Neighbors In Support of Immigrants

THIS WEEK IN IMMIGRATION

2012-01-08T11:33:00.001-05:00

In the News....

CLICK DATE FOR FULL REPORT.

February 6. Tuition Equity Bills Continue to Build Equity in State Legislature.

February 6 How Congress Can Better Protect Immigrant Victims.

February 6 Cato Report Analyzes Benefits of Immigration in United States.

February 6 In Fight Over SB 1070 Arizona Makes an All-Too Familiar Case to the Supreme Court.

February 6 New Report Examinies Dire Consequences of "Attrition Through Enforcement" Immigration Strategy.

January 23. Holding Obama Administration to its Word on Prosecutorial Discretion

January 23. Border Patrol to Roll Out New "Get Tough" Policy on Unathorized Immigrants.

January 23. New Report Says Legislation Would Result in $1.4 Million in Revenues for Houston, Texas

January 23. Advocate Call Romney's Relationship with Anti-Immigrant Hawk "Political Suicide."

CLICK DATE FOR FULL REPORT.

COMMUNITY RESOURCE

2011-12-24T09:51:00.002-05:00

SHARING THE AMERICAN DREAM is an educational video and discussion program produced by NISI members and is available to community groups, schools, libraries and other commuity organizations free of charge.

The video features interviews with a wide range of recent and not so recent immigrant members of the eastern Long Island community, telling their stories of transition to this country and their quest for the American Dream.

Community organizations interested in sharing this video with their members can contact NISI at

631 325 8788, or email
supportimmigrants@gmail.com or write to

Neighbors in Support of Immigrants (NISI)
PO Box 803
Hampton Bays, New York 11946

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

2011-12-20T20:11:00.000-05:00

1. IMMIGRANT SERVICES AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ON THE EAST END.

Several church and community groups offer a wide range of services, usually including, but not limited to helping immigrants access health, clothing and food; identifying sources of English instruction; and providing classes on life skills.

Click on the title IMMIGRANT SERVICES in the IMPORTANT PAGES Section at the top of the column on right for more complete information.

2. JUST THE FACTS.

There is a great deal of misinformation about the impact of the immigrant population on the local economy, government services, and the job market. NISI has prepared a fact sheet that corrects much of that misinfomation. You may find it useful and infomative.

Click on JUST THE FACTS in the IMPORTANT PAGES Section at the top of the column in the right hand column.

3. MESSAGE TO NEW COUNTY EXECUTIVE.

We (Long Island Immigrant Alliance) are writing to offer our congratulations on your election to the Office of County Executive, and to follow-up with our meeting. As you may recall, the Long Island Immigrant Alliance (LIIA) was born out of the need to counter, contain, and prevent inhumane and often violent, attacks against Latino immigrants. LIIA is comprised of some 50 charitable organizations that collectively endeavor to create a Long Island that is inclusive, welcoming, and responsive to all residents. As such, the alliance is well positioned to be a resource to you and to your administration. (Read the entire report)

Click on LONG ISLAND IMMIGRANT ALLIANCE in the IMPORTANT PAGES Section at the top of the column in the right hand column.

Immigration in Suffolk County, NY

2009-11-19T12:55:00.000-05:00

Read and hear a two part report focusing on immigration issues in Suffolk county produced by and aired on NPR's Morning Edition program on November 19, 2009.

Part 1 - Flood of Immigrants to LI Sparks Tension.
Part 2 - Do LI Police Ignore Hate Crimes?

CLICK HERE!

Strengthening the Middle Class

2009-09-21T20:12:00.000-04:00

As Congress again prepares to debate comprehensive immigration reform before the end of 2009, the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy releases “Principles for an Immigration Policy to Strengthen and Expand the American Middle Class: 2009 Edition,” building on our earlier immigration research.

In the depths of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, Americans have nevertheless rejected the impulse to blame immigrants for their economic woes and instead show strong and growing support for legalizing undocumented immigrants. This report was written to encourage a new immigration reform package driven by the needs of the nation’s middle class and low-income American workers striving to stay afloat through the economic crisis and earn a middle-class standard of living.

We reveal that the American middle class relies on the economic contributions of immigrants both authorized and undocumented, but also that the exploitation of undocumented immigrant workers threatens to drive labor standards down for current and aspiring middle-class workers. Based on these findings, we propose a two-fold litmus test for evaluating immigration policy.

READ REPORT

Climate of Fear - Can it be Changed?

2009-09-17T16:07:00.000-04:00

The Southern Poverty Law Center recently published a report describing and documenting the climate of fear that exists in Suffolk County on Long Island in New York.

READ THE REPORT

You may also be interested in reading Suffolk County Executive Levy's response to this report that appeared in The Southampton Press on Sept 17, 2009.

MR. LEVY'S RESPONSE

WHAT IS OUR ROLE?

The challenge to our organization and to our communtiy as a whole is how can we play a role is bringing the end points of the continuum defined by this report at one end and by Mr. Levy's response at the other closer together?

Immigrants Buy Into American Dream

2009-09-10T17:23:00.000-04:00

Immigrants worldwide “are overwhelmingly choosing to stay put in their adopted countries, rather than return home,” in the face of the economic crisis, and those in the U.S. continue to “strongly buy into the American Dream,” said a couple of reports released this week.

READ MORE...

Volunteers Needed !!!

2009-08-30T10:35:00.000-04:00

Feeding the Mind is seeking volunteers.

