News for Amigos de Casa San José: September 14, 2017

Dear Casa San José Amigos,
Welcome back to our weekly message!  Here’s what’s new:

ACTION:

• If you're looking for a concrete way to help DACA recipients, here's an urgent one: donate to a fund that helps pay their renewal fees to USCIS. The $495 fee is a huge barrier in itself. The Philadelphia Foundation is helping PA is Ready! raise funds to support DACA application fees for Pennsylvania Dreamers who must apply by Oct. 5 to extend their legal status. Link to donate is here. These are tax-deductible and must be received by Sept. 25, 2017. There is a very tight window for renewal now for those whose permits are set to expire between now and March 5.  Also, if you know any Dreamer who needs help with this cost, put them in touch with the Dreamers Initiative  or 215-832-0636 ASAP.

• Stand up for DACA this Friday (tomorrow - Sept. 15) at the Action at Sen. Toomey's office downtown. From Monica: We are starting at the USW International Headquarters at 11:30 and will march over to Market Square. We are hoping to have 1 speaker (an actual Dreamer.) After the square we are marching up to Senator Toomey's office where we are hoping to have Fred Redmond speak. Should not take more than an hour.

• It's great to contact legislators to protest their actions against immigrants, but it's also good to thank those who support them. Here's what Senator Casey just said about DACA:  "President Trump’s action today is an insult to America and our values. This action is profoundly unjust, immoral and without regard for basic fairness. Tearing apart the lives of these young people will make our nation less safe, and harm our economy." You can thank Senator Casey for speaking up, and while you're at it, ask him to co-sponsor the Dream Act here.

• Hope springs eternal:  please also ask Senator Toomey to support the new Dream Act - his phone numbers are here. Numbers count, and Congress is working on this right now!  "Immigration arms race begins on Capitol Hill."

HELP:

• Reserve your tickets now (click here to get them and more info.) for the super celebration "¡Que Viva Clemente!" Saturday, Oct. 7 from 7-10 pm at Alphabet City on the North Side.  Proceeds go to support our work at Casa San José.  It's an annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and the legacy of the great humanitarian and Pittsburgh Pirate Roberto Clemente, organized by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA).  Guests will enjoy wonderful Flamenco dance and music from Alba Flamenca and deliciously authentic Latin American cuisine along with fine craft beer and homemade sangria. 

• 412 Resistance is hosting a 4.12K run/walk with proceeds going to Casa San José on Sunday, Oct. 8.  Some of the funds raised will support those applying for DACA renewals. Location: Southside Riverview Park. Participants 12 and under register for free and each child will receive a thank you prize. Sign up here. 

OUR STORY, continued:  

• In this video, three vibrant young DACA recipients - Luis, Norma, and Angeles - who were on the Casa San José trip to DC last week tell their stories.

NEWS:

• On Sunday, Sister Janice was presented with the Ohtli Award at the Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia. It is an extraordinary recognition awarded by the Mexican Government to those who have "have dedicated much of their lives and efforts to the welfare of the Mexican community abroad, opening paths and opportunities." ¡Felicitaciones, Hermana Janice!
  

• For our immigrant community, Casa San José is sponsoring free DACA and "Know Your Rights" clinics as well as a community meeting this month to voice thoughts and concerns and get answers.  More information is on our Facebook page.

SUGGESTED if you'd like to read or see more:

• "The Next DACA? Trump administration turns to another class of immigrants" , CNN, Sept. 11 - keep an eye on TPS (Temporary Protected Status) which is also under attack and affects 440,000 immigrants temporarily protected from deportation because they are in danger in their home countries.

• "DACA offers no clearcut road map to US citizenship", Triblive, Sept. 10 - profiles DACA recipient Ana Alberto and tells why a permanent solution is needed, from a Pittsburgh perspective.

Thank you for joining us!

(Earlier messages can be found here.)

News for Amigos de Casa San José: September 8, 2017: DACA

Dear Casa San José Amigos,

This week was all about DACA:  our hearts are broken, but our spirit is strong, and we still have hope.  (See ACTION below.)

On Tuesday, a group of 43 demonstrators organized by Casa San José got up before dawn to get on a bus for DC.  They included many of our Latino community members, supporters, Casa staff and volunteers, and a group of 8 from Cleveland who started their trip at midnight. 

In DC, our group enthusiastically joined hundreds of other protestors, who came with CASA, Make The Road, United We Dream and other organizations. (Video here.) The march began at the White House and went on to the Dept. of Justice and ICE headquarters.  Our banner (pictured) was acclaimed as one of the best, the chanting was strong and spirits were high. 

But just after 11 a.m., as journalists began to approach the marchers with microphones, asking "What will you do now?" everyone came to the realization that in fact DACA had just been rescinded, and the new grim reality set in. The ride back to Pittsburgh was very sad, full of anxiety, fear, and tears.  What the future holds is unknown.

