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September Immigrant Affairs Update |
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September 9 marks the kickoff for Welcoming Week, a time when organizations and communities bring together people of all backgrounds to build strong connections and affirm the importance of welcoming and inclusive places in achieving collective prosperity. This year's theme is Belonging Begins With Us, a call to action and a reminder that each and every one of us has the power to help and be in solidarity with others.
Mayor Steve Adler recently joined more than 60 mayors and local government executives representing cities across the globe in signing a statement welcoming Afghan refugees and calling on national governments to expand protection and pathways to resettlement and take steps to provide humanitarian support. This effort is being led by the Mayors Migration Council, and is supported by coalitions and organizations like Cities for Action and Welcoming America.
Here in Austin, the City Council approved a resolution welcoming Afghan refugees to Austin during its August 26th meeting. Read on below for ways to support the people and families arriving from Afghanistan here in Austin. You can also expect another special-edition newsletter this month highlighting Welcoming Week stories and initiatives!
Literacy moment: people from Afghanistan are Afghans - Afghani is the currency. Although Pashto and Dari are the official and most widely spoken languages, there are many other languages spoken in Afghanistan. |
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A note from the Austin Refugee Roundtable:
The Austin Refugee Roundtable would like to thank all of those who reached out to the various agencies with offers of support for the expected arrival of Afghan families due to the current evacuation. Austin agencies have been working with Afghan refugees and SIV (Special Immigrant Visa) holders for several years. Resettling and assisting refugees is not new nor a challenge for members of the roundtable. The big difference at this time is the short notice resettlement agencies will get and the number of clients from one country.
All the refugee service agencies in Austin expect their scope of work to broaden and expand and will be relying to a large extent on community support. As the only resettlement agency in Austin at this time, Refugee Services of Texas has been inundated with inquiries and offers of assistance. If you wish to help, most agencies could benefit from direct donations, HEB and Visa gift cards and volunteers. In kind donations are harder to process at this time, due to COVID and limited storage space.
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Supporting Refugee Services of Texas
There has been an outpouring of support for Refugee Services of Texas and a desire to help the people arriving from Afghanistan. At this moment, the best way to help is by making monetary donations or signing up to be trained as a volunteer with RST.
Take action by:
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[Image Description: A photo inset within a larger mustard square. At the top, it reads "Thank you for your support!" Below, it says, "We are so grateful for all of your generosity, compassion, and patience! We've had close to 2,500 new volunteers across all sites register in the past two weeks which is WAY more than usual, and we're doing our best to process background checks and set up more volunteer orientations. Thank you so much, the RST staff and community appreciate y'all more than we can express." The photo is below the text and it shows a person with their arms outstretched in excitement. They are surrounded by boxes, in a room full of boxes. To the right of the photo, it reads "Resettlement supervisor, Jacky, with SOME of the Dallas donations!"] |
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Mental Health Support for Girls and Families from Afghanistan
GirlForward builds programming and a community of support dedicated to creating and enhancing opportunities for girls who have been displaced globally by conflict and persecution. They are building a database of pro bono mental health providers and partnering with experts on building curriculum around what's happening in Afghanistan. Through this work, they are trying to address the needs of girls here in Austin who are being retraumatized by the news in their home countries while having to navigate a new American school year during a pandemic.
If you are a service provider who would be willing to provide pro bono mental health and support services, please contact Sarayu Adeni at sarayu.adeni@austin.utexas.edu |
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[Image Description: The logo for GirlForward. There is a light blue circle with the letters "g" and "f" in the middle. Below the circle, it reads "GIRL FORWARD" in light blue capital letters.] |
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Recommended Reading from Austin Public Library for Welcoming Week
Welcoming Week is an opportunity to celebrate communities and the people that make them places where everyone belongs.
Austin Public Library is proud to welcome all those who call Austin home, whether they are long-time residents or recent arrivals. Check out these fiction and nonfiction titles for readers of all ages that celebrate and examine the experiences of immigrants.
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[Image Description: A digital flyer. In the background is an assortment of various book covers. In the middle, there is a white rectangle with a banner at the top that reads "Belonging Begins With Us." Below that, it says, "Welcoming Week is an opportunity to celebrate communities and the people that make them places where everyone belongs. APL is proud to welcome all who call Austin home. Check out these fiction and nonfiction titles for readers of all ages that celebrate and examine the experience of immigrants."] |
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El Buen Samaritano Call for Volunteers
El Buen Samaritano is looking for volunteers for their fall 2021 programming! The following opportunities exist:
- Adult English as a Second Language Program (virtual)
- Youth After School Academic Enrichment Program (virtual)
- Food Panty (in-person)
Contact volunteer@elbuen.org to learn more and apply online. |
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[Image Description: The logo for El Buen Samaritano. There is a graphic that is supposed to represent a church entrance in the background with a cross at the top of the building. Superimposed onto the graphic are two hands reaching towards each other, one from the left and one from the right. Beneath the graphic, it reads "El Buen Samaritano: Strengthening Families."] |
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City of Austin's Disability Quality of Life Survey
This important survey will help the City of Austin identify the needs of individuals with disabilities who live and work in Austin and the surrounding areas. This survey will take about 15 minutes to complete and your answers will remain anonymous. The survey is available here in English and Spanish.
