|
|
|
July Immigrant Affairs Update |
|
|---|
|
Immigrant Integration Grant Fund
apply by July 30, 2021 |
|
|---|
|
The City of Austin’s Equity Office is accepting applications from the community for a new grant funding opportunity. The Immigrant Integration Grant fund is focused on eliminating structural barriers and improving the quality of life for the City’s immigrant* communities. We are interested in supporting projects that can increase the sense of welcoming and belonging for our various immigrant communities. Projects that work to bring diverse immigrant communities together in the spirit of collaboration and solidarity will be prioritized for award.
A total of $100,000 is available through this fund, with award amounts up to $10,000. Organizations are encouraged to apply here by July 30, 2021. Funds will be awarded by the end of September.
*Our definition of "immigrant" is broad and includes people who are undocumented, DACAmented, asylees, asylum-seekers, refugees, and more. If you have any questions about this grant funding opportunity, please email rocio.villalobos@austintexas.gov
|
|
|---|
|
|
- On July 2, 2021, USCIS released the federal government’s Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization. The strategy is a nationwide initiative that will be implemented at the community level, promoting naturalization through citizenship education and awareness and by building capacity and expanding partnerships.
- The deadline to apply for the USCIS Citizenship and Integration Grant Program is Friday, July 16, 2021
- The Department of Homeland Securty and the Department of Veteran Affairs announced an initiative to support non-citizen service members, veterans, and immediate family members of service members. They will conduct a review of policies and practices to ensure that all eligible current and former noncitizen service members and the immediate families of military members are able to remain in or return to the United States, remove barriers to naturalization for those eligible, and improve access to immigration services.
- Secretary Mayorkas announced the extension and re-designation of Yemen for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This extension and re-designation will be in effect from September 4, 2021, through March 3, 2023.
- The Supreme Court ruled that certain asylum seekers can be indefinitely detained by the government and are not entitled to a hearing about their release if they’ve been previously deported and re-entered the United States without authorization.
- At least 50,000 immigrants applied to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program during the three months after the program was reinstated, but most are still waiting for their application to be approved.
- Texas governor Greg Abbott announced the agenda for the Special Session, which will include a focus on border security.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
Friday, July 9 + July 23 @ 10am CST
Facebook Live: Austin Public Health
Tune in for accurate and updated COVID-19-related information centered around API/AAPI communities, and that's also relevant for the greater Austin community. The live broadcasts offer simultaneous interpretation in Burmese, Mandarin & Vietnamese by calling the phone numbers on the flyer. Tune in to My API Live here.
|
|
|---|
|
|
[Image Description: A digital flyer with a white background. To the right are two people, one with a megaphone and another holding up a sign. To the left of them, there is text that reads, "My API Live. Accessible, Pertinent Information. Get accurate COVID-19 information from the Asian Pacific Islander (API) Work Group. Join us live on the Austin Public Health Facebook Page: Facebook.com/AustinPublicHealth on the second and fourth Friday of every month, at 10 am." Below that are texts in Asian languages with phone numbers to call in to the language lines. At the very bottom of the flyer is the Facebook URL again, and the logos of Austin Pulic Health, City of Austin, the Asian American Resource Center, Austin Public Library, and Parks and Rec.]
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
Tuesday, July 13 + July 27 @ 10am CST
Summer Storytime: Celebrating AAPI Families & Stories
Join the AARC every other Tuesday this July and sit in on a multilingual story time for kids! Stories will be interactive. Parents, guardians, and grandparents are encouraged to sit and participate during the story time alongside their kids and grandkids. Each session is roughly 45 minutes to a hour long. RSVP for this free and virtual event here.
|
|
|---|
|
|
[Image Description: A digital flyer with a pink and white background. It reads, "Summer Storytime: Celebrating APA families and stories. Register at www.aarcatx.eventbrite.com. Tuesday, July 13, 10am CST, Tuesday, July 27, 10am CST. Hosted by the Asian American Resource Center." |
|
|---|
|
|
|
Tuesday, July 13 @ 5pm CST
Advance Parole for DACA Recipients: Considerations for Traveling or Studying Abroad
American University Dream Initiative is hosting an information session webinar on how college students with DACA can travel abroad for educational purposes, including academic research, study abroad programs, and other educational exchanges. RSVP here
|
|
|---|
|
|
[Image Description: A digital flyer with a white background. On the right, there is a photo of a person walking away, wearing a backpack and pulling a suitcase. On the left, it reads: "July 13, 6-7pm EST. Advance Parole for DACA Recipients: Considerations for Traveling or Studying Abroad. Learns answers to frequently asked questions for students and educators during this virtual info session. RSVP now: bit.ly/ap-education." Below the text, there are logos for the sponsoring organizations. |
|
|---|
|
|
|
Friday, July 16 at 10:30am CST
Immigrant Services Network of Austin (ISNA) Regular Meeting
Sign up for ISNA membership here in order to receive access to the Zoom meeting information. ISNA is a working group of diverse community stakeholders and immigrant service providers operating together to coordinate efforts, increase public awareness, and inform policy, in order to better serve our immigrant communities.
