News
Historic Step for Immigration Reform
On December 19, 2009, Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) introduced a progressive immigration reform bill and North Star Fund rapid response grants were a small part of making that happen. In preparing the bill, Rep. Gutierrez called a meeting in October to gather ideas from the immigration reform movement, and to show community support. North Star Fund grantees responded, with our help. North Star Fund gave two rapid response grants, to La Union and to New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) to send representatives to Washington, D. C. to attend the meeting.
According to Valeria Treves from NICE, "NICE was able to send 50 community members on the bus to Washington, demonstrating the widespread community support that members of Congress needed to advance real comprehensive immigration reform."
Many of the needs that NICE, La Union and other community organizations brought forward are incorporated into Rep.Gutierrez 's bill, including:
- An earned legalization program. With this bill, people who are currently undocumented can apply for a temporary visa and then a Green Card, putting them on the path to citizenship.
- Opportunities for youth. This legislation incorporates the Dream Act, which would give a pathway to citizenship for college-enrolled youth who were brought into this country as children and educated in U.S. high schools. This provision would gives immigrant youth the opportunity to serve as professionals in this country.
- Judicial discretion for immigration judges. Currently, immigration judges have no leeway to weigh individual merit in deportation proceedings. The law mandates deportation, even for people who may own property or businesses, have citizen dependents (including dependent children), or who may have responsibly lived and worked in this country for years.
- Humane treatment in detention centers. This article in the New York Times details some of the documented abuses that occur to immigrants awaiting deportation. The Guttierez bill mandates more transparency in the deportation process, and access to healthcare and medicine.
NICE took the opportunity of being in Washington to show their support for immigration reform by meeting with their Queens representatives Anthony Weiner (NY-9) and Joseph Crowley (NY-7), both of whom subsequently signed on to co-sponsor the bill. Other New York City co-sponsors include Yvette Clarke (NY-11), Steven Israel (NY-2), Carolyn Maloney (NY -14), Gregory Meeks (NY-6), Gerald Nadler (NY-8), Charles Rangel (NY-15), Jose Serrano (NY-16), Edolphus Towns (NY-10), and Nydia Velazquez (NY-12).
North Star Fund is proud to be part of this historic effort. According to Leticia Alanis from La Union, "The grant from North Star to made this day of action possible. It's an important step for comprehensive immigration reform."