Questions? Please contact austinqolstudy@pcgus.com |
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[Image Description: The seal for the City of Austin. In the outer circle, it reads "City of Austin" at the top and "Founded 1839" at the bottom. In the inner circle is the flag of the City of Austin.] |
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- A federal judge in Texas issued a decision in Texas, Missouri v. Biden, ordering the Biden administration to reinstate the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy, formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). The program forced tens of thousands of people, including families and children, seeking asylum to face dangerous conditions as they awaited their U.S. asylum hearing in court.
- The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently denied the government's request for a stay in Biden v. Texas, allowing the lower federal court decision ordering the Biden administration to restart the MPP program. The administration had formally terminated MPP in June. For now, the MPP program will continue.
- The Biden administration extended the use of the CDC's Title 42 order - it allows the blocking and rapid expulsion of people seeking protection at U.S. border. Title 42 has stopped most asylum cases during the pandemic.
- Following Governor Abbott's executive order prohibiting the transportation of migrants, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone issued a temporary restraining order to prevent this from going into effect. The judge recently extended her order blocking the mandate, as it was set to expire.
- Judge Tipton (the same judge that declared DACA to be unlawful) issued a preliminary injunction blocking the implementation of ICE's enforcement priorities guidance. This guidance directed border agents to focus on those with serious criminal records. By issuing the injunction, it made all immigrants a priority and would have allowed for the detention and deportation of people en masse. The judge later issued a clarifying order and stayed the decision for one week. Last week, the Fifth Circuit stayed the injunction until further notice, which means that for now the enforcement priorities are still in effect.
- The House passed the $3.5T budget resolution that includes a pathway to citizenship for certain categories of immigrants, including DREAMers, certain TPS holders, and farmworkers. The resolution also calls for potentially increasing funding for border security and enforcement. This handy graphic breaks down the process.
- Welcome With Dignity is asking the Biden administration to stop deportations to Haiti following the devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake on August 14th.
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Wednesday, September 8th @ 6pm CST
Presidential Determination Admissions
Join We Are All America as they welcome guest speakers to talk more about the upcoming presidential determination admissions. Come learn about what a refugee admissions goal of 120,000 means, and how this can make a difference in the lives of refugee families. Tune in here. |
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[Image Description: A digital flyer. At the top, it reads "Presidential Determination Admissions." Beneath the title, it reads "September 8th, 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET." Below that, there's a white rectangle with text inside that reads "Learn more about the presidential determination admissions goal of 125K." Next to the rectangle is a yellow diamond with the words "Welcome refugees" inside.] |
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Thursday, September 9 @ 1pm CST
Virtual Teach-In on Community Hotlines with Grassroots Leadership
Community hotlines can build the knowledge and power of immigrant communities. Alicia Torres and Sulma Franco from Grassroots Leadership will share insights on how their community hotlines (La linea Defensa Comunitaria and Hutto detention center hotline) serve as a powerful form of accompaniment, a tool for organizing, and feed directly into the organization’s legal empowerment efforts. They will also reflect on the opportunities and challenges of creating and sustaining hotlines that are built by and for the community. Register here. |
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[Image Description: A digital flyer. The background of the flyer shows people gathered together in a room. In the top, left-hand corner it reads, "Justice Power presents: A Virtual Teach-In on Community Hotlines with Grassroots Leadership." Below the text, it says "Join us Thurs 9/9, 2:00pm EDT, tinyurl.com/YZ4R8Z9S. At the very bottom, there's a thick white band that has the logos of the sponsoring organizations inside: Robert and Helen Bernstein Institute for Human Rights NYU School of Law, Grassroots Leadership, and Immigration Advocates Network."] |
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Thursday, September 9 @ 5pm CST
Belonging Begins With Us: A Welcoming Week Experience
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[Image Description: A digital flyer. The text "Belonging Begins With Us" is in the middle. Above is a small, multicolored map of the United States with the words "Welcoming Week" to the right. There are two arms reaching from above, and three arms reaching from below, towards the text "Belonging Begins With Us." The arms are different shades, meant to represent a racially diverse group of people coming together.]
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English Conversation Practice, starting September 9 @7pmCST
Just in time for Welcoming Week, a time designed to bring together neighbors of all backgrounds, Ladies Let's Talk is launching their fall session of English conversation practice for women. Participants and volunteers are welcome! Sign up here. |
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[Image Description: A digital flyer titled, "Online English conversation practice for women. Ladies Let's Talk: Fall I - 2021." Beneath the text, there is a square graphic. On the inside is a graphic comprised of two hands on top of each other. In the middle and on top of the hands there is a heart. To the right of the graphic, it reads "Starting September 9th!" Below that, in 5 different languages, it says "English practice only for women." Beneath the graphic, it reads "Register at lltaustin.org - conversations will be held online using Zoom. Questions? Contact Chichi at 773-590-7365 / chichi@lltaustin.org." At the very bottom of the flyer is the logo for Welcoming Week: on the left is a multicolor map of the United States. On the right are the words "Welcoming Week."] |
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Friday, September 10 @ 10am CST
Facebook Live: Austin Public Health
Tune in for accurate and updated COVID-19-related information centered around API/AAPI communities. Simultaneous interpretation available in Burmese, Mandarin & Vietnamese by calling the phone numbers on the flyer. Tune in to My API Live here on the second Friday of every month. You can watch previous broadcasts here.
