• CIR Won’t Cure Bigotry and Hate

    September 19, 2009 // No Comments »

    I am getting to this rather late, but better late than never, right?

    Thursday was National Constitution and Citizenship Day, a day that commemorates the formation and signing of the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787, as well as recognizes all who, by birth or by naturalization, have become US Citizens.

    Unity in Movement – Citizenship Day Mobilization 2009 hosted events throughout the day in Washington, D.C., in an effort to advocate for more responsibility and accountability among our elected officials for social change and justice.

    Today also represents a moment for all of us to reflect on what being or becoming American means, as individuals and as various interwoven communities. All residents, documented or undocumented, are a part of and belong to this narrative.

    I am not a citizen. I am actually not sure if I will ever be. Although my birthfather and my dad (who adopted me after marrying my mother) are natural born U.S. citizens, that status was never transferred to me. Long and complicated story aside, the simple answer is: 1) my parents never filed for me at the time of the adoption, 2) I never filed in my late teens, and 3) now I refuse to file until/unless the German government allows me to retain my German citizenship.

    I constantly remind myself that I am extremely fortunate that I am able to have these choices, and that I experience little to no adverse effects sans U.S. passport. I feel extremely connected to and invested in U.S. society.  I sometimes even  forget that I am not a Citizen. I am one of the lucky ones. People only know that I am an immigrant because I choose to tell them my story. As in other areas of my life, I pass!  Upon first glance no one assumes that I am an immigrant. No one questions my status or my right to be here, to seek secondary and post-secondary education, to acquire and maintain employment, or to purchase (and sell) a home – to live a happy, safe and full life. I am rarely told to go back to where I came from or that I am a leech on the American taxpayer.

    illegal immigration

    Anti-Immigrant Protester

    Unfortunately this isn’t the dominant immigrant experience, especially for immigrants of color. Various organizatons – Southern Poverty Law Center, National Council of La Raza, Immigration Equality, and others – have reported that anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise. It has been for more than a decade. It’s hard to miss, no? Just do a quick google search or check out the likes of Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck. I will spare you the long list of nativist, anti-immigrant hate mongers! Nativist voices have reached a deafening pitch in recent months, particularly as the prospect of comprehensive immigration reform. And the kicker! While CIR is necessary, vital, imperative in fact, it is not going to solve the deep-rooted ideology of hate against immigrants in this country. It’s not about being documented or undocumented.  As long as people/immigrants of color are being profiled solely based on the color of their skin or their accent, the piece of paper is irrelevant in this equation.

    Case in point – a recent SPLC Report, Climate of Fear: Latino Immigrants in Suffolk County, NY indicated that immigration status was completely irrelevent to those who use violent rhetoric and actions against ethnic minorities in this country. The report indicated that whether someone is Mexican, Ecuadorian, Columbian, Cuban, etc., the assumption is that every Latino is am “illegal Mexican”. CIR won’t change that attitude.

    And honestly, I am not sure what will. Nativists are fueled by an irrational fear that morphs into unabashed hate. I am not sure if legislating them into being descent human beings is really a viable solution. Nevertheless, stronger hate crime legislation and passage of CIR are necessary tools of defense and justice against this undeniable culture of xenophobia.

    Posted in ChangeBloggers, Politics, Racism

    Citizenship Weekend April 18, 2009

    March 23, 2009 // 1 Comment »

    My mother and I are immigrants. We received our Permanent Resident Card (“Green Card”) upon first entering the U.S. When I say “received” I mean just that. It was simple, painless, inexpensive, and only minutely time consuming. My father (her husband) is a natural born U.S. citizen (and at the time U.S. Army soldier).  We received our Green Card shortly before we moved to Selfridge, Michigan where my dad was station for a short period of time.  The military filed the paperwork for us and I think even paid the fees.  My mother naturalized a few years ago. She did not have to struggle to pay the USCIS fees (almost $800 at this point) and for the most part was merely a procedural process.  I have chosen to re-new my Green Card until the German government allows me to maintain dual status. We are the lucky ones! My family’s situation isn’t typical. Most individuals face considerable struggles in their quest to immigrate to the U.S.  The financial burden alone has become too great for many to overcome without assistance  And then there are others who wont ever have the opportunity to become U.S. citizens.

    April 18 and 19, 2009 is Citizenship Day, a national event where private immigration attorneys partner with local non profit organizations to provide free legal help in applying for citizenship to low income Legal Permanent Residents (Green Card holders). This year we have added two new sites – Allentown and Carlisle (just past Harrisburg), in addition to Philadelphia. We know that citizenship has become increasingly expensive, and many families are struggling. As a result, this year in Pennsylvania we will be offering assistance to eligible individuals in applying for a fee waiver, in addition to application assistance. Details on sites, times and registering are below.

    Pennsylvania Citizenship Weekend is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition (PICC), the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Nationalities Service Center (NSC), and HIAS and Council Migration Service. The Center for Immigrants’ Rights at Penn State Dickinson School of Law is co-sponsoring and hosting Citizenship Day in Carlisle. Catholic Charities, Diocese of Allentown is co-sponsoring and hosting the Allentown location. A number of organizations are co-sponsoring the Philadelphia event, and are listed on the attached flyer.

    Volunteer Attorneys Needed for Citizenship Weekend

    Volunteer attorneys are still needed to help provide legal assistance to applicants. Additional training sessions in citizenship procedure and fee waivers will be held on Friday April 3rd in Philadelphia (12pm – 2pm) and Allentown (2pm – 4pm). Please contact Jamie Johns at hiascitizenship@gmail.com or (215) 832-0922 regarding the Philadelphia training. Please contact Jill Freeman at jfreeman@wsklawyers.com or at (267) 350-6600 regarding the Allentown training.

    Allentown Community Training on Citizenship March 29th

    In preparation for April, PICC is holding a community training in Allentown this weekend, on the citizenship process. This workshop will provide an overview of the citizenship process, but please note that we will not be able to provide help for individual cases. Light refreshments will be served. For more information contact Hillary Blecker, 215-832-0895 or picc.organizer@gmail.com

    Community Training on Citizenship
    Sunday, March 29, 2009
    2:00-4:00pm
    First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, 3231 Tilghman Street

    Citizenship Weekend Details – April 18th in Philadelphia and Carlisle, April 19th in Allentown

    *There is no charge for this application assistance but individuals are responsible for filing fees, postage & biometrics*

    You must register for these events in advance and receive an appointment time by calling:

    (215) 609-1534 or (215) 893-8400 for John Thompson at Nationalities Service Center, 9am-5pm and Mondays until 7pm

    OR

    (215) 832-0900 or (215) 832-0922 for Jamie or Vilma at HIAS and Council, 9am-5pm and Tuesdays until 7pm

    Philadelphia – Saturday April 18th
    Time: 10 am – 4 pm
    Location: Nationalities Service Center, 1216 Arch Street, 4th floor, Philadelphia, PA

    Carlisle – Saturday April 18th
    Time: 12 pm – 6 pm
    Location: The Dickinson School of Law (Advantica Building) 1170 Harrisburg Pike, Carlisle, PA 17013

    Allentown – Sunday April 19th
    Times: 10 AM – 4 PM
    Location: Catholic Charities, Diocese of Allentown, 530 Union Boulevard, Allentown, PA 18109

    Posted in Politics