Dear Casa San José Amigos,
Welcome back to our weekly message! Here’s what’s new:
As part of Pittsburgh's response to Charlottesville, Mayor Bill Peduto invited Sister Janice to speak at “A Prayer for Pittsburgh: A Prayer for Peace” event on August 18 downtown. Sister Janice’s talk drew on the sisters’ mission of “loving God and neighbor, without distinction.” Here you can watch the video: Sister Janice’s remarks begin at about the 42-minute mark.
As part of Pittsburgh's response to Charlottesville, Mayor Bill Peduto invited Sister Janice to speak at “A Prayer for Pittsburgh: A Prayer for Peace” event on August 18 downtown. Sister Janice’s talk drew on the sisters’ mission of “loving God and neighbor, without distinction.” Here you can watch the video: Sister Janice’s remarks begin at about the 42-minute mark.
Action:
- Keep up the focus on DACA (the temporary program allowing undocumented youth to stay in the US) because there is a looming deadline on Sept. 5: GOP officials in 10 states have threatened to take the administration to court unless it agrees to start phasing out the program by that date. TPS (Temporary Protected Status) is also under threat. Please tell the White House (here) to keep DACA and TPS!
- Also contact your Members of Congress (here's how) and ask them to support legislation that provides a permanent solution for immigrant youth and puts them on a path towards citizenship. Right now those are:
- The American Hope Act (House), Rep. Gutierrez and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
- House DREAM Act of 2017, Rep. Roybal-Allard and Rep. Ros-Lehtinen
- Senate DREAM Act of 2017, Sen. Durbin and Sen. Graham.
- Side-by-side comparisons of these and similar bills, from the National Immigration Law Center.
- Talking points in response to: "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: "Why should we be the ones to accept them? It's not our fault that so many are fleeing." In fact the US does have considerable responsibility:
- For more than 100 years, the US government undertook numerous political interventions in Latin America, often installing corrupt and murderous governments that resulted in violent and oppressive living conditions, particularly for the poorest inhabitants. Full story from Harvest of Empire, an award-winning documentary. Also history from this Harvard publication.
- US-based corporations have continually been operating Latin America over the last century to get access to cheap labor, land, markets and natural resources. In doing so they have "displaced tens of millions, aggravated poverty and inequality, and wreaked havoc on the environment." Details in this article.
- Many who leave their countries are considered "climate migrants," victims of increased droughts and superstorms that have destroyed their agricultural livelihoods, food supply, and communities. According to the World Resources Institute, the US has historically contributed significantly more than any other country to carbon emissions. More documentation from the Brookings Institute here.
“Our Story” episode 16: "Green card!"
A week ago, Sarah, a Casa volunteer, took Bartolo to pick up his green card! It has been an amazing journey. It began when a boy of 16 left Guatemala alone, fleeing poverty and violence. He traveled for months, crossing deserts, and finally ended up in Pittsburgh working 12-hour days for less than minimum wage in order to send money home to his family in Guatemala. Malnourished and living on a mattress in a basement, he ended up hospitalized with a nearly fatal disease. Miraculously, sensitive judges, health workers, and Casa San José staff (Monica became his foster mother) came together to get him to recover and also achieve the legal status he needed to move toward his eligibility for a green card, the only way to ultimately become a citizen.
Here’s how Sarah describes that day: “We went to pick up his green card from Jewish Family and Children's Services. He was SO excited, especially on the way back with the card in hand, and he talked and talked about how amazing it was to have permanent residency. Some of the things he was talking about were: working and sending money back to his family, traveling (he said, "I can go anywhere! I can visit my family in Guatemala. I can go to Guatemala!"), and he also repeated several times, "I'm going to have a new life, a totally new life, than I would have had in Guatemala." When I saw him looking at the green card itself, his face was in awe. It was a powerful experience to witness! Also, he insisted on stopping by Casa San Jose to thank everyone.”
Bartolo’s earlier story received national coverage on the radio program, PRI’s The World. Read or listen to it here.
Here’s how Sarah describes that day: “We went to pick up his green card from Jewish Family and Children's Services. He was SO excited, especially on the way back with the card in hand, and he talked and talked about how amazing it was to have permanent residency. Some of the things he was talking about were: working and sending money back to his family, traveling (he said, "I can go anywhere! I can visit my family in Guatemala. I can go to Guatemala!"), and he also repeated several times, "I'm going to have a new life, a totally new life, than I would have had in Guatemala." When I saw him looking at the green card itself, his face was in awe. It was a powerful experience to witness! Also, he insisted on stopping by Casa San Jose to thank everyone.”
Bartolo’s earlier story received national coverage on the radio program, PRI’s The World. Read or listen to it here.
Suggested if you’d like to read or see more:
- "Trump under the gun as Dreamers deadline looms," Politico.com, 8/23.
- Listen to Harvard Professor Roberto Gonzales explain his new book: Lives in Limbo: undocumented and coming of age in America. Even better: read the book (at Carnegie Library too.)
- Documentary We Are DACA, interviews with 5 PA DACA recipients that was shown at the PICC event commemorating the 5-year anniversary.
- More information on defending DACA and TPS.
Job openings that we were asked to post:
Thank you for joining us!- CASA (not Casa San José) is hiring a lead organizer in PA, based out of York to supervise our organizing work in South Central PA with Latinx and immigrant communities. More info.
- The Community Justice Project Looking for a Bilingual Paralegal to do immigrant outreach and advocacy work in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. CJP’s work on behalf of immigrants focuses on violations of workers’ rights (including discrimination and failure to pay minimum wage and overtime); access to critical services for those with limited English proficiency; community education: and limited advocacy on other civil legal issues. The position is 20 hours per week, paid by the hour, no health insurance or other benefits. Postsecondary education is preferred. Previous experience as a paralegal is helpful. Must be Bilingual in spoken and written English and Spanish. Send cover letter and resume to Peter Zurflieh, Community Justice Project, 118 Locust Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101. pzurflieh@cjplaw.org. Call 1-800-322-7572 Ext.210. The Community Justice Project is an equal opportunity employer.
