Dear Casa San José Amigos,
Welcome back to our weekly message! Here’s what’s new:
Your help is much needed:
- Sister Janice is talking to local political organizations about making sure our communities are welcoming to immigrants. She is next going to approach local Councils of Governments which are municipalities working together: here are the ones in Southwest PA. If you know anyone who is connected to any of these, please email us at office@casasanjose.org.
- Please be a sponsor of the fall fundraiser, ¡Que Viva Clemente!, which will honor Casa San José as the recipient (to be held October 7 by the LCLAA at City of Asylum on the North Side.) Ad rates, which start at $75, and instructions are here, and more information about the event can be found in this letter from Sister Janice and Julian. Deadline for the ad request is August 25. This could be from an individual or an organization. Thank you so much for making our work possible!
- From Jeimy and Fernanda: please consider our Amazon Wish List for our Back to School Bash for the kids on August 18. We now have 65 kids ages 7-18 registered - many in the last few days! - and they all get book bags and school supplies. We still need more items (especially bookbags) to be able to help everyone. Also, a Huge Thank You to those who already donated (Amazon isn't giving us donors' names, so we unfortunately can't thank you individually.) ¡Mil gracias!
- New feature: "They are here illegally. Why can't they just follow the rules?" We've found that variations on this question come up often in discussions with people and legislators who oppose immigrant rights. So we would like to to offer some talking points in response, one each week. This week:
- It is not a criminal offense to be here without documents. Branding immigrants as "criminals" and "illegal" for simply living in the US without authorization is misleading and distorting, and contradicts the Supreme Court ruling in "Arizona vs. United States" (2012) which states "as a general rule, it is not a crime for a removable alien to remain present in the United States." The Court also ruled that it was not a crime to seek or engage in unauthorized employment. It is instead a civil offense (like a traffic ticket.) See a fuller explanation from the ACLU here.
- The DREAM Act (DACA) which currently protects over 750,000 undocumented young immigrants brought to the US as children, is under threat. Ten states are challenging the act in the courts unless the Trump administration cancels the program by September 5: all of those young immigrants will be in danger of immediate deportation. Bipartisan legislators in Congress are now acting to protect the Dreamers through proposed legislation, but the situation is precarious. Please call your US Representatives and Senators to tell them you support the updated versions of the Dream Act (more info and talking points here.)
- Summer fun: disfrute el verano! Come to LACU's 23rd Annual Latino Picnic, Saturday August 5, 12 - 7pm at the Schenley Oval in Schenley Park. Music, food, games, children's activities, raffles, etc. Casa will have a table, so come see us.
- Reminder: upcoming workshops on Supporting Immigrant Rights in Your Community. Learn how Pittsburgh supports immigrant rights and where your state legislator stands - what the issues are and how to work for productive solutions. Events are hosted by Casa San José, the Thomas Merton Center, and the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. (Library locations are here.)
- Tuesday, August 1st, Homewood Library, 6-8 pm
- Thursday, August 3rd, Beechview Library, 6-8 pm
- Thursday, August 10th, Mt. Washington Library, 6-8 pm
- On July 24, 20 of our young people got free professional dental care at PNC Park, courtesy of TeamSmile and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jeimy, Fernanda and Julian signed them up and chaperoned; the kids got exams, x-rays, cleaning, toothbrushes, as well as friendly guidance about brushing and flossing. Facepainting and fun activities were also on deck.
- The terrible impact on the lives of nearly 6 million U.S.-citizen children living with at least one unauthorized family member are detailed in Trump’s Immigration Policies Are Harming American Children, from the Center for American Progress, July 31.
- "A gift to human traffickers': report warns of dangers of Trump immigration policy" from The Guardian, March 10, as background to the terrible San Antonio trailer tragedy.
