55 Labor, Community and Faith Organizations Call on Governor Murphy, Legislature to Provide COVID Aid to Immigrants

“Creating a COVID relief program that provides income replacement to workers and their families who have been excluded from federal and other aid will help save lives and contribute to the public health of all New Jersey residents”, said Latino Action Network President Christian Estevez. “Immigrants want to help flatten the curve by staying home when possible but are forced to work in dangerous conditions to make ends meet. It is past due for us to provide financial relief to the most vulnerable members of our community.”

https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/55-labor-community-faith-organizations-call-governor-murphy-legislature-provide-covid-aid-immigrants/

August 17, 2020

Elizabeth, NJ – August 17, 2020: Urging New Jersey to take action to create a COVID relief fund for immigrant families and workers excluded from federal aid, fifty-five labor, community and faith-based organizations sent a letter today to Gov. Murphy and legislative leadership. In New Jersey, as many as 604,615 people, including 262,527 U.S. citizens who live with an immediate undocumented family member, have been left behind by aid under the CARES Act. Undocumented immigrants are also ineligible for unemployment insurance, pandemic unemployment insurance, SNAP and TANF. 

The organizations called on the Governor and the state legislature to create a COVID relief program that provides income replacement to workers and their families who have been excluded from federal and other aid, to include $600 weekly payments for excluded workers who have lost their jobs and stimulus-style payments to undocumented immigrants who pay taxes but were not permitted to obtain federal stimulus payments under the CARES Act. Pending legislation S2480/A4171 would provide one time payments to some undocumented tax filers in New Jersey. This legislation currently has bipartisan support in the state legislature and 17 co-sponsors in the Senate and nearly as many in the Assembly. Recently, the Star Ledger editorial board endorsed the legislation, calling it a “reasonable first step” to meet the vast need.

“I worked in a food processing plant through the quarantine until I started to get COVID-19 symptoms. Then I lost my job. I haven’t received a penny in aid. I’m a single mom of three kids who were born in the United States. I pay taxes every year. Every day I worry about how I will buy medicine, keep my kids fed and stay safe. I urge New Jersey to stand up for the half-million undocumented immigrants and our US citizen kids,” said Maria Perez, member of Make the Road New Jersey.

“We are one state with one future. The welfare of any New Jersey family affects the welfare of every New Jersey family. We support taking measures to ensure that every New Jersey child lives in a home with adequate resources so that they can learn, grow and thrive. Our students’ access and opportunities should not be limited by their parents‘ immigration status,” said Marie Blistan, President of the New Jersey Education Association.

“Creating a COVID relief program that provides income replacement to workers and their families who have been excluded from federal and other aid will help save lives and contribute to the public health of all New Jersey residents”, said Latino Action Network President Christian Estevez. “Immigrants want to help flatten the curve by staying home when possible, but are forced to work in dangerous conditions to make ends meet. It is past due for us to provide financial relief to the most vulnerable members of our community.”

“In caring for our communities, we come face to face with those forced to work in dangerous conditions or risk poverty; and the many more whose work was devastated and families sickened by COVID-19, with no relief even if they pay taxes, or have families with mostly U.S. citizens, who are all punished along with them. We see the hunger, the uncertainty, the threat of becoming homeless, the fight to not lose faith in the social systems and sheer human integrity we should be able to count on. The CARES Act left out millions, putting divisions between us while the disease knows no boundaries. The HEROES Act is stalled in the Senate, but growing desperation takes no pause. New Jersey’s political leadership has a chance to address this crisis, and a moral obligation to pass and sign S2480/A4171 into law. We believe they have the political will, good sense and empathy to do so too, and in this case hope that is something we can count on,” said Gloria E. Blanco, Wind of the Spirit.

Christie Hypocrisy on Display: New Jersey Joins Lawsuit to Block Obama’s Executive Order on Immigration

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with Mitt Romney during 2012 presidential campaign stop.  Romney at the time took the position that the United States should make life so hard on immigrants that they would deport themselves.

Christie Hypocrisy on Display

New Jersey Joins Lawsuit to Block Obama’s Executive Order on Immigration

For Immediate Release: March 26, 2015

Contacts:

Frank Argote-Freyre, President – 908-670-0552

Christian Estevez, Executive Vice President – 973-418-7012

Rudy Rodas, Co-Chair, Immigration Committee – 201-381-1819

Statement of the Latino Action Network Steering Committee

            Governor Christie yesterday, in a cynical political ploy, entered New Jersey into a federal lawsuit aimed at blocking an executive order by President Obama allowing some undocumented immigrants to remain in the country without fear of deportation. The move underlies the hypocrisy Governor Christie has always displayed towards the Latino community. To national audiences he has proclaimed himself a candidate with appeal in the Latino community while guarding any details about his national policies on immigration. New Jersey’s entry into the lawsuit, although nearly 20 percent of the state’s population are Latinos, should serve as a wake-up call to anyone in the community that considers him a friend.

