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April Immigrant Affairs Update |
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On March 11, 2022, the City of Austin was honored to host National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) at the Twin Oaks Branch Library as part of NPNA's 2 Million By 2022 campaign. Check out the news coverage from CBS Austin here. Texas AFL-CIO, Asian Texans for Justice, and the Equity Office also participated in the press conference. The 2 Million by 2022 campaign is meant to encourage eligible permanent residents living in Austin to apply for and obtain their citizenship by the end of 2022. Stay tuned for a digital campaign launching later this year - "New American Voters 2022," focused on encouraging millions of newly naturalized citizens to vote in the upcoming elections. |
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NPNA's press conference also highlighted the return of naturalization ceremonies this year, thanks to an ongoing collaboration between the Equity Office, Austin Public Library, Austin Public Health and USCIS. As a result of this partnership, we were able to help 300 residents from nearly 70 countries become naturalized U.S. citizens during this event! We have more naturalization ceremonies planned throughout the year, so be on the lookout for photos and highlights from these ceremonies. If you happen to be deputized to register people to vote in Travis County (or surrounding counties) and want to volunteer at the ceremonies, please get in touch! |
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The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants has a Texas-focused team and they are offering free Mental Health First Aid trainings focused on those who serve refugee and immigrant communities. The training will teach you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care. Trainings can be in-person or virtual and CEUs may be available. For more information, please contact USCRI at refugeewellnesstx@uscrimail.org or by calling (512) 256-3310. |
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Collecting Naturalization Stories
National Partnership for New Americans has set a bold goal of supprting 2 million people in becoming naturalized U.S. citizens. As part of the campaign, they want to uplift stories of naturalized citizens. If you are a naturalized U.S. citizen, you can submit your naturalization story here. |
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Center for Survivors of Torture (CST) is currently accepting new referrals
CST provides free mental health counseling to immigrant survivors in central and north Texas, with offices in Austin and Dallas. CST provides free professional interpretation for counseling sessions with our licensed clinicians. We are currently open to new referrals and welcome you to call our Austin office at (512) 358-4612 or our Dallas office at (214) 827-2314 to refer your client(s) for our services. |
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Refugee Leadership Development Program
The Refugee Leadership Development Program provides monthly workshops to refugee and immigrant organizers across the United States. Led by refugees for refugees, this training series is an opportunity to learn more about advocacy tactics being used to advance pro-refugee / pro-immigrant policy on the state and national level, story-telling and narrative shifting, and connecting with resources and local networks to build more welcoming and inclusive communities.
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Thursday, April 7 @ 12:30pm CST
Immigration Is A Racial Justice Issue
UT Law School - Eidman Courtroom
*in person event
The Strauss Center will host Nana Gyamfi, Executive Director for Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI). BAJI is the largest Black-led social justice organization representing the nearly 10 million Black immigrants, refugees, and families living in the U.S. A Movement attorney for the past 25 years, Nana is co-founder of Justice Warriors 4 Black Lives and Human Rights Advocacy, both dedicated to fighting for human rights and Black liberation. Register for the event here. |
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Friday April 8 @ 10am CST
My API Live
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Thursday, April 14 @ 2pm CST
Race and Femicide
Join RaceForward for a conversation among organizers and leaders addressing gendered and racialized violence in our communities: from the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous and Black women, to targeted attacks against Asian women, to ongoing violence against trans and gender non-conforming people, to the trafficking of immigrant women. Register here. |
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Tuesday, April 19 @ 10am + 1pm CST
Texas History Tuesdays: Gone to Texas - Part of the Nation's Immigration Story
Why did people move to Texas from other countries? What challenges and opportunities did they face? A Museum Educator will discuss the four primary waves of immigration to the United States through Texas from 1845-1924, the history behind the movement of people to Texas, interesting stories from immigrants, and show artifacts that people brought with them on the journey. Many of the stories of immigration to Texas can also be compared to the characteristics of immigration to the United States. Register here. |
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Austin-Travis County's COVID-19 Community Level is currently Low. Find resources here. Everyone 5 years of age and older is eligible to be vaccinated. |
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Deadline to Apply: April 11, 2022
A.J. Muste Memorial Institute
Social Justice Fund
Our Social Justice Fund makes grants for grassroots activist projects in the US, giving priority to those with small budgets and little access to more mainstream funding sources. We are especially interested in funding efforts to:
- end the violence of borders and the criminalization of immigrants, shut down CBP and ICE
- abolish prisons and dismantle and redefine systems of policing and criminal justice
- confront institutionalized violence against racial, ethnic, gender-based, and LGBTQ communities
- put an end to economic exploitation, class stratification, systemic poverty
- stop the war machine, end state sponsored terrorism, expose the dangers of nuclear power
Learn more and apply here.
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ICYMI - Q&A: Applying for U.S. Citizenship // Solicitando la ciudadania estadounidense
In honor of Women's History Month, National Partnership for New Americans talked with immigrant women voters and called on all eligible green-card holders to naturalize this year. During the session, they were joined by an immigration attorney who answered questions from the community about the process of applying for U.S. citizenship. Watch the recording here. |
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Save the Date:
Welcoming Interactive
May 18-20, 2022
Charlotte, NC
Registration is now open for this year's Welcoming Interactive! The Welcoming Interactive is an annual conference that highlights successful practices and inspiring stories about immigrant inclusion, programs, policies, and partnerships on economic development, civic engagement, government leadership, and more. Attendees learn about local innovations from peer communities and come away with new ideas and energy to foster welcoming places for all. Learn more and register here. |
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Save the Date:
National Immigrant Inclusion Conference
December 11-13, 2022
National Harbor, MD
Save the date to join the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA)
at NIIC, hosted at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD.
NIIC’s shift from “integration” to “inclusion” is purposeful. NPNA's priority is the full enfranchisement of immigrant communities. This includes a focus on intersections between issues and systems that impact our communities and how critical it is to build strong, cross-cutting alliances.
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