Monica and Jeimy will be meeting with Dreamers and parents in Pittsburgh next week about their ideas of what to do next.

ACTION:  

• It's more important now than ever to appeal to Senators and Representatives in Congress to make DACA into law.  News is breaking hourly about bringing the Dream Act up for a vote.  Please keep calling your Members of Congress (contact info. here) to ask them to support it.  If you have time, go on to these actions suggested by United We Dream.
• PICC offers some "Tips for Allies Supporting Immigrant Communities"  
• DO
• Respect people’s boundaries. People are still processing what this announcement means for them and their families and may not be ready to speak to press, your church, or even you, about their story
• Donate to help people file their DACA renewals. The PA is Ready! fund will be giving scholarships to help all eligible Pennsylvanians apply for DACA by Oct. 5th. A DACA Scholarship donation link will be available within the next 24 hours. More info on PICC's website and Facebook.
• Show up and take action. Call your Representatives, attend events organized by community-led groups, donate space for communities to gather, educate your family and friends about DACA and immigration issues (see PICC’s toolkits for help)
• Sign up for PICC's email updates
• DON'T
• Blame immigrant parents. When you say DACA recipients are “innocent” or “blameless” you are implying their parents did something wrong by fighting for a better life for their family
• Speak for or over immigrants. Always center the voices of immigrants and speak only of your own experiences and views
• Perpetuate the Good/Bad immigrant narrative. Immigrants deserve respect and protection because they are fellow human beings, not because they are the “best and brightest” or “hard workers”

ASSISTANCE:

• 412 Resistance is hosting a 4.12K run/walk with all proceeds going to Casa San José on Sunday, Oct. 8.  Location: Southside Riverview Park. **Registration deadline to receive t-shirt and tote is Sept. 16. Participants 12 and under register for free and each child will receive a special thank you prize. More info. here. See you on the trail!

• We need volunteers to do activities with children at the Fiesta de Herencia Hispana at St. Catherine’s Church in Beechview on Sunday, Sept.17, from 2-4 pm. Casa will provide the materials, games, etc.  If you can do this, please contact Sister Valerie at srvalerie@casasanjose.org.

• Reserve your tickets now (click here to get them and more info.) for the super celebration "¡Que Viva Clemente!" Saturday, Oct. 7 from 7-10 pm at Alphabet City on the North Side.  Proceeds go to support our work at Casa San José.  It's an annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and the legacy of the great humanitarian and Pittsburgh Pirate Roberto Clemente, organized by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA).  Guests will enjoy wonderful Flamenco dance and music from Alba Flamenca and deliciously authentic Latin American cuisine along with fine craft beer and homemade sangria

Casa San José on Wednesday released a statement on the DACA situation:

• Casa San Jose is deeply distressed by the administration’s decision to rescind the DACA program that has benefitted more than 800,000 immigrants in our communities across the country.  For the past five years, these youths have been able to live, work, attend college and contribute as valuable cross-cultural citizens of this country.  They have blended into our society, been empowered to become self-sufficient, contributed to our economy, and greatly enhanced the cultural diversity that is a core component of  how our country was founded and grown. We stand by Article 15 of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights—“Everyone has the right to a nationality.  No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his/her nationality, nor denied the right to change their nationality.”

SUGGESTED reading - local coverage of Dreamers and demonstrators:

• Dozens show up at legislator's office to protest president's plans to end DACA, Post-Gazette, Sept. 6.
• Leaders and Dreamers in Pittsburgh region react to Trump administration's decision to end DACA, Post-Gazette, Sept. 6.

Thank you for joining us!

               (Earlier messages are archived here.)

News for Amigos de Casa San José: August 29, 2017

Dear Casa San José Amigos,

Welcome back to our weekly message!  Here’s what’s new:

ACTION:

• On Monday, Labor Day, please join our partners at the Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network (PIIN) which is organizing an action in support of labor on Labor Day.  Stand up for a Pittsburgh that provides a living wage and just, healthy communities! 

                     Fighting for the Pittsburgh We Want - McDonald's Action
                                Monday, September 4th, beginning at 7 am
        228 Semple St., Pittsburgh 15213 (the parking lot behind the Marathon Gas Station)
        You can also march with them in the Labor Day Parade at 10 the same day - 

        more information on this here.

• DACA ALERT - Please act ASAP!  (DACA is the temporary program, put in place by Pres. Obama, allowing undocumented youth brought here as children to stay in the US.)  September 5 deadline is approaching! 

