Looking for a way to have a voice in the immigration debate? For those interested, I have listed links to websites that support the basic human rights of illegal immigrants in the United States.
I urge you to examine the content on the organizations websites and decide for yourself which to join.
Also, if you know of an organization and would like it listed, please email me!
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http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/
*This website has a petition in defense of the Columbia University students who rallied to prevent the Minutemen presentation. Consider signing the petition!
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American Civil Liberties Union
http://www.aclu.org/immigrants/index.html
*Supports the civil rights of immigrants on U.S. soil – regardless of how they came to be here.
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National Immigration Project
http://www.nationalimmigrationproject.org/
*Immigration attorneys who band together in an effort to keep abreast of immigration laws and policies in the United States.
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Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
*Keeps abreast of immigration legislation in favor of immigrants.
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Polling Point
*This website has online polls asking specific questions about immigration.
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The Rural Organizing Project
http://www.rop.org/ImmigrantRights.htm
*Based out of Oregon, excellent grassroots ideas for local organizing.
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Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of L.A.
*Encourages community involvement and activism
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National Council of La Raza
*Largest Latino civil rights and advocacy coalition in the
U.S.
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You can find over 300 affiliates of La Raza from all over the United States on their website.
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Detention Watch Network (DWN)
http://www.detentionwatchnetwork.org/
*The Detention Watch Network (DWN) is the only national coalition in the United States that addresses the detention crisis head-on and helps detainees and their loved ones make their voices heard.
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Southern Poverty Law Center
http://www.splcenter.org/index.jsp
*This is EXCELLENT. The articles are VERY informative.
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Immigration Watch
http://www.immigrationwatch.com/
*This website keeps data on the visas and legal migration into the U.S.
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Episcopal Farmworker Ministry
*Episcopal church who serves farm workers in Newton Grove, NC
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National Farmworker Ministry
http://www.nfwm.org/stateoffices/NChousing.shtml
*Faith-based; Locations around the country; advocates for farm workers
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Latin America Working Group
http://www.lawg.org/tools/influencing/faithbased/Faith-based_organizing.htm
*Faith-based; advocates for understanding between cultures
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Tolerance.org lists organizations funded by John H. Tanton of Michigan. If you do not know about this man and you are interested in knowing what sparked and spurred forward the anti-immigration movement in the U.S., please research his name.
http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_hate.jsp?id=557
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Comments: 19
but they aren't immigrants. they are aliens. they could only be considered immigrants if they met the requirements for citizenship and we let them stay.
"Alien" means non-citizen. Mick Jagger in an alien [in the US, as well as in France, Russia estc...].
"Immigrant" is a person who moves from his/her home country to another with the intention of settling there rather than just visiting. This is the way people actually use this word. The US immigration system confounds this a bit by often using "Legal Permanent Resident" (green card holder) and "immigrant" as synonyms, and by dividing visas into "immigrant" and "non-immigrant" categories. But even they actually define an immigrant as "any alien in the United States, except one legally admitted under specific nonimmigrant categories (INA section 101(a)(15))".
Someone issued an "immigrant visa" becomes a "Legal Permanent Resident", and is not "admitted to citizenship". After five years of LPR status, they can apply for citizenship, but they don't have to and they might not qualify, though the majority who don't either doesn't want to give up their original citizenship (as you likely wouldn't give up your US one if you moved to France), or simply neglects to do so. Citizenship is an entirely different matter from being "legal", and the confusion there is about this is not helpful.
There are also many people who are legally present, working or studying in the US for several years, many of them with the view of staying permanently if possible, and have already started the long and complicated legal process toward a green card. As they are actually *living* here rather than "visiting" if those words are used in any reasonable way, when you meet them you will likely consider them "immigrants" rather than "visitors", even though the classification of their visa at this point is "non-immigrant".
Also, few people think that an immigrant stops being an immigrant when they become a citizen. Most people would describe Arnold Schwarzenegger as an immigrant, and he himself has done so.
In short, beware of basing arguments on narrow definitions when wider ones exist, or any "trouble" you "make" will ring false :-)
It's great that you provided the links for the 4-5 of you to share and comment on.
Good luck.