News for Amigos de Casa San José: new location!

Has moved to our website!  Please see more current posts here.

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News for Amigos de Casa San José: January 26, 2018

Dear Casa San José Amigos,

Welcome back to our email newsletter!  It now has a new location on our website, which we hope you will visit often.

ACTION: 

This Tuesday, Jan. 30, much is happening!  First, please join us and Bend the Arc: Pittsburgh for a protest at noon at the ICE office on the South Side (3000 Sidney St).  And then, that evening at 8 pm at Casa’s Beechview office (2116 Broadway Ave.), we will have a State of the Union Watch/Twitter Party where we will use all of our social media might to speak out together for Dreamers and immigrant rights.

HELP:

Please like us: Jeimy has been working hard on getting our social media presence up to date, and now we can send news and be contacted not only via our website and Facebook, but also Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.  Liking and Following us will greatly help us build our community!

NEWS:

Casa San José just won the Coro Pittsburgh's 2018 MLK, Jr. award for organizational leadership!  

For our many transportation needs – from taking children to Kennywood, to bringing supporters to marches, to escorting people to a court date, to moving furniture, donations and food supplies, etc., etc. – we thank the Miller Foundation who generously gave us a grant to get a new Chrysler Pacifica 2017 Van.  It is just fabulous - we are so grateful.

In the event that the recent judge’s injunction against Trump’s DACAcancellation is resolved in the Dreamers favor, Casa held a DACA clinic on Saturday January 20 to offer free renewals and assistance, childcare and refreshments. Young people came from as far as Cleveland, and it was covered in the Post-Gazette and on KDKA.

On Jan 29, we are starting an after-school program on Mondays for K-8 Hispanic kids at Dormont Elementary School, adding to our programs at Beechwood Elementary and Brashear High School.

Another new program is being offered: Puerta Abierta.  Every Wednesday afternoon, a Spanish-speaking counselor from Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh will be onsite to help and advise anyone who is subject to domestic violence.

Sister Janice spoke to students at Carlow University on Jan. 25 about the struggles and issues surrounding immigration and what can be done about them.

ANOTHER STORY:

Last Wednesday, Casa got a call that a teenage immigrant boy, who had just made the perilous journey alone from Guatemala to Texas to Pittsburgh, had been picked up by ICE and being held in custody at their South Side office.  He spoke no English, and was very frightened.  As an unaccompanied child, he would not be subject to immediate deportation, but here was the problem:  it was his 18^th birthday. He needed an advocate.  Sister Janice and Veronica answered the call, convinced ICE that he had an asylum case and could await trial with a relative, found shelter for him overnight at Family Links, and contacted his brother who lives in Massachusetts to come and get him.  He asked these things:  was he safe now, could he let his Mom know he was OK, and could someone find his lost notebook that he kept to learn English. Veronica answered yes to at least the first two, and saw him off with his brother at 6 a.m. the next day. She said “I was fortunate enough to witness the reunification of the brothers. It was very emotional to witness the joy of seeing that he was no longer in danger.”

(Earlier messages can be found here.)

News for Amigos de Casa San José: January 10, 2018

Dear Casa San José Amigos,

Welcome back to our email newsletter! We hope you had a peaceful and joyful holiday.

ACTION:  

• Thursday, Jan. 11th, is DREAM Act Call-In Day.  Right now is a critical moment for Congress to pass a clean DREAM Act protecting undocumented youth. There is some negotiating power with a budget that must be passed by Jan. 19th.  Also, Mayor Peduto has just issued a press release urging Pittsburghers to speak out to defend immigrants.  (If you can't call on that day, just call later - every call helps.)
•  Here’s how to participate: 
• 1. Dial 1-888-778-6856 and wait for the “welcome” message. 
• 2. When prompted, enter your zip code 
• 3. Wait for your call to be connected to your Representative or Senator and tell them to pass a clean Dream Act now. 
• Suggested Script :
• Hello, my name is __________ and I live in __________ (city and state). As your constituent, I am calling to urge you to pass a clean Dream Act. Every day that Congress fails to act, 122 community members lose their DACA status and are at risk of being deported. Please pass a clean Dream Act. Thank you for your time. 
• There is recent good news that a CA federal judge issued an injunction to maintain DACA. But this is a temporary fix. We need still a clean DREAM Act, an end to the mass deportations, and legislation that provides permanent protections.

• Casa would like to form a group of legal observers to document ICE activities. If you are interested, please sign up a free legal observer (LO) training by the ACLU on Saturday, February 3 at 10 am for a 1-2 hour session in downtown Pittsburgh. Contact Jane Louik at janelouik@comcast.net by Jan. 22 if you can do this.  See attached letter for more information.

• Join Casa San Jose at the January 20 Annual Summit Against Racism, held at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary,  616 N. Highland Ave.  Casa will be presenting at these panels:  Fighting Everyday Forms of Racism in our Neighborhoods and Beyond, and Building Power: Addressing Racism and Trauma in Pittsburgh’s Immigrant Communities.  Registration and more information here.

HELP:

• We have a great Facebook page - so please like/follow it and invite your own friends to like it too!

NEWS:

• 200,000 immigrants from El Salvador who are here legally, some for decades, under Temporary Protected Status, will be deported by the cancellation of this program by the Trump administration.  "A sense of dread gripped Salvadorans and their employers in California, Virginia, Texas and elsewhere."
• Wage theft protested:  Monica represented Casa San José on a freezing Saturday at a protest by a coalition of human rights advocates at the Robinson Marriott over unpaid wages to local immigrants in the renovation of that hotel.  Wage theft is a widespread problem that hits immigrants hard in the US, especially in the construction industry, because subcontractors often operate "under the radar."
• But some good news too:  The Three Kings Day festival on Sunday at St. Catherine's church was a huge success, with over 200 adults and children having fun, watching the play, and savoring the delicious Rosca de Reyes. 

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

• "In Pittsburgh, immigration advocates lament new Trump policy toward Salvadorans," Peter Smith, Post-Gazette, Jan. 8.
• "Trump's decision that would deport Salvadorans makes little sense, Pittsburgh area immigration experts say," Bob Bauder, Triblive, Jan. 8 

(Earlier messages can be found here.)