Get Involved To Help Pass Immigration Reform in 2010!

Date/Time:  Sunday, Jan. 31st from 2:00p-5:00p

Location:      MAS Center, 5217 Linbar Dr., Suite 301, Nashville TN

It is time to come together as an immigrant rights movement and prepare for what promises to be a very busy spring. As most of you know, immigration reform is very likely to be debated in Congress in the next few months. This is an issue that affects nearly everyone in our community, from refugees waiting to reunite with their families to undocumented immigrants eager to move out of the shadows and into a path towards citizenship. 

In order to pass a bill that reflects our values, we will need to invest a lot of time and energy to move our members of Congress. But we can’t do it alone. Community leadership will be the key that opens the door to real, meaningful reform. 

Join us Sunday, January 31st at 2:00pm at the Coleman Center to get involved with the TIRRC campaign to pass immigration reform in 2010! 

RSVP to save a spot!

We encourage anybody who wants to take leadership in their community around immigration reform to attend, and bring other interested friends. 

Light refreshments will be provided.

Questions? Contact us

Immigration Reform Bill Introduced in U.S. House!

Today, Representatives of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, The Congressional Asian and Pacific Americans Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, and Congressional Progressive Caucus joined Congressman Luis Gutierrez, to introduce the “Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security Act and Prosperity” (CIR ASAP) in the House of Representatives. The bill is a step up the legislative ladder, bringing Congress closer to fulfilling the President’s promise to reform the immigration system.

“Today was a big step in the right direction,” said Stephen Fotopulos, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. “Tennesseans want our leaders to solve tough problems. We want practical solutions to our broken immigration system that reflect our best values and uphold our traditions as a nation of fair and sensible laws. Now it’s time for the Senate to act.”

Take Action!
Tell Congress to support the CIR ASAP Act!

If you want to promote phone calls into the White House, please use the numbers below:
English:  866-584-0773
Spanish: 866-974-8813

Click to read more ...

Tennessean Editorial Calls For End of 287(g) in Nashville

"Still, many people have taken exception to the 287(g) program here and in other states, and for good reason. The vast majority of people detained under the program have not turned out to be the dangerous criminals the program was supposedly intended to identify. Also, advocates say the program encourages racial profiling, a charge that law enforcement officials have denied....

The Davidson County Sheriff's Department should end its participation in 287(g); the program does more harm than good. And other local law enforcement agencies nationwide should follow suit, letting the federal government know that they cannot be a part of secret arrests, whatever the reason." [emphasis added]

Click to read full editorial

Immigration Reform Cell Phone Action Network

Help win immigration reform THIS YEAR by using your cell phone! We have partnered with the Reform Immigration for America national campaign in an effort to keep local communities in Tennessee up to date with the latest news and action opportunities around immigration reform. Sign up today to stay current on how you can participate in this growing national movement.

Text "justice" to 69866

(All standard texting fees apply)

REPLY to the first text message with your zip code and e-mail. You will receive about one or two messages every week depending on what is happening in the movement.

The messages will be one of the following:

Action alert

News item

Event information

For more information, visit: www.reformimmigrationforamerica.com

To help us get more people signed up, check out this word document.

Nashville Joins National Immigration Reform Launch

Press coverage:

• Nashville coalition pushes immigration changes (The Tennessean)
• As Congress talks about immigration reform, states attempt to address the issue (Times Free Press)
• Faith calls us to love neighbors, pastor says (United Methodist Church)
• Observations of Monday past (Coyote Chronicles)

Local labor, faith, business, and immigrant leaders from throughout Tennessee gathered today to proclaim their support for immigration reform. As partners of the Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign, a broad-based national effort to fix the broken immigration system through a comprehensive legislative approach, these community leaders demonstrated the diverse coalition that is spearheading the movement for reform.

Avi Poster, president of the Coalition for Education about Immigration, kicked off the event, saying, "comprehensive immigration reform is long overdue, as evidenced by the increasing rancor that has defined national and local conversations about immigration and the regressive ways in which communities have responded to the problems created by our broken national immigration system." He continued, "unfortunately, the absence of reform has given rise to the adoption of local public policies that aggravate rather than solve problems.”

Throughout the conference, speakers kept returning to one central theme: “Immigration is what’s right for the economy, it’s what’s right for our families, and it’s what’s right for America,” said Remziya Suleyman, policy coordinator for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.

The Vice-President of Program Service for Community Nashville, Anthony Johnson, added, “America is built on a system of values that embraces everyone. Unfortunately, the current system is an affront to those values, and needs to be reformed immediately.”

Some of the leaders are headed to Washington, D.C. this week as part of a national summit on immigration reform. Coming exactly a week before President Obama holds a top-level meeting about immigration with key Congressional members, the conference and the summit serve as clear indication that there is broad support and building momentum towards reform legislation this year.