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November Immigrant Affairs Update |
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On October 21, 2023, the Equity Office hosted a citizenship clinic with the support of the Asian American Resource Center, American Gateways, and Texas AFL-CIO. A huge thank you to all the volunteers who made this event a success! We are also grateful for the various organizations that participated in our resource fair and shared out information and resources. In all, 55 people received help with completing the N-400 application for naturalization. An additional 15 people were connected to resources to help them continue on their journey to citizenship. |
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Hundreds of people in Austin welcomed Little Amal on Friday, October 20, 2023 - first at Huston-Tillotson University and then at the Texas Capitol. Since July 2021, Amal has traveled over 6,000 miles to 97 towns and cities in 14 countries and been welcomed by more than a million people on the street, including hundreds of artists and civil society and faith leaders, as well as by tens of millions online.
Little Amal's journeys are festivals of art and hope that draw attention to the huge numbers of children fleeing war, violence and persecution, each with their own story. Half of all refugees are children, and half of all school age refugee children have lost their opportunity of a formal education. Amal's urgent message to the world is “Don’t forget about us”. You can read about Little Amal's visit here and here. |
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- The third special session has ended, momentarily stopping the advancement of border security bills Governor Abbott was pushing for. SB4 was the only anti-immigrant bill that successfully advanced, and when signed into law, SB4 will increase the minimum prison term for "human smuggling." "Human smuggling" is broadly defined and can be applied to anyone giving an undocumented person a ride, including family members who are taking their loved ones to work or a doctor's appointment.
- The El Paso City Council unanimously approved what the City is calling an Enhanced Library Card program or a community identification cards program.
- The city of Chicago has signed a more than $29M contract with a private security firm to build and operate "base camps for migrants." Zones in the camps would hold between 200-1400 people.
- The Biden administration has agreed to offer migrant families separated under the Trump administration social and legal benefits while limiting the government's ability to carry out a similar policy in the future as part of an effort to settle a years-old court case. Under the Trump-era separation practice, roughly 4,000 migrant children were forcibly separated from their parents near the U.S.-Mexico border.
- A federal judge recently barred the Biden administration from cutting or removing razor wire that Texas officials placed along a busy stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border until the legality of the barriers is more fully addressed in court.
- In a related ruling, a federal judge ordered border patrol agents not to interfere with razor wire that the state of Texas installed at a busy crossing for migrants on the US-Mexico border, ruling that the barrier can only be cut to provide aid during medical emergencies. This would only apply to the razor wire installed in Eagle Pass. Texas national guard members have also installed wire barriers at other sections of the border where crossings are high, including Brownsville and El Paso.
- The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has reopened child detention centers for unaccompanied migrant children in Carrizo Springs and Pecos. Historically, Health and Human Services has housed migrant children in shelters licensed by state child welfare authorities, but these detention centers are not licensed by states to house minors.
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Wednesday, November 8 @ 6:00 PM CST
Taking Back Our Faces, Our Power: Panel Discussion
Join Just Futures Law, Mijente, MediaJustice, and Long Beach Anti-Surveillance Coalition for a special panel discussion on facial recognition tech and mass surveillance. ICE's use of this tech chills our movement's ability to organize and protest – California activists’ lawsuit against Clearview AI can attest to that. But while this lawsuit still lies in the hands of the court, Clearview continues to work with law enforcement agencies to hand over our images it’s illegally scraping from the internet. So what can we do about it? Learn more and register here. |
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Curso intensivo: Modulo I Meseros
Casa Chapala - 9041 Research Blvd #100, Austin, TX 78759
*clases híbridas - online y presenciales*
Empieza: miércoles, 8 de noviembre
Termina: miércoles, 7 de diciembre
El módulo 1 del curso de capacitación en servicio al cliente se enfoca en el rol de mesero y brindará las herramientas teóricas y prácticas necesarias para desempeñarse adecuadamente en dicha posición en un restaurante o establecimiento afín en Estados Unidos para lo cual se abordarán elementos básicos como los tipos de servicios, la planeación y ejecución del servicio, los protocolos para un adecuado servicio al cliente, la higiene y el manejo de los elementos de trabajo, el cierre del servicio, entre otros.
