COPA Advances Health Services for Uninsured, Undocumented Children
COPA leaders' impassioned case for county funding of health services for uninsured, undocumented children appeared not to fall on deaf ears at a meeting of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. The County Health Department director followed up with a request that the Board budget $500 thousand for a pilot project to make low-price prescription drugs and other specialty services available such children.
Read moreCOPS / Metro Demands End to Detention of Refugee Families
More than 60 interfaith allies, including leaders from COPS/Metro Alliance, demanded an end to the detention of refugee children and mothers in private prisons at Dilley and Karnes City, Texas. Leaders held a press conference on Friday, May 8th at the San Antonio ICE field office, during which Fr. Walter D'heedene from Sacred Heart Catholic Church spoke, alongside leaders from the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), the Interfaith Welcome Coalition, the Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry (TXUUJM), and RAICES.
The group attempted to deliver petitions calling for an end to imprisonment of refugee children.
Read moreTexas IAF Fights Anti-Sanctuary Bill SB 185
On Monday at 8am, faith leaders across Texas arrived at the Capitol to fight Senate Bill 185, which would outlaw sanctuary cities in Texas and threaten local efforts to build better relationships between police and communities. Sponsored by State Senator Charles Perry, from Lubbock, the bill would prohibit cities from forbidding police to enforce immigration laws.
Read moreMACG Educates Portland Immigrants on President's Order
180 mostly immigrant leaders gathered when the Metropolitan Alliance for the Common Goodput on a training session to update people on the President's executive order, increase understanding about its politics and identify new leaders to help others with applications should the temporary injunction get lifted. This is part of a larger immigrant organizing strategy for the region.
Nevadans for the Common Good Integrates Immigrants
When Nevadans for the Common Good (NCG) decided to host an information session on the executive order on immigration (DPA & DACA) hundreds piled into St. Christopher Catholic Church in Las Vegas. NCG leaders, with St Christopher, is integrating immigrants into the fabric of community while building non-partisan political power for the common good.
Houston Clergy & TMO: Exec Action Good, Not Good Enough
The night before a planned House vote which could impact the latest executive action program initiated by the President, 50 Houston judicatory and TMO leaders held a joint press conference urging Congress to do the opposite -- to expand on the action and pass comprehensive immigration reform. Potentially beneficiaries were joined by the Houston -Galveston Catholic Cardinal DiNardo, Methodist and Lutheran Bishops and religious leadership from Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim faiths.
Read moreSan Rafael Immigrants Prepare for New Drivers License Law
Over 330 Marin Organizing Committee leaders packed a church gymnasium in San Rafael for a workshop on AB60, signed by Governor Brown last year, which grants valid California drivers' licenses to undocumented immigrants beginning in 2015.
MOC leaders actively supported the legislation last year, meeting with the author Assembly Member Alejo early in the process and securing the support of Assembly Member Marc Levine. Because few free and low-cost resources are available to families that want to apply or study for the written test, MOC leaders have taken matters into their own hands, meeting with DMV officials and preparing their own educational materials.
Read moreMACG Packs Assembly to Support Drivers Licenses for Oregon Undocumented
Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good leaders packed an assembly to hear stories from people impacted by Oregon's driver's license laws shared their stories and to advocate for Measure 88 on Oregon's November ballot, which would allow undocumented immigrants to drive after fulfilling all other requirements.
Catholic Archbishop Alexander Sample urged leaders to "get their elevator speech ready" in order to educate as many voters as possible about the measure. The political director for Governor Kitzhaber and former Hillsboro police chief Ron Louie also spoke in support of the measure.
Read moreAustin Interfaith Examines Challenges of Unaccompanied Minors
About 100 gathered for a civic academy organized by Austin Interfaith leaders from the Equal Justice Center and Congregational Church of Austin; guests from San Antonio RAICES and the UT Austin Longhorn Institute for Latin American Studies explained the dangers children are fleeing and the legal and political challenges they face today. Two Central American youth who had recently arrived shared powerful testimonies about what they fled.
Two months prior, Austin Interfaith issued a call to action after a public presentation at the Travis County Commissioners Court. Since then, the City of Austin unanimously passed a resolution "welcoming" the children to Austin and ordering City staff to identify unused resources for them.
Read moreAMOS Leaders Challenge Iowa Congressman on Immigration & Unaccompanied Minors
At a town hall meeting held in Ames, Iowa, Congressman Steve King was confronted by AMOS leaders unhappy with his recent votes on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and treatment of unaccompanied minors from Central America.
Shari Reilly appealed to the Catholic faith shared with King when she asked him to take a more "humanitarian approach" to the unaccompanied children arriving from Mexico and Central America. On behalf of AMOS she invited the Congressman to a public assembly to be held in September at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.
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