Help us continue the support for free Comprehensive Immigration Reform




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What the Bible Really Says about Immigration
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Collaborating with the Community

Comprehensive Immigration reform
- Membership Drive
Steps to Finding Coalition Partners

1. Talk to the Executive Director of the Immigrant’s Journal Legal & Educational Fund, Inc., and other members of the Journal about the benefits of Comprehensive Immigration reform and about getting involved in coalition building.

2. Find out which associations, organizations, and community groups are already engaged in immigration advocacy in New York. Some natural coalition partners will be easy to identify (Immigrant Rights Groups, immigrant business owners, Chambers of Commerce, etc…) others will be more difficult, but are just as important to reach. These might include your local Church, small businesses in your community, neighborhood associations, City Council members, etc…


3. Thinking about our goals and who the decision makers are is critical when deciding who to reach
out to when starting a coalition.


4. Identify influential individuals in our community who may be able to help us make connections with potential coalition members. Always ask one contact to introduce you to others who may have other potential contacts. A personal connection will make beginning a coalition much easier. It’s worth considering our own professional and personal networks – if people know that we are looking for allies we are more likely to find them. Even using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter can help us reach people we might never have thought of otherwise.


5. In addition to being a great messenger for immigration reform, AILA advocates are uniquely
positioned to engage key spokes people in the immigration movement and help our organization. Mr. Figeroux, an AILA attorney, and our legal adviser, regularly interact with individuals from different sectors of our community, employers who have an interest in raising the cap on H-1Bs or hospitals that need more nurses, or perhaps you represent refugees and asylum seekers – you have access to individuals who have a valuable and possibly persuasive perspective on the way that U.S. immigration laws impact their lives and businesses which could be useful in our coalition building.


6. We can set up one on one meetings with as many people as we can to start identifying common areas of interest and shared values around immigration. These areas might be very different for different potential partners (i.e. business vs. a Church). Focus on the distinct strengths different organizations can bring to the immigration cause and how each can be enhanced by working together on a shared strategic plan.


7. We must always leave meetings with a clear follow up plans to ensure a continuity of the relationship.


To enroll in our two, two hour, training program for Collaborating with the Community on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, please complete the application below.

To enroll in our 5 week, two hours per session, Immigration Law training program, in order to do volunteer work with our Free Citizenship Assistance Program and other outreach programs, please complete the application below.


To receive online notices for our Journal meetings, click here for agenda, held on Thursday and Saturday at the end of the month, please complete the application below.

 

Click here to Download:
The Immigrant's Journal Legal and Educational Funds Meeting Agenda

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