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Monday, May 08, 2006

Immigration Rights, Tools, Resources and Support


There are a lot of San Franciscans fighting on the front lines of the Immigration Rights Movement. Unfortunately, many blossoming activitists are only half as effective as they could be because they have poor information, resources, tools and support. They need help. Here is a short list of MUST HAVE resources and tools for Immigration Rights activists:

Worldmapper offers a series of world immigration maps here that I found to be very useful and informative. The maps presented on the site are density-equalizing maps. The cartograms resize each country according to the variables being studied. Details of the process and methods used may be found here. Worldmapper is a project of the University of Sheffield, England.

The Office of Immigration Statistics of the Department of Homeland Security offers a variety of immigration information resources and may be found
here. Their document, "Legal Permanent Residents 2005" provides information on the number and the characteristics of persons who became legal permanent residents in the United States during fiscal year 2005. This is an important study tool for anyone seriously interested in the immigrant rights movement. That report is available in .pdf format here. Other very helpful tools include maps showing the distribution of legal permanent residents and their region or country of birth here and the "2004 (most current edition) Yearbook of Immigration Statistics" which may be found here.

The American Immigration Home Page is a web site devoted to immigration statistics. It is a varied and interesting site and highly recommended for any serious researcher. The site may be found
here. The American Immigration Home Page also offer a wonderful collection of quotes about immigration from a number of famous Americans. Did you know, by example, that President Franklin D. Roosevelt said: "Remember, remember always, that all of us ... are descended from immigrants and revolutionists." You will find this quote and many others here.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association provides valuable and timely news on the legal and political realities of immigration reform. Their web site may be found here.

The National Immigration Forum displays this motto on their web site home page: "To embrace and Uphold America's Tradition as a Nation of Immigrants". They offer a number of valuable resources including a booklet which can be downloaded in .pdf format titled "Know Your Rights". You will find the booklet
here.

National Public Radio (NPR) offers a large variety of reports, tools and radio programs and interviews which can be downloaded from their site, which you will find
here.

The Immigration History Research Center of the University of Minnesota (
here) develops and maintains an immigration library and archival collection, provides research assistance, produces a long list of publications for sale that are essential to immigration reformers and activists. The catalog may be found here.

Policy statements and other useful materials about the rights of immigrants, refugees and other non-citizens of the U.S. from the ACLU. Topics include workplace rights, discrimination, asylum, detention, judicial review and court access. The Immigration Rights section of the ACLU web site may be found
here.

Finally, the National Immigration Law Center is a treasure house of information, resources, links and tools for anyone interested in Immigration Rights. The mission of the National Immigration Law Center is to "protect and promote the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their family members." They provide technical advice, training and publications to community groups and
pro bono attorneys.

Everyone active in the Immigration Rights movement in San Francisco should have these links. Use the envelope icon below to email this report to anyone and to everyone you wish. Do what you can to get these valuable research tools and resources into the hands of those who need them so desperately.

4 comments:

said...

Do Americans freely go to other countries and try and free-load off other governements?

The fact is if you want to come to America then come on, but do it legally and if you are not legal then get out!!

If Americans go to Mexico and are caught illegally they are potentially killed or jailed! So please don't trash the country your trying to become part of and that is supporting you.

Anonymous said...

GREAT RESOURCES! We're printing copies as hand-outs. Thanks!

Manuel Palacio
Lupe Cardenas
Dr. Ignatio Huerta
IMMIGRATION RIGHTS SF

Anonymous said...

Woody (who wrote an earlier comment here) asked if Americans freely go to other countries and try to free-load off other governments?

No, Woody, they do not. Americans (except for our Native American indigenous peoples) came to this land from other countries, not to free-load, but to build their families and realize their dreams for freedom and happiness and a better life.

For many Americans that experience was several generations ago. Enough time has passed between our own immigrant backgrounds and the present time, that we seem to think we are somehow something other than immigranbts ourselves, but we are not "something else". We are all immigrants.

Some of us (like Woody) think we have a greater entitlement to freedom and liberty than other immigrants who are still struggling to build their dreams in America.

Who in hell does Woody think he is? Who gives him the right to tell other people that they have fewer rights to freedom and liberty than did Woody's ancestors?

Th sad truth is that moist white Eurpoean-origin Americans today want to keep America for whites ... and that means closing our borders to other people who are not white.

How about Woody? Is Woody a wood?

And, byt the way, Woody .... immigrants arwe almost all very hard workers. It is the non-immigrants to do the freeloading. How about you, Woody? Any freeloaders in your family tree?

Woody probably does not live anywhere near San Francisco. His attitude seems much more red-neck.

I'm so very grateful that most people like Woody live someplace other than San Francisco!

Anonymous said...

I clicked on Woody's name and checked his profile. Woody lives in Kentucky and has a U.S. Army email address. I guess we know what kind of person he is and we can dismiss his ravings.

Nelson Lam (and I live in san francisco and I support the rights of every immigrant to freedom, dignity and citizenship!

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