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Thursday, November 9 @ 6:00 PM CST
Tzompantli: Artistic Reflection 2020-2023
Mexican Consulate - 5202 E Ben White Blvd, Suite 150
As part of the celebration of the “Day of the Dead”, the Consulate General of Mexico in Austin cordially invites you to an evening in which you will enjoy the inauguration of the “Tzompantli, Artistic Reflection 2020-2023” exhibition.
Claudia Montero, a Mexican artist residing in Austin, is the creator of this proposal that reflects an introspective look at more than 400 works by international artists. That, when exhibited together as a “Tzompantli” (wall of skulls), communicates a deep reflection that gives a particular meaning in the cultural context of the vision of Mexicans as natural and inseparable from life and death.
Likewise, as part of the actions promoted by the Institute of Mexicans Abroad (IME) to strengthen ties with our community, an Altar for the Dead presents: “A Bridge to the World of Our Ancestors.” On this occasion, the preserved contributions of the Wixárika (Huichol) culture are recognized. Learn more and register here. |
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Wednesday, November 15 @ 4:00 PM CST
Emergency Preparedness Pop-up (District 1)
University Hills Branch Library - 4721 Loyola Lane
Join Austin's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management at one of our monthly Emergency Preparedness Pop-Ups at a public library near you!
Austin's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) hosts monthly pop-up events at branches of the Austin Public Library. HSEM invites other city departments and non-government organizations to the pop-ups to promote public awareness and provide safety tips to prepare for various emergencies.
Events are held in each City Council district to provide learning opportunities across the city. Preparedness materials and other presenters may be catered to highlight and educate on specific emergencies that may be more likely strike the area of that month's event, like wildfire or flooding.
The first 25 attendees receive a basic emergency preparedness kit (limit one per household). Find more information here.
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Monday, November 27 @ 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM CST
Immigrant Services Network of Austin monthly meeting
Join ISNA for our next monthly meeting! ISNA is a working group of diverse community stakeholders and immigrant service providers operating together to coordinate efforts, increase public awareness, and inform policy to better serve our immigrant communities.
Email rocio.villalobos @ austintexas.gov for the meeting link. |
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Saturday, December 2 @ 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM CST
Equity Action Team Meeting
Location TBA
We are excited to have you join us for our in-person November/ December EAT meeting! We'll connect over brunch and get our meeting started by 11:00am. This month's meeting location is TBA as we are waiting for confirmation on the space.
Join us to learn from CAPCOG (Capital Area Council of Governments) about air quality. We will also learn more about San Jose I and San Jose II cemeteries and the Montopolis community's work with these sites. Register here for the meeting - it will also be the best way to stay up-to-date about the meeting location.
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miércoles, 6 de diciembre @ 6:00 PM CST
Cómo Prepararse para Dar Testimonios Públicos
*esta capacitación se llevará a cabo en español*
Los testimonios públicos son una herramienta poderosa para cualquier miembro de la comunidad que busca influir a los oficiales electos sobre los actuales temas sociales. Las agencias gubernamentales deben de escuchar al público acerca de sus propuestas de ley. Pero dar testimonio ante ellos puede resultar intimidante ya que hay límites de tiempo y afrontar reuniones dirigidas por entidades de gobierno que no son tan accesibles. Únase a esta capacitación para aprender cómo fortalecer sus habilidades para dar un testimonio público y practique para sentirse más cómodo al alzar su voz.
Debes registrarte en línea antes del 5 de diciembre para reservar tu espacio. No se aceptarán inscripciones telefónicas. Regístrate aquí. |
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Get Your Enhanced Library Card Today!
We are excited to share that the Enhanced Library Card pilot program has officially begun! This has been a successful collaboration between Austin Public Library, the Equity Office and several other city departments and community organizations. Stop by one of the three pilot locations and get yours today and help us spread the word within your communities.
- Little Walnut Creek Branch, 835 W. Rundberg Ln
- St. John Branch, 7500 Blessing Ave.
- Southeast Branch, 5803 Nuckols Crossing Rd.
If you're interested in having APL's mobile outreach team issue enhanced library cards at your upcoming event, please complete this form.
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