About this Project:
Immigrant Empowerment Project:
The purpose of this project is to organize, educate and empower Latino immigrants in rural Minnesota to assure their full social and civic adjustment in our communities. We address the failing and abusive immigration policies and we organize our community to push for fair and just immigration reform. We want new immigration policies that respect the dignity and humanity of all hardworking individuals.
To this end our project empowers our constituency and helps them come together to address the inequalities we face just for being immigrants in a society that has failed to recognize our contributions, and many times, our own humanity. Our project would increase the power of our constituents via the following objectives:
1) Empowerment through education: We develop educational materials, conduct workshops and one-one on-ones with immigrant members of our communities to educate them about their rights and to identify common self-interests.
2) Leadership Development: We train and organize community members to act as active leaders to promote community unity, education and participation in the civic life our communities.
3) Fair and Humane Immigration Reform and Policy: We organize and empower immigrant members of our community to work and push for fair and just immigration reform and policy changes at the local, state and national level.
4) Civic Engagement: We train and organize immigrant leaders to become active participants in the political life of our communities though get out the vote campaigns, citizenship drives, workshops, panels, forums, and one-on-ones.
5) Strategic Relationships: We build and establish relationships with state departments, institutions, individuals, attorneys, and other allies that can contribute to the cause of immigrant workers in rural Minnesota in order to bring more resources and support for our efforts.
6) Resource development: We build and create all the necessary resources and connections to follow up on individual issues faced by immigrant members of our communities such as referrals and other necessary services.
National Mobilization for Immigration Reform
2010 is a critical year to push for immigration reform. Congress has proved their failure to get important pieces of legislation approved. However, we cannot let their incompetence discourage us from urging for fair and just immigration reform.
This is why on March 21st, 2010 thousands of immigration reform supports will be mobilizing to Washington D.C. to tell members of congress and our President that we need immigration reform and that we need them to take action now!
Breaking News: Guest Worker Protections Are Back!!!
U.S. Labor Dept. reinstates decades-old farm worker protections rules
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced today reinstatement of protections for imported farm workers that were slashed from the nation's agricultural guest worker program during the last days of the Bush administration in early 2009.
Immigration Bill Introduced
After a long wait, an initial bill to try to reform our broken immigration system has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is far from perfect but represents a perfect opportunity to start a serious push for reform in 2010. The bill is called: Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009. You may find a summary of the bill created by the Immigration Policy Center following this link:
http://www.immigrationpolicy.o...
Minnesota March for Justice Opportunity and Against Racism
As part of the Journey of Hope, an ongoing campaign to promote fair, humane and comprehensive immigration reform as well as keeping the light of justice and dignity alive and burning, Centro Campesino, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Coalition, ISAIAH, Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network, Jewish Community Action, Interfaith Immigrant Coalition, Minnesota SOL (Strengthening Our Selves), SEIU Local 26,Resource Center of Americas, The Advocates for Human Rights, Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota and Family & Children’s Services are organizing the MARCH FOR JUSTICE OPPORTUNITY AND AGAINST RACI
Journey of Hope
Regional Vigils Uniting Our Prayers In Favor Of Immigration Reform!
In the last three months we have been conducting regional meetings with our members to discuss our work for immigration reform this year. Over 300 community members have come to our regional meetings in Owatonna, Northfield and recently in Austin. As a result of this work, community members have created committees to work on different actions in favor of immigration reform such as marches, vigils, and congressional visits.
May 1St Immigrant Rights Vigil
May 1St Immigrant Rights Vigil
Centro Campesino invites our friends and allies and all those concern about the injustices faced by millions of immigrants in this country, to come and join us for a short vigil.
This year is a critical year to get comprehensive immigration reform moving in congress. Thousands of groups and organizations across the country are mobilizing along with the business and labor community to push for the changes we need. However, we need to remember that abuses and exploitation continue to be a reality for many immigrants coming to this country.
MAY 1 2008! LETS MARCH!!
Centro Campesino will hold a demonstration in central park in Owatonna at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday may 1st. From there we will take a bus to St. Paul to join the demonstration organized by The May 1 Coalition.
The May 1st Coalition invites you to march on May 1 for the rights of immigrants and all workers, to defend the dignity of all human beings, and to celebrate the strength of the people. We say enough to the raids and deportations, and we want legalization for all now!
- Thurs. May 1
- We will start at 2pm at the corner of Robert and Kellogg St. in St.
No more raids!
With great joy we applaud the demonstration held in Austin Minnesota on Sunday December 17th. Residents and members of Centro Campesino organized for two weeks to meet and see what the response to these raids was going to be like. Community members created a committee of highly committed people that did so much work from education, letter signing, location of victims to provide them assistance and the preparation of a public response.
Immigration links and statistics
National Immigration Forum:
http://www.immigrationforum.or...
National Immigration Law Center
http://www.nilc.org/
Immigration Policy Center
http://www.immigrationpolicy.o...
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
http://icirr.org/
National Council of La Raza
http://www.nclr.org/
