Southeast Immigrants Rights Network (SEIRN)

In August 2006, TIRRC and the Emerging Latino Communities program of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR)  convened several organizations from throughout the Southeast, and the country, to discuss the possibility of holding a regional gathering of immigrant’s rights groups in the Southeast. Between 1990 and 2005, the immigrant population in the region had grown remarkably quickly, and a significant anti-immigrant backlash was picking up steam. In order to address the backlash and the sense of isolation many immigrant’s rights groups were feeling in the region, both NCLR and TIRRC saw the need for a large-scale gathering.

Over the next few months, several groups including the Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC), the Coalition for a New Georgia and the Center for Community Change (CCC) and the Highlander Center worked with the Four Freedoms Fund and the American Dream Fund to organize the first ever Southeast Immigrant’s Rights Conference. The first gathering of the Southeast Immigrant’s Rights Network was held in Atlanta in December of 2006. The conference was established to facilitate communication, cooperation, peer-to-peer learning, strategizing and coalition building opportunities on the regional level among immigrant rights organizing and advocacy groups.

During the conclusion of the Conference, participants decided they wanted to create a network in order to continue communication, collaboration and regional strategizing. A steering committee charged with facilitating this network was elected. This was the birth of the Southeast Immigrant’s Rights Network. TIRRC now co-coordinates SIERN, which has been a strong presence for 4 years.

Click here to visit the SEIRN website