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August Immigrant Affairs Update |
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Last year, we launched our first Immigrant Integration Grant Program. We awarded funding to 12 organizations total and we're now excited to share project highlights from some of the organizations that received funding! |
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El Buen supports Latinas to be “future-ready,” and thriving in a 21st century society. Providing access to education and workforce development is a priority for El Buen. We know that when Latinas have access to education, they become part of the workforce and integrate within community in multiple ways. Education is the great integrator, providing access and equity as well as opportunities for economic advancement. We seek to strengthen and reinforce our current Adult Education/Workforce programming for English Learners by transforming it into a comprehensive wraparound Latinas’ Education Advancement and Development Program (LEAD). |
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Each of our LEAD participants creates their own pathway to education, training, and/or entrepreneurship. El Buen provides a holistic approach to service delivery for women to enrich, reinforce, and strengthen their education, as well as achieve economic security. By targeting educational programming, we engage the women we seek to serve and then wrap services around them that provide a comprehensiv e support network to address multiple facets of their life – including housing and basic needs assistance, financial and workforce assistance, childcare, and health care services, in addition to the educational programming that serves as the cornerstone of their experience with El Buen.
LEAD participants attend visioning, goal setting and planning sessions to create a future for themselves, explore education and professional development opportunities, and develop individualized educational pathways to college or other academic endeavors. We move forward together, empowering every woman with the ability to choose their pathways.
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Bulbul Collective
16-Week Healing Circle
Bulbul Collective (formerly I-AMM) is an Austin-based storytelling | worldchanging 501(c)(3) dedicated to curating and disseminating BAMEMSA (Black, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, South Asian) stories. The Healing Circle strives to build community under the tutelage of trained professionals, by holding two, 16-week (currently online) classes every year. For more information and to register, please email chirp@bulbulcollective.org |
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Trúc Việt: Registration Open for 2022-2023 Classes
With our classes, we will help you learn English or Vietnamese or prepare for the US Citizenship Test. Our Beginner English as a Second Language Classes and Citizenship Coaching Classes are free for the Vietnamese community! Our Vietnamese as a Second Language Classes are $110 for a limited time only until August 5th. Tuition covers the whole year. The ESL and VSL classes will be online via Zoom. The Citizenship Coaching Class will be in-person at Sun Academy.
For more info, email info@trucviet.org or call 512-694-8765
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Multicultural Refugee Coalition
Volunteer Needed: In-Person Farm ESL Teacher
Volunteers teach English as a Second Language (ESL) classes twice a week for refugee staff at New Leaf Farm in-person. Each class session is twelve weeks long. Volunteers will create lesson plans and help refugees practice their English language skills. You'll join others who are passionate about serving the refugee community.
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Austin Public Library
Talk Time
various libraries & online
Improve your English conversation. ¡Mejore su conversación en inglés!
Talk Time is a program for English conversation practice with other English language learners and English speaking volunteers. No registration is necessary. The program is open to any adult who speaks some English and wants an informal and safe place to practice with others. More information here.
Participe en Talk Time: Hablemos Inglés, un programa gratis de La Biblioteca Pública de Austin, donde usted puede venir a conversar en inglés y así practicar y sentirse más seguro. No es necesario registrarse. Este programa se ofrece a cualquier adulto que hable algo de inglés y que quiera practicarlo con otros en un lugar informal y sin presiones. Más información aquí.
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U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
Mental Health First Aid Trainings
Upcoming Virtual (Open) Trainings:
August 18 (Adult MHFA)
September 8 (Youth MHFA)
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an evidence-based training that provides participants with knowledge on the common signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adults as well as practical ways to support someone experiencing a mental health challenge. Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) is a similar curriculum that provides participants with knowledge on the common signs of mental health and substance use challenges among youth ages 12-18. Register for the training here. |
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- The Biden administration plans to test providing temporary ID cards to immigrants awaiting a final decision on their cases. “The ICE Secure Docket Card program" is part of a pilot program to modernize various forms of documentation provided to provisionally released noncitizens through a consistent, verifiable, secure card," according to an ICE spokesperson.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the launch of a new citizenship ambassador initiative. Through this new initiative, USCIS will partner with community leaders who will promote citizenship through their own immigrant experience.
