to modify the decades-old settlement agreement Flores v. Reno to allow the government to detain children longer than the 20 days currently allowed, and in ICE detention centers as opposed to licensed facilities. The proposal has been published in the Federal Register and is open for public comments until November 6. We know that there are low-cost and effective alternatives to detention for children and families and that even short-term detention is harmful to children.

HELP STOP THIS BY WRITING BEFORE NOV. 6!

Key Points

  • This would disregard basic human rights standards, including where and how children and families are housed and fed.
  • Children who are detained may suffer long-term effects, including anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. See American Academy of Pediatrics, Detention of Immigrant Children http://bit.ly/AAPChildDetention.
  • Alternatives to detention such as letting people out on bond and formal monitoring programs have been shown to be effective, more humane and far less costly. See National Immigration Forum, Math of Immigration Detention http://bit.ly/DetentionCost and Alternatives to Detention http://bit.ly/DetentionAlternatives

PLEASE TAKE 15 MINUTES AND SEND COMMENTS TO: http://bit.ly/stopfamilydetention

How To:

  1. Review the key points listed above.
  2. Click on the link above and use your own words to submit a comment arguing that the changes would be harmful and would not have the benefits suggested by the government.
  3. Use facts. Cite studies, point out costs, make policy arguments, and include personal stories about yourself or others to illustrate your points.
  4. Only one comment per person.
  5. Share widely on social media and by email family, friends and colleagues.

To see the Administration’s proposal: Apprehension, Processing, Care, and Custody of Alien Minors and Unaccompanied Alien Children: http://bit.ly/FloresRules

Download the flyer HERE.

 

Speak-Out at Diversity Plaza

Posted on October 7, 2018 by - Immigration, News

August 16, on a hot and humid evening, JHISN hosted a lively speak-out at Diversity Plaza. About 70 local residents and activists met to discuss immigration issues, including family separation, DACA, Temporary Protected Status and the need to resist ICE brutality in all its forms. A wide range of Jackson Heights neighbors participated.

The speak-out was the first event to take place at newly-renovated Diversity Plaza; a warm welcome was provided by Plaza businessman and activist Agha M. Saleh.

At the heart of the event were dramatic accounts by immigrant families in our community who are struggling to defend themselves from ICE’s cruel deportation machine. We heard from the family of Alfredo Flores, who was detained when the Greyhound bus he was riding unexpectedly crossed into Canada. The family is fighting hard to stop his deportation with the help of Jackson Heights supporters.

Also speaking out were two young sisters from Jackson Heights who are trying to reverse the unjust and deeply hurtful deportation of their father to Bangladesh. And “Dreamer” Denise Romero described the stress and pain of facing potential deportation after growing up and living almost her whole life in the US.

Other speakers reported their first-hand experiences fighting against ICE’s family separation policy at the US-Mexico border: Julie Schweitert Collazo from Immigrant Families Together, attorney-activist Carolina Rubio MacWright and local immigration attorney Ed Cuccia, as well as community organizers Zoey Levine and Shekar Krishnan. There were expressions of resistance and solidarity from Howie Hawkins of the New York Green Party, JHISN’s Melissa Greenberg and others. Translation was provided in English, Spanish and Bengla.

The event was co-hosted by UnLocal, the Elmhurst Baptist Church, and the Jackson Heights Beautification Group. JHISN sponsored the event as part of our commitment to work with others to mobilize our whole neighborhood in solidarity with immigrants under attack.