This Week in Immigration Reform — Week Ending October 24
Week Ending October 24
This week in immigration: NCLR continues the ‘Hanging in the Balance’ blog series with the story of a mixed-status family; NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía visits Kansas City; NCLR facilitates two webinars on DACA and college readiness; NCLR and partners increase civic engagement efforts; NY City Council passes bill prohibiting law enforcement from honoring detainer requests issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
NCLR continues ‘Hanging in the Balance series with the story of a family with mixed-status and what the executive action means for them: In NCLR’s latest ‘Hanging in the Balance’ blog post we tell the story of Vicky Ramirez, a member of NCLR’s Líderes Youth Advisory Council, and her family. Vicky’s parents are legal permanent residents, but some of her siblings are not. One is a DACA recipient. One is the parent of a U.S. citizen. When asked about how executive action would affect her family, Vicky said “it would be transformative.” She also described the challenges families like hers face and how they could continue contributing to the country if they were granted administrative relief and obtained work permits. For millions of families like Vicky’s across the country, NCLR urges President Obama to provide relief that allows millions of families to continue to live and work in the United States.
NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía urges Latinos in Kansas to head to the polls come November: This week, NCLR’s President and CEO, Janet Murguía, travelled to her home state of Kansas to encourage Latinos to vote. “Murguía was joined at the event by Irene Caudillo, President and CEO of El Centro Inc., and Representative Louis Ruiz, both of whom echoed the call to get out the vote. Latinos currently account for 5.5 percent of the state’s electorate, or about 120,000 voters. As it stands, the margin of victory in certain races is currently less than the total percentage of Latino voters in the state.” In a news release Murguía is quoted as saying, “In order to translate our growing numbers into political clout, we must make sure that every eligible Hispanic registers to vote and that every registered Latino voter in Kansas casts a ballot on Election Day. In especially close races, Kansas’s Hispanic electorate is not an afterthought; it’s a kingmaker.”
NCLR faciliates webinars regarding DACA and college-readiness: This week, NCLR was busy sharing information with educators about DACA and college readiness for undocumented students. NCLR collaborated with College Board to present a webinar entitled “Assisting Undocumented Students in the College Application Process.” Over three hundred school counselors registered for the webinar and received information on policies that impact undocumented students. NCLR also hosted a webinar for Escalera program grantees and other partners in educational programs titled “College Dreams for Undocumented Students”. If you are interested in materials, please contact Laura Vazquez at [email protected].
NCLR and partners host town hall meeting in North Carolina: NCLR, in partnership with Affiliate El Pueblo, hosted a town hall meeting on October 18 in Raleigh, North Carolina. It featured candidates for Sheriff, Clerk of Court, and District Attorney running in Wake County and allowed them to present their platforms and to address concerns from the Latino community. Find out more on what NCLR is doing on civic engagement by following @NCLREmpowers on Twitter or by visiting NCLR’s advocacy and empowerment webpage.
Additionally, in partnership with the Latin American Coalition, NCLR hosted a town hall meeting on October 22 in Charlotte, North Carolina at Caldwell Presbyterian Church. The event featured Vanessa Faura, former Republican candidate for city council, Nelda Leon with Mecklenburg Hispanic Democrats, and Rafael Prieto, Editor of Que Pasa Mi Gente.
New York City council passes bill prohibiting NYPD and New York City Department of Corrections from honoring detainer requests: Law enforcement and correctional facilities in New York City will no longer honor detainer requests from ICE, unless they are backed by a warrant from a federal judge. The recently passed bill also removes ICE officials from the Rikers Island correctional facility, a goal long championed by immigration advocates, including NCLR Affiliate, Make the Road New York. The law separates ICE and local law enforcement in hopes to ensure just treatment of immigrants and to foster trust between communities and local police. Read more in the New York Observer.