- In early July, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the Texas vs. US case about the legality of the DACA program. No ruling was issued at the time. These arguments related to whether Texas and the other states that are challenging the legality of the DACA program have “standing” or the ability to bring their lawsuit. This was after a Texas federal court found that the DACA program is unlawful back in July 2021.
- Undocumented employees who are worried about retaliation for reporting labor violations can now request that the Department of Labor (DOL) seek the use of prosecutorial discretion from DHS.
- A coalition of immigrant rights organizations recently launched the Black Migrant Power Fund - a community-led fund that will move immediate, no-strings funding to Black-led, grassroots organizations addressing the urgent needs of Black migrant communities and building power with and for Black migrants in the U.S.
- American Immigration Council (previously New American Economy) recently released a report highlighting the economic contributions of immigrants in Texas.
- On July 7, Governor Abbott issued executive order GA-41 empowering the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas National Guard members to return undocumented migrants to the border at a port of entry.
- Bexar County created a $1 million immigrant legal defense fund to protect community members and their families. This is a crucial win for Bexar County, where nearly 66% of people are forced to defend their immigration case without legal representation.
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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. Learn more and register here. |
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Friday, August 5 @ 12pm CST
Monkeypox Virtual Roundtable Discussion
Austin Public Health
Austin Public Health and Central Health, along with community partners, are hosting a monkeypox roundtable for the community. The roundtable will feature several local physicians and health experts who will speak on monkeypox, prevention methods, professional experiences, vaccine and more. Local advocates will also participate in the discussion. There will be several opportunities for community members to ask questions during this event. Interpretation services will be available in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Arabic. Watch it on Facebook Live. |
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Tuesday, August 9 @ 2pm CST
Assisting Immigrant Women in Economic Inclusion
In this webinar, we will discuss how the welcoming economies field and movement can better address the issues immigrant women face in navigating a culture with different gender norms alongside the dual burdens of family and economic self-sufficiency, and introduce inspiring programs and leaders who assist women in economic inclusion. Learn more and register here.
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Fairness to Freedom
Campaign for Universal Representation
National Week of Action
August 15-19, 2022
As part of the Fairness To Freedom campaign, a coalition of organizations is calling for federal legislation to establish a universal right to legal representation for anyone facing deportation regardless of who they are, where they are from, or their history with the legal system. Universal representation works. Immigrants with attorneys are 3.5x more likely to be granted bond (enabling release from detention) & people in detention are 10.5x more likely to establish their right to remain in the U.S. than those without representation. Learn more and get involved here. |
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Thursday, August 25 @ 12pm CST
Welcoming & the SDGS: Advancing Inclusion Through Community Philanthropy
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The Austin-Travis County Health Authority has expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to include young children and babies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that all children 6 months through 5 years of age should receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This age group is eligible to receive the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines. Find more information here. |
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Deadline to Apply: August 5, 2022
USCIS Citizenship and Integration Grant Program
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is currently accepting applications for four funding opportunities. USCIS will offer up to $20 million in competitive funding for organizations that help prepare immigrants for naturalization and promote civic integration through increased knowledge of English, U.S. history, and civics. Learn more about these funding opportunities here. |
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Guide to Naturalization for People with Disabilities
This advisory from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center describes the various ways that persons with disabilities can navigate the naturalization process, including requesting accommodations, seeking an N-648 disability waiver of the English/civics requirement, and applying for an oath waiver. The advisory describes recent changes to the USCIS’s policy manual and upcoming changes to the N-648. View the advisory here. |
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TransLatin@ Migrations
Life, Love & Triumphs
TransLatin@ Migrations: Life, Love & Triumphs is a series of short documentaries featuring 25 trans migrants sharing their stories of strength and courage. Watch the videos here.
Migraciones TransLatin@: Vida, amor y triunfos es una película documental que presenta a 25 inmigrantes trans compartiendo sus historias de vida, amor y triunfos. Mire los videos aquí. |
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National Immigrant Inclusion Conference
December 11-13, 2022
National Harbor, MD
Register today 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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