Christie’s efforts to secure the Republican presidential nomination have led him to undermine one of the most significant bills he signed into law during his tenure as the State’s Chief Executive. When Christie signed the In-State Tuition Equality bill in 2013 at Union City High School, he essentially articulated the need for immigration reform as the basis of his support of undocumented students. The Governor said at the time:  “Even if you're cold-hearted about this, you can agree with the common sense of the economics.” “[O]ur job, I believe, as a government, is to give every one of these children, who we have already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in, an opportunity to maximize that investment.”

By fighting against the expansion of executive programs that would give undocumented students permission to work legally in the United States, Christie is hindering these students’ ability to pay for their college education.

President Obama announced the executive order last year after Congress failed again to enact comprehensive immigration reform.

Perth Amboy DREAM Team Presents: Coming Out of the Shadows!

The Latino Action Network is proud to support the Perth Amboy DREAM Team as they present:

Coming Out of the Shadows!

Friday, March 8, 2013
5:00 PM

Perth Amboy High School
300 Eagle Ave
Perth Amboy, New Jersey 08861

The Perth Amboy Dream Team is a fearless group of students that are fighting for a cause. We no longer want to be in the shadows and we will come out strong. We are undocumented unafraid and unapologetic.

Join us in this life changing event where we will come out with our stories through poems and songs.

There will be a series of performances and plenty of food.

MOST IMPORTANTLY IT'S FREE.

Young Immigrant Activists Cast a Wider Net

This New York Times article provides more information about the historic conference held in Kansas City, Missouri over this past weekend.  The 600 DREAMers at that conference, which included a delegation from the New Jersey DREAM Act Coalition (NJDAC), decided to expand past previous call for the passage of the DREAM Act and instead to push for broader Comprehensive Immigration Reform that would include a path to citizenship for themselves and their families. 

[Read the full article below]

Young Immigrant Activists Cast a Wider Net

Delegates on Saturday reflected in silence during the United We Dream congress for young immigrants in Kansas City, Mo.

By JULIA PRESTON

New York Times

Published: December 2, 2012

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a boisterous three-day congress here, more than 600 leaders of a national movement of young immigrants living in the country without legal papers voted to expand beyond their past demands for citizenship for young people, and to mobilize in support of a bill to legalize 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

The leaders of the United We Dream network, the largest organization of youths here illegally, decided to push President Obama and Congress next year for legislation to open a path to citizenship for them and their families. The move will increase pressure on Mr. Obama and lawmakers to pass a comprehensive overhaul, rather than taking on the debate over immigration in smaller pieces to try to gain more support among Republicans.

The network’s platform calling for an “inclusive pathway to citizenship,” which the leaders adopted unanimously in a vote on Sunday morning, is likely to have a large influence on the debate Mr. Obama said he planned to kick off soon after his inauguration in January. The young people, who call themselves Dreamers, generally attract more sympathy from American voters than other immigrants here illegally, because most were brought to the country as children and many became activists after their illegal status thwarted their plans for college.

They take their name from the Dream Act, a bill that would create a pathway to citizenship for young people, which lawmakers on both sides of the aisle view as having a better chance than broader legalization measures. This year several Republicans, including Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, worked on alternative proposals that could attract support from their party. An estimated 1.7 million young immigrants would be eligible for legal status under the Dream Act.

But the youths opted to fight for broader gains, concluding that events were working in their favor after the Nov. 6 election, when Latino voters turned out in large numbers, overwhelmingly in favor of Mr. Obama.

“We have an unprecedented opportunity to engage our parents, our cousins, our abuelitos in this fight,” said Cristina Jimenez, a leader of the United We Dream organization, using the Spanish word for grandparents.

Although most of the young people who attended the conference do not have legal papers, it was a sign of their new confidence that the network held its congress in the convention center downtown, in a conservative state where most voters oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants.

In June, Mr. Obama announced two-year reprieves from deportation and work permits for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants, an initiative that they saw as a victory for their protests over the past two years. Some participants here already had their reprieve documents.

For many young people, getting here was still a challenge. Some who came from California said they had taken the risk of flying for the first time, passing security with state identity documents. Others came by car from places like Florida, New York and Texas, driven by the few among them who have valid licenses.

Their decision to push for legal status for their families was intensely emotional. When they were asked at a plenary session how many had been separated by deportation from a parent or other close family member, hundreds of hands went up. They were critical of Mr. Obama for deporting more than 1.4 million people during his first term.

“When Obama is deporting all these people, separating all of our families, I’m sick and tired of that,” said Regem Corpuz, a 19-year-old student at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was born in the Philippines.

“Our families’ dreams were to get a better future,” said Ulises Vasquez of Sonoma County, Calif., “but our future is with our families together.”

On Sunday, six immigrant parents, also here illegally, joined a “coming out” ceremony where they spoke in public for the first time, as many youths have done in recent protests.

One father, Juan Jose Zorrilla, 45, who is from Mexico, recounted how he had entered the United States several times by swimming across the Rio Grande. “For parents, there is no sacrifice so large that we won’t make it for our children,” Mr. Zorrilla said. A mass of youths jumped up from their chairs to embrace Mr. Zorrilla and the other parents.

Much of the debate centered on how the movement would navigate hard realities in Washington. Opposition to legalization remains strong among Republicans, who control the House.