Feeding the Mind is an ESL program offering basic English language classes to the migrant-worker population. We target skills to help our students assimilate into the American culture.

The classes will be held at the First Congregational Church of Riverhead on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6:00 PM until 7:45 PM, and will run from November 2nd until March 1, 2010.

Knowledge of Spanish is helpful, but is definitely NOT a requirement. Teaching/tutoring experience also helps, but is not mandatory. Those with enthusiasm and compassion please call for an exciting opportunity.

For further information call: 631 369 3236

Restrictions vs Legalizaion

2009-08-18T13:54:00.000-04:00

New Cato Report Highlights Economic Benefits of Legalizing Immigrants
Reform that Includes Legalization Would Yield a Net Benefit of $180 Billion Over 10 Years, While Enforcement Efforts Alone Would Incur $80 Billion in Losses.

READ ENTIRE REPORT.

NURSES NEEDED

2009-08-07T14:41:00.000-04:00

One of the important findings of the study done by the Council on Foreign Relations is the role immigrants will play and are playing in filling the void for both skilled and unskilled workers. This article, written by a registered nurse, explains why it is important to begin granting visas so that foreign trained nurses can be recruited to work in the U.S.

NEED MORE NURSES

Petition to Secretary of Homeland Security

2009-08-03T23:32:00.000-04:00

Add you name to a petition to Secretary Janet Napolitano protesting the unconstitutional activities of ICE.

SIGN PETITION

CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATIONS

2009-07-31T15:30:00.000-04:00

According to a recent report published by the Cardozo School of Law, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has engaged in widespread constitutional violations while conducting its home raid operations.

READ ENTIRE REPORT

SEE REFORMS Proposed by
Sen. Menendez (NJ) & Gillibrand (NY)

IMPORTANT ACTION

2009-07-31T13:46:00.001-04:00

What happens next with Comprehensive Immigration Reform? Secretary Napolitano is convening a policy working group on immigration reform and Senator Schumer, Chair of the Senate subcommittee on immigration, announced that he'll have a bill ready by Labor Day. What do advocates need to do next? How does immigration reform fit into the debate on health care, Sotomayor, and the rest of the Obama agenda?. What is happening with other legislation that directly connects to immigrants and immigration? What are the implications for the timing of an immigration bill?

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

Interview with Jeb Bush

2009-07-20T12:11:00.000-04:00

The changing demographics of the United States, with fewer workers and more retirees, should compel Washington to make comprehensive immigration reform a top policy priority, says former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, co-chair of the Council of Foreign Relations Task Force on U.S. immigration policy.

READ MORE

IMMIGRANTS: The Pride of America

2009-07-07T10:12:00.001-04:00

The United States of America remains a land of immigrants.
Andrew Carnegie, who founded Carnegie Corporation
of New York in 1911, was an immigrant from Scotland.
We at Carnegie Corporation salute his legacy, along with
the contributions of the millions of other immigrants who
have made, and continue to make, our nation strong and
vibrant. We are committed to helping immigrants become
integrated into the civic fabric of our nation because
enlightened citizenship is the everlasting strength of our
democracy. Our national motto, E pluribus unum —
“out of many, one” — continues to be an ideal we can all
aspire to and a true guiding light for our nation.
The Carnegie Corporation, June 2009

THE NEW AMERICANS

2009-07-01T13:59:00.000-04:00

The popular PBS program "Independent Lens" has aired a series of film shorts entitled The New Americans. Below is a link to the entire compelling and insightful series.

The New Americans

Ant-Bias Program Announced

2009-07-01T10:21:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, June 30, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy announced an anti-bias program for Suffolk County. To view the press conference at which he made this announcement, please click on the link below.

ANTI-BIAS PROGRAM FOR Suffolk County

Lobbying for Change

2009-06-30T09:48:00.000-04:00

NISI is organizing to meet with Senators Gillibrand and Schumer, and Congressman Bishop to lobby for immediate action on comprehensive immigration reform. NISI is creating a lobbying subcommittee that will be developing a set of talking points both for meeting with these elected officials and for supporters to use when discussing comprehensive immigration reform and/or writing letters to elected officials or to newpapers in support of this much needed reform. This subcommittee has a tentative meeting with Sen Gillibrand for mid-August. We will use this site and email to keep all of our members informed. Below is a link to an article reporting on Sen. Schumer's efforts.

Sen. Schumer

We the people

2009-06-18T09:21:00.000-04:00

NBC's Today Show has produced a series of features on various aspects of the growth and impact of the Latino population in the United States. These features cover topics ranging from the separation of families, to the growth of dual language education,to the life of Justice Sotomayor, to the rise in breast cancer in Latino women. Click on the link below to view these programs and many more.

WE THE PEOPLE

PUBLIC FORUM HELD ON IMMIGRATION

2009-06-18T07:07:00.000-04:00

Too often public discussion of controversial issues results in little more than a shouting match. Only the loudest of voices are heard and substantive, thoughtful comments are in short supply. It is rare when public meetings of this kind affect changes of opinion or create new understandings. Volume and vitriol seem to be the order of the day rather than respect and reason. In these situations, the bravado of the few creates the impression that they speak for the many. Unfortunately, this has been the case when the topic of immigration has been the focus of these public discussions. Nonetheless, several local eastern Long Island politicians and community leaders believe that despite this troubling history public discussion can be a good thing producing good results. MORE