• "Trump is likely to end DACA":  Tell Your MoCs to Stand Up for Childhood Arrivals and Co-Sponsor S.1615 and H.R. 3591 (here's how to contact.) Thankfully, some good Senators and Representatives have introduced bills to turn DACA into law and make it permanent.  We also need to ask them to put pressure on the White House. If you click on anything in this email today, please go to this excellent action guide with more info.

• Petitions are not as effective as direct contact, but they help.  It will take less than a minute to also sign this petition from United We Dream to Attorneys General and Members of Congress to "Keep the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program!"

• Last week we saw the presidential pardon of one of the most virulent and abusive anti-immigrant figures in the country, Sheriff Joe Arpaio.  The Phoenix New Times has for years been documenting his brutal and sadistic treatment of immigrants. #StopTheHate through keeping our eyes on this relentless persecution and protesting and speaking out wherever possible.

HELP:

• Reserve your tickets now (click here to get them and more info.) for the super celebration "¡Que Viva Clemente!" Saturday, Oct. 7 from 7-10 pm at Alphabet City on the North Side.  Proceeds go to support our work at Casa San José.  It's an annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and the legacy of the great humanitarian and Pittsburgh Pirate Roberto Clemente, organized by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA).  Guests will enjoy wonderful Flamenco dance and music from Alba Flamenca and deliciously authentic Latin American cuisine along with fine craft beer and homemade sangria. 

NEWS from our youth programs from Jeimy Sanchez-Ruiz, our Youth Outreach Coordinator:   Two weeks ago, I traveled with 2 Pittsburgh Latino youth to a regional leadership training from the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM,) where we made this video to stand with the young people in Charlottesville who stood up to white supremacists over the weekend.

And last week we had our big Back to School Bash! 65 kids enjoyed themselves with various contests, games, and lots of treats. In addition to the party, we were able to distribute bookbags to everyone filled with school materials thanks to our generous Amigos! Kids got to personalize their bookbags and notebooks. Photos here and below tell the story.

SUGGESTED if you'd like to read or see more:

• "Ending DACA would upend the dreams of a generation of immigrants without fixing a thing," LA Times editorial, August 29.
• Help for immigrants caught up in another disaster: "The mayor of the Houston promised to personally defend undocumented immigrants who be may hesitant to seek help in the aftermath of Harvey over fears of being deported", August 29.

Thank you for joining us!

News for Amigos de Casa San José: August 24, 2017

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.

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.

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:

• 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.

Thank you for joining us!

           (Earlier messages are archived here.)

News for Amigos de Casa San José: August 17, 2017

Dear Casa San José Amigos,

Welcome back to our weekly message!  Here’s what’s new:

Last minute help needed!
Volunteers for our Back to School Bash for our 2 youth groups:
   Friday Aug 18th, 2017 
   Time: 6pm-10pm (or part of that time)
   Place:  Brookline Teen Outreach, 520 Brookline Blvd.  
   For: set up, supervising various stations, and clean up
   Please let Sister Valerie know if you can help by email: srvalerie@casasanjose.org

Action:

• Please join us at a prayer service on Monday August 21st at 6-7 p.m. at St. Catherine of Siena in Beechview (1810 Belasco Ave) in the upper parking lot (next to the church). We are gathering to be a witness to love and light in the world. Prayer has power, and our faith gives us hope. We are strengthened by standing together in love against hatred, racism, and violence. 

• 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:  "My ancestors came here legally and waited in line - why can't they?" 

• Many of our ancestors would not have qualified under today’s immigration laws. 
• Until the late 19th century, there was very little federal regulation of immigration—there were virtually no laws to break.
• Before the 20th century, there was virtually no bureaucracy responsible for enforcing immigration laws. 
• Prior to the 1920s, there were no numerical limitations on immigration to the United States, but certain persons were banned from entering.
• The first numerical caps on immigration and limitations on Europeans were not established until the 1920s—after the great wave of immigration to the United States.
• Every restriction generated unauthorized immigration.
• Many European immigrants benefited from “amnesties.”

• Taken from the fact sheet "Did My Family Really Come “Legally”? Today’s Immigration Laws Created a New Reality" from the American Immigration Council.  More details in articles below.  Also, try this quiz to see if you could make it.

“Our Story” episode 15: "Fernanda"
Nothing we could say would be more eloquent than this video of Fernanda telling her DACA story at the demonstration on Tuesday at Senator Toomey's office. Please watch it - you will be so glad you did.  

Fernanda is literally part of the family at Casa San José - she is Monica's niece and Jeimy's cousin and a great help to everyone.  She is an extraordinary young woman, a 20-year-old rising Penn State junior with a double major in International Relations and Spanish. As a grateful recipient of DACA status, she is happy that it allows her to "have a normal life" in the US, though still without any stability, ability to travel abroad, or even eligibility for financial aid.  She arrived in Pittsburgh at 4 years old and lived and went to school in the South Hills until heading for college. Everyone who heard her on Tuesday was moved by her beautiful statement, in which she said, "All I want to do is make my parents and this country proud."