Network leaders said the election results, in which Mitt Romney won only 27 percent of the Latino vote, give them new influence with both parties, but particularly with Republicans.

“The Republican Party alienated Latino voters in ways they hadn’t done before,” said Lorella Praeli, a leader of the United We Dream organization. “Our leverage is that our community is growing,” Ms. Praeli said. She suggested that young immigrants ask Republicans: “Do you want your party to see the inside of the White House again?”        

DREAMers’ political coming of age: a bolder more inclusive agenda

A national group of Dreamers have just released their platform calling for citizenship for the nation’s 11 million undocumented. A delegation from the New Jersey DREAM Act Coalition (NJDAC) travelled to Kansas City, Missouri to participate in the United We Dream 2012 National Congress. They were among the 600 DREAMer representatives that voted for an official platform with six demands, including a call for the creation of a road map to citizenship for the nation’s 11 million undocumented and an end to “senseless” deportations.

Read about them below:

DREAMers’ political coming of age: a bolder more inclusive agenda

Posted by Sandra Lilley
NBCLATINO

December 3, 2012 3:28pm

http://nbclatino.com/2012/12/03/dreamers-political-coming-of-age-a-bolder-more-inclusive-agenda/

Talk about dreaming big. What started out as a group of undocumented youth asking to be allowed to pursue higher education or work without fear of deportation has grown into a bold mandate calling for a national road map. DREAMers want citizenship not just for themselves, but for their parents, grandparents and neighbors, and are advocating for a broad, diverse coalition to make this happen.

“We strongly believe the immigrant youth movement has accomplished unprecedented power,” said Cristina Jimenez, managing director of the group United We Dream. Saying that DREAMers were instrumental in President Obama’s deferred deportation policy, as well as in encouraging large numbers of Latinos to vote in November’s election, “it really puts us in a position to be bold about our vision,” said Jimenez in a press call following a DREAMer national conference this weekend in Kansas City, Missouri.

At the United We Dream 2012 National Congress, 600 DREAMer representatives voted for an official platform with six demands. It calls for a road map to citizenship for the nation’s 11 million undocumented and an end to “senseless” deportations. It also demands the ability of undocumented immigrants to ‘travel without fear’ by ensuring access to driver’s licenses and the ability to visit family in other countries. It calls for extending state and federal financial aid opportunities for undocumented youth as well as in-state tuition rates to DREAMers, and demands an end to “excessive and costly immigration enforcement policies” such as Secure Communities, E-Verify, 287G, and roadside checkpoints.

The platform also advocates for access to health care and “safe, fair working conditions” and equal protection under the law for all. Lastly, the group wants to include more non-Latinos, as well as people of different sexual orientations, faith groups and and “differently-abled” people.

The group came out against the recent Achieve Act, a Republican-sponsored bill which would allow Dreamers to obtain visas for study or work without ensuring a pathway to citizenship. “Cynical political gestures like the Achieve Act are a step backwards,” said Lorella Praeli, United We Dream’s director of advocacy and policy. The group plans to have coordinated actions and press conferences across the country the week of President Obama’s inauguration. At the same time, United We Dream stresses it is will meet with legislators from both parties – they mentioned Democratic Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez and Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio – to press for bipartisan immigration reform in the next legislative session.

Political ‘coming of age?’

Political scientist Cristina Beltran, associate professor of social and cultural analysis and the director of Latino Studies at New York University, says the DREAMers’ platform represents a big change. ”We have been the ones talking about immigration, but now undocumented immigrants are talking to us,” says Beltran, who has written a book on Latino politics and the creation of identity. She says the DREAMers’ platform calling for more inclusion of non-Latinos, as well as people of different sexual orientations and abilities, is a smart move.

“In a way, one of the issues with the immigration debate is that it was very ‘Mexicanized’ – it was treated as a ‘Mexico’ issue,” Beltran says. ”By stressing the global nature of immigration and the fact it encompasses many different people, it keeps it from being all about ‘Latino-bashing’ and ensures more political buy-in,” Beltran explains.

“This is a group of young people who have been pretty tested, and they have seen the Dream Act fail repeatedly,” Beltran adds. “They are not naive, but young people are often bolder than their elders,and are more optimistic and less cynical,” she states. After all, Beltran says, it was the DREAMers who pushed for a deferred action policy when many in the Administration thought it would be impossible.

Some have questioned whether the recent focus on DREAMers has taken away from the larger issue of immigration. “Besides the individual level storytelling, they have not moved the debate except to focus much of the debate on them. I have a problem with that,” stated recently political scientist and Northern Arizona University professor Stephen Nuño.

Now, as the DREAMers push for a broader immigration reform agenda, the question is whether these Latino young activists will be able to successfully move the needle in the new Congress, which starts in January.

Judging from the statements today, they’re ready.

“We are gearing up for a fight – right after the Presidential inauguration,” said United We Dream’s Praeli. Saying she expects to see a bill on the floor of Congress in May, the Latina DREAMer said she expected some “really heated months” in February, March and April. ”Our strategies will be bold and new,” Praeli says.