|
|
|---|
|
|
[Image Description: The logo for Immigrant Services Network of Austin. On the left, there is a blue circle with generic outlines of people holding hands around a circle. To the right, it reads "Immigrant Services Network of Austin." |
|
|---|
|
|
|
Saturday, August 21 @ 10am CST
Refugee Services of Texas - Saturday Book Club
The latest installment of the book club series will revolve around the book "Enrique's Journey," by Sonia Nazario. The author of the book will be present for a deep dive into the story and for a Q&A.
|
|
|---|
|
|
[Image Description: A digital flyer with text at the top that reads "Saturday Book Club, 8/21, 10am CST." The background for the flyer is a faded version of photo for the book cover. Below the text at the top and on the lefthand side is an image of the book cover. At the top, it reads "National Bestseller. Magnificent...Enrique's Journey is about love. It's about family. It's about home." - The Washington Post Book World. Beneath that it reads, "Enrique's Journey, the story of a boy's dangerous journey to reunite with his father. Sonia Nazario, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, revised and updated by the author. Below the text, is a photo of a boy sitting on top of a train with his back facing forward. To the right of the book cover is a photo of the author, a woman with dark, shoulder-length hair. She wears a dark grey top, has earrings and glasses and is smiling. There is a link at the bottom of the flyer: bit.ly/RSTAugustBook Club. |
|
|---|
|
|
|
SAVE THE DATE
October 3-8 in Las Vegas, NV
National Immigrant Integration Conference
NIIC is the largest conference on immigration in the U.S. and plays a central role in the powerful, diverse and broad immigrant and refugee rights and integration field. At the NIIC, the many different spokes of this field gather to develop relationships, build campaigns, amplify shared values, be inspired, build relationships, and share ideas, strategies, lessons learned and new information and innovations. Registration now open! |
|
|---|
|
|
[Image Description: A digital flyer that states at the very top, "Save the date and join us: NIIC 2021" Below that it states, "New American Dreams. National Immigrant Integration Conference 2021. A project of national partnership for new Americans." There is a URL: niicnewamericandreams.org. Beneath the URL is an illustration of the Statue of Liberty's face. To the right of the image are a list of various partners. At the very bottom it states, "October 3 - 8, 2021 Las Vegas, NV. Registration Opens in May."] |
|
|---|
|
|
|
Creative Placemaking & Welcoming: Tips and Tools for Integrating Arts, Culture, and Immigration
With warm weather & in-person gatherings on the horizon, the Welcoming America Network presents its latest toolkit. Created in partnership with Art Place America, this tool provides case studies & models for using the arts to build belonging. Check it out here.
|
|
|---|
|
|
[Image Description: Illustration of a group of people gathered around a table, sharing food and beverages, and being in community with each other. To the right of this illustration, it reads: Creative Placemaking and Welcoming: Tips and Tools for Integrating Arts, Culture, and Immigration.
|
|
|---|
|
[Image Description: A banner with a teal background that states, "Taste of Belonging" and beneath that, "A collection of recipes and ways to strengthen community across differences". To the right of the text there are three different white bowls that each contain different herbs. One bowl of herbs is red, another black, and the last green.]
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
Advancing Universal Representation Toolkit
The toolkit is intended to equip advocates, organizers, legal services providers, and policymakers with strategies to make the case for implementing and sustaining universal representation programs.
The toolkit consists of three parts:
• Module 1 makes the case for universal representation and describes the importance of implementing the universal representation model, even when it starts out on a small scale.
• Module 2 outlines how to build an advocacy campaign advancing universal representation.
• Module 3 describes best practices for implementing local and state universal representation programs and profiles different jurisdictions’ programs.
|
|
|---|
|
|
[Image Description: A digital image of the Statue of Liberty as a teal silhouette with orange lines drawn through her. There is a person who is climbing a ladder with a cream silhoutte. The background is an orange sky with dispersed cream clouds.] |
|
|---|
|
|
|
 | | |
|  |
|
|
|
|
