Education

General information on immigration

• Interfaith Immigration is a partnership of faith-based organizations committed to enacting fair and humane immigration reform that reflects our mandate to welcome the stranger and treat all human beings with dignity and respect. Through this coalition, hundreds of national and local faith-based organizations and faith leaders have called on Congress and the Administration to enact immigration reform consistent with these values.
• Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform unites Christian leaders and activists to educate and advocate in churches, communities, and with elected officials to pass compassionate and comprehensive immigration reform in 2009.
• The Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform has developed tools and resources for community groups working to reform immigration in the United States.  The “Facts and Figures” section of the Web site is especially helpful in understanding the basics of immigration.  Visitors to the Web site can also view current action alerts and sign up for the JFI Newsletter.  Resources for immigrants are also accessible on the Web bsite Justice for Immigrants.
• Keep informed of the daily changes in immigration issues as well as current trends in the United States by visiting Bender’s Immigration Daily website.
• The 216th General Assembly passed a resolution calling for comprehensive immigration reform. As part of the work done by the committee a study guide was created and can be used for your small group. Go to the study guide and resolution.

Helping the children of undocumented immigrants

• Helping the children of undocumented immigrants is an important aspect of being an immigrant advocate. Here we have listed some resources that will help immigrant youth and young adults learn how to navigate issues related to their rights and responsibilities.
• Immigration issues are tricky but youth and young adults living in the United States can use the "immigrant youth guide" developed by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center to distinguish fact from myth
• Immigration status can impact the ability of youth to attend college or a university. A college and financial aid guide for undocumented immigrant students, developed by the USC Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis provides resources and information for undocumented immigrant students.
• The DREAM Act—This legislation lays out a multi-step, six-year pathway to citizenship for young adults with a high school diploma, no criminal record, and plans to attend college or join the military.  The DREAM Act is introduced in the House and Senate and has broad support.  This is an important piece of legislation that can be passed now and begin to offer undocumented students relief. Get more information.
• Undocumented Immigrant Youth: Guide for Advocates and Service Providers, developed by the National Collaboration for Youth and the National Juvenile Justice Network will help your church or group understand issues facing immigrant youth.

Preparing for and understanding immigration raids

• While immigration raids have decreased under the Obama administration, it is important to understand this aspect of immigration.  Many professionals working on issues of immigration believe that raids are not the answer to the immigration situation in the United States. Courtesy of the National Immigration Justice Center.
• How to be prepared for an immigration raid by the National Immigration Law Center can be used in conjunction with the PC (USA) Family Care Plan.  This is a sensitive area and it important that a strong relationship be established before undertaking this exercise.
• During raids it can be difficult to know what to say but these cards designed by the National Immigration Law Center, in English and Spanish, help provide immigrants with the appropriate words.
• Many immigrants mistakenly believe that they do not have any rights if they are detained by immigration. This brochure by the American Civil Liberties Union will help inform you and members of your congregation. The "Know Your Rights" brochure is available in English, Spanish, Arabic and other languages.
• CASA de Maryland has developed a good resource to prepare immigrants for possible raids at work, home or on the street. 

Detention centers

• By the end of 2009, more than 440,000 immigrants will be incarcerated at a network of county jails and for-profit prisons at a cost of approximately $2 billion annually. Visit the Detention Watch Network site to learn where the United States holds immigrants and what these facilities are like.
• The Legal Aid Society has developed "Immigration Detention and Removal: A Guide for Detainees and Their Families" to explain the basics of detention.
• Immigrants who happen to be arrested by either local police or immigration officers face a complicated future that may include a series of interviews, court dates, and transfers to out of state detention facilities. As part of being informed about immigration status, immigrants and their advocates and friends should understand this process and create a plan for possible arrest.  National Immigration Project has developed a brochure, “I am in Immigration Detention…What are My Rights?” which provides easy to understand information about the process of detention and the rights of immigrants.  While this brochure would be best used in preparing, it would also be helpful to the friends and family of recently detained immigrants.

Refugees

• Refugees are immigrants with special status and are typically brought to the United States by way of a second country that the refugee fled to in order to escape persecution in her or his home country. Learn more about refugee programs with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

United States Immigration agencies

• Customs and Border Protection is one of the Department of Homeland Security’s largest and most complex components, with a priority mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the United States. It also has a responsibility for securing and facilitating trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of U.S. regulations, including immigration and drug laws.
• United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Its mission is to protect national security by enforcing our nation's customs and immigration laws.

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