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[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 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, and the logos of Austin Pulic Health, City of Austin, the Asian American Resource Center, Austin Public Library, and Parks and Rec.]
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Friday, September 17 @ 10am-2pm CST
Towards Freedom: Changing the Narrative in TX
This training is focused on fighting back criminalization and other harmful narratives occurring in Texas. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center will be presenting in conjunction with the Comm/Unity Network. In this interactive training, you will learn how humans take in information, make decisions, and develop opinions--and how the words we use can either bring people along with us or turn them away. Understanding how human beings are "heartwired" is crucial to influencing public opinion and achieving change. Participants will receive a $25 Doordash gift card for lunch and a participation stipend of $100. Register here. |
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[Image Description: The logo for Immigrant Legal Resource Center. In the middle is a solid navy circle with white letters inside that spell out "ilrc." In a ring around the circle are the words "Immigrant Legal Resource Center."] |
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Friday, September 17 @ 10:30am CST
Immigrant Services Network of Austin monthly 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. |
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[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."] |
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Monday, September 20 @ 11am CST
Anti-Racism Efforts in Refugee Resettlement
Join Church World Service and partners in an exploration of the work of anti-racism in relation to refugee resettlement and welcoming newcomers. Participants will learn about recent efforts by partners to build programming through the lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Register here.
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[Image Description: The logo for Church World Service. There's a yellow circle with a black border. In the middle of the circle, there's a small black circle (the head) and a T-shape (the body), meant to symbolize a person. Beneath the circle are the letters CWS.] |
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REGISTER NOW
October 3-6 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! |
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[Image Description: A digital flyer that states at the very top, "Countdown To NIIC." Below the text is a picture of a diverse group of people gathered together, smiling and with their hands in the air. Below the picture it reads "35 Days, Las Vegas, NV, Oct 3-6, 2021." Next to that text, there is a circle with a graphic that's a close-up of the face of Lady Liberty. Beneath the graphic, it reads "National Immigrant Integration Conference." At the very bottom center, the flyer reads, "Register at NIICNewAmericanDreams.org"] |
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[Image Description: A digital flyer for vaccination options in Austin. Online appointment scheduling: covid19.austintexas.gov / Phone Scheduling: Call 3-1-1 or (512)974-2000 and leave your name and phone number. APH will call you back to schedule an appointment. / Walk-Up (no appointment) clinics: Little Walnut Creek Library (Moderna Vaccine): 835 W Rundberg Lane, Ana Lark Center (Pfizer vaccine): 1400 Tillery Street, Southeast Library (Moderna vaccine): 5803 Nuckols Crossing Road. For walk-up (no appointment) clinic days and hours, see the upcoming events on austintexas.gov/COVID-19 or call 3-1-1 or (512)974-2000. / Mobile Vaccination Program: If you are homebound, call 3-1-1 or (512)974-2000, leave your name and phone number, and APH will schedule a visit for you, your caregivers and household. / Other Providers: visit vaccines.gov for other vaccine providers and availability near you.] |
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ICYMI: Afghan Briefing - Policy, Resettlement & Actions
We Are All America recently hosted a panel of experts who provided an update on what's happening in Afghanistan. Watch the recording here. |
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[Image Description: A digital flyer. At the top it reads, "Afghan briefing: policy, resettlement and actions. August 25th, 10am PT/ 1pm ET." Below that text, there are two rectangles next to each other. The small rectangle to the left reads "August 25th." The rectangle to the right reads, "Come join us as we feature panelists who will be providing updates on the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as well as providing follow-up in regards to policy, resettlement, and action." Beneath these rectangles, an image of the Afghan flag is in the bottom left-hand corner.] |
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ICYMI: Charlas sobre inmigracion - El regreso a clases y el variante Delta de COVID // Back to School: What Families Need To Know About the Delta Variant
The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA) and medical experts discussed the Delta variant of COVID, strategies to combat medical misinformation that is preventing people from accessing the vaccine, provided information about vaccination before school starts back up, and addressed some of the viewer concerns on Facebook and Twitter. Watch the recording here in Spanish and English. |
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[Image Description: A digital flyer in Spanish. At the top, it reads "Charlas sobre inmigracion: lo mas actual en tu idioma." (Talks about immigration: the most recent updates in your language.) Below the text, there are three circles with the headshots of the panelists. From left to right, Carlos Aleman, Dr. Eduardo Delgado, and Lubab Al-Quraishi. To the right of the headshots, there is a rectangle with the event title: "El variante delta de COVID y el regreso a clases." (The delta variant and the back to school season.) Above the rectangle is the logo for National Partnership for New Americans, and below the rectangle is the logo for We Are All America and the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama.] |
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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.
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[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.
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[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.] |
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