DACA is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy that allows young people brought to the US as children to get some protection from deportation and work eligibility.  It is temporary and under threat until it is made into law.  That law, the Dream Act, has just been reintroduced in the Senate and the House - both bipartisan bills!  It has a chance now and needs all our support; here's why. Please contact your Senators and Representatives!

Suggested if you’d like to read or see more:
"Your immigrant ancestors came here legally? Are you sure?"  from the Philadelphia Inquirer, June 25.

"The myths of illegal immigration" from the Boston Globe, July 25, 2014
Impossible Subjects:  Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America, by Mae Ngai, Princeton Univ. Press, 2014.
"No, Your Ancestors Didn’t Come Here Legally" Talking Points Memo, Nov. 20, 2014.

Thank you for joining us!

News for Amigos de Casa San José: Aug. 9, 2017

Dear Casa San José Amigos,

Welcome back to our weekly message!  Here’s what’s new:

Action:

• 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:
• Utter desperation drives many immigrants to seek a refuge in our country, despite the great perils of the journey and the enormous barriers enforced by officials. Patient waiting for years and spending thousands on fees are usually not options, as one's children are kidnapped, raped, or starved, and dire poverty is endemic. For the heart-rending details of one region's example, see "Forced to Flee Central America's Northern Triangle" a 2017 report by the Doctors Without Borders organization.

• The RAISE Act, yet another virulently anti-immigrant bill has been introduced in the US Senate by GOP Senators Cotton (AR) and Perdue (GA) and loudly acclaimed by the White House. It would restrict green cards, bar immigrants from reuniting with their families, end the diversity visa lottery, prioritize applicants with advanced degrees and require that they speak English. It would make an immigration system that is already almost impossible to enter even more so, and much more discriminatory toward minorities. Please register your strong opposition with your Senators (contact info. here.) 

Assistance:

• 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!

• Will you help us raise visibility for our work?  You can post a review on Great Nonprofits (a popular review source like TripAdvisor) by posting a review of your experience with us, as a supporter, volunteer, donor, or Amigo!  Go to https://greatnonprofits.org/org/casa-san-jose and click on "Share your story" at the bottom.  If you don't have much time, you can just put in a rating without a story.  But stories are also great!

In other news:

• A big THANK YOU! to two of our Amigos for generously lending us their van to drive a group of our young people to the Harrisburg this month for the Summer Youth Convening sponsored by the PA Immigration and Citizenship Coalition. This was an opportunity for young people all over the state to share stories, build relationships, and develop their leadership and organizing skills.

• Reminder: workshop 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. It is hosted by Casa San José, the Thomas Merton Center, and the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. (Library locations are here.)
• Thursday, August 10th, Mt. Washington Library, 6-8 pm.

“Our Story” episode 14: “Roberto"

• Last Tuesday, Monica, our community organizer, had just returned from her trip to Mexico.  She was soon bombarded with calls about ICE detentions in Pittsburgh almost every day last week.  Here's what happened on Thursday:  at 7:30 a.m. an ICE van was waiting outside a house on Fallowfield St. in Beechview as 3 men came out on their way to work. ICE officers stopped and questioned them all. None of them was the person they were looking for, but they arrested one of them, Roberto (not his real name,) a Casa client, anyway.  Someone in the house witnessing this called Monica via Facebook to get help.  She immediately assembled members of the Rapid Response team, and they, along with Roberto's American sister-in-law, spent the next 3 hours in the ICE office on the South Side filling out forms and trying to get in touch with him - even though he was in the same building.  Finally the lawyer on the team was able to speak to him and learn what happened, so they could begin arrangements for a bail hearing.  So many people are now being held in the main ICE prison in York that Roberto has been transferred to the Cambria detention facility, where he will have to wait for an opening at York to even get a date for the hearing. He will be locked up for the foreseeable future - but at least he won't be deported immediately.  Roberto has no criminal record whatsoever.  

Suggested if you’d like to read or see more:

• "Fewer Immigrants Mean More Jobs? Not So, Economists Say" from the New York Times, Aug. 3, in opposition to the claims of the RAISE Act sponsors.
• "Ignorant Immigration Reform", the New York Times, Aug. 4, ditto.
• "Immigration is integral to the nation’s economic growth" is only one of the positive conclusions in the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine's 2016 Report, The Economic and Fiscal Consequences of Immigration.

Thank you for joining us!

News for Amigos de Casa San José: Aug. 1, 2017

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!

Political action:

• 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.)

In other news:

• 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

“Our Story” episode 14: “Smile!"

• 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.

Suggested if you’d like to read or see more:'

• 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. 

Thank you for joining us!