SPRING 2021 MISSION PARTNERSHIP ADVOCACY COLLABORATORS

Directory of Collaborative Organizations PC(USA) Compassion, Peace and Justice Ministries of the PCUSA https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/compassion-peace-justice/ The Compassion, Peace & Justice (CPJ) ministry engages with Presbyterians and partners across the U.S. and internationally to address injustice, advocate for peace, assist and accompany people and communities impacted by poverty, violence and disasters, and support work to eradicate racism, white supremacy and oppression of all kinds. Sign up for Presbyterian Justice and Peace Newsletter here.

Presbyterian Office of Public Witness https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/compassion-peace-justice/washington/ The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness is the public policy information and advocacy office of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Its task is to advocate, and help the church to advocate, the social witness perspectives and policies of the Presbyterian General Assembly. The church has a long history of applying these biblically and theologically-based insights to issues that affect the public — maintaining a public policy ministry in the nation’s capital since 1946. Current Action links: Urge Protection for asylum seekers in northern Mexico • Tell Congress to Oppose New Muslim Ban Expansion • Urge Congress to Safely Resettle Refugees

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CENTRAL centraldenver.com

DIVINO SALVADOR denpres.org/

divinosalvador

MONTVIEW BOULEVARD montview.org

"The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the

citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were

aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God."

~Leviticus 19:34

CAPITOL HEIGHTS capheightspres.org

JOURNEY WITH MIGRANTS

SPRING 2021 MISSION PARTNERSHIP ADVOCACY COLLABORATORS

Colorado American Friends Service Committee (local) https://www.afsc.org/office/denver-co AFSC Denver organizes allies, faith communities and immigrants along the Front Range to support immigrant justice. From resistance to deportation to fomenting positive narratives, we advocate for policy change. We do this work through three groups of member-leaders: Coloradans for Immigrant Rights, the Metro Denver Sanctuary Coalition, and the Not1More deportation table. Subscribe to receive Colorado Immigrant Rights Action Alerts and Events

Casa de Paz https://www.casadepazcolorado.org Casa de Paz provides visits, shelter, meals, transportation and emotional support. Detention is a difficult time that tears families apart and creates a financial burden, so we have always offered our services free of cost. Casa de Paz is the only organization in Colorado offering shelter to released immigrants and their families. Casa de Paz is a promise - a promise that as long as detention centers keep families apart, there will also be a welcoming home with our doors wide open.

Common Cause (Colorado Chapter) https://www.commoncause.org/colorado/ Colorado Common Cause strengthens democracy in our state. We promote public participation in our government and defend civil rights by protecting the right to vote. We work to empower ordinary people by building the movement for large-scale campaign finance reform. And we ensure that the government serves the public interest by advocating for increased transparency and ethics in government.

Interfaith Immigration Network (local) https://interfaithimmigrationnetwork.org We are a network of religious organizations in the Greater Denver area, allied with immigrants, and working together to convene and present a strong united interfaith voice in support of immigrants and their rights, and to provide education, outreach and support for religious organizations to catalyze their engagement with immigrant lives and immigrant rights.

Rocky Mountain Welcome Center https://www.rockymountainwelcome.org The Rocky Mountain Welcome Center (RMWC) is an immigrant-led multi-tenant, shared space not-for-profit organization with the mission of fostering intercultural learning, understanding and integration among immigrants, refugees and the Colorado residents through programs and activities that develop supportive multicultural communities.

National American Civil Liberties Union https://www.aclu.org The ACLU today is the nation's largest public interest law firm, with a 50-state network of staffed, autonomous affiliate offices. We appear before the United States Supreme Court more than any other organization except the U.S. Department of Justice. About 100 ACLU staff attorneys collaborate with about 2,000 volunteer attorneys in handling close to 2,000 cases annually. The ACLU is non-profit and non-partisan. A number of national projects address specific civil liberties issues: AIDS, capital punishment, lesbian and gay rights, immigrants' rights, prisoners' rights, reproductive freedom, voting rights, women's rights and workplace rights. Current Action link: Urge Congress to give COVID-19 relief to everyone living in the U.S. - immigrants included

American Friends Service Committee, both national and local https://www.afsc.org Founded in 1917, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization that promotes lasting peace with justice, as a practical expression of faith in action. https://www.afsc.org/office/denver-co AFSC Denver organizes allies, faith communities and immigrants along the Front Range to support immigrant justice. From resistance to deportation to fomenting positive narratives, we advocate for policy change. We do this work through three groups of member-leaders: Coloradans for Immigrant Rights, the Metro Denver Sanctuary Coalition, and the Not1More deportation table. Subscribe to receive Colorado Immigrant Rights Action Alerts and Events

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Take Action Advocate for Refugee

Resettlement

The Interfaith Immigration Coalition recently highlighted 4 ways to stand with refugees. To read the full message about the action click here.

1. Contact Congress: Click here to contact your representatives by email or phone.

2. Amplify on Social Media: Use this toolkit to raise awareness and advocate for resettlement on social media. Share this Tweet and this Facebook post to get started!

3. Write for Local Media: Write an opinion editorial, a letter to the editor, a blog, or a piece for your local newsletter. Click here for a sample op-ed and email pitch. Here are some talking points you can use.

4. Participate in this week's Refugee Advocacy Days: Join RCUSA and partners in reminding Congress and President Biden that we desire action, not hollow promises. View this toolkit to learn more and to amplify policy asks on social media.

SPRING 2021 MISSION PARTNERSHIP ADVOCACY COLLABORATORS

Amnesty International USA (they've featured recent immigration Urgent Actions) https://www.amnesty.org/en/ Human rights change starts with the facts. Our experts do accurate, cross-checked research into human rights violations by governments and others worldwide. We use our analysis to influence and press governments, companies and decision-makers to do the right thing. Through petitions, letters and protests, campaigners worldwide press for action from the people and institutions who can make change happen.

BorderLinks https://www.borderlinks.org Since 1987, BorderLinks (formerly the faith-and-conscience-based U.S. Sanctuary Movement) has been facilitating educational immersion trips for delegations in the Arizona-Sonora region and beyond the border to Chiapas. Through dynamic educational experiences, BorderLinks connects divided communities, raises awareness about the impact of the border and immigration policies, and inspires action for social transformation. The reality of life on the borderlands is much more complex and unjust than most people realize. BorderLinks offers experiential learning opportunities that explore the difficulties of migration and life along the U.S./Mexico border. We aim to educate individuals through interactive experiences. Find out how you can be a part of BorderLinks.  Sign up for their newsletter here

Common Cause • National Chapter https://www.commoncause.org Common Cause has an innovative, pragmatic, and comprehensive pro-democracy agenda. Our work leads and defines the democracy reform movement, promoting solutions already succeeding in some communities to shift power to the people and away from wealthy special interests and partisan ideologues. • Common Cause Colorado Chapter https://www.commoncause.org/colorado/ (See more above)

Families Belong Together https://www.familiesbelongtogether.org Families Belong Together works to permanently end family separation and detention, seek accountability for the harm that’s been done, and immediately reunite all families who remain torn apart.

Free Migration Project https://freemigrationproject.org Free Migration Project represents immigrant clients in their legal proceedings, provides legal support and training to organizers and advocates, engages in public education and outreach, litigates in the public interest, and advocates for fair and open immigration laws.

Freedom United:  Let's End Modern Slavery Together https://www.freedomunited.org We are the world’s largest community dedicated to ending human trafficking & modern slavery. We mobilize a united community to create power for change by making the public stakeholders in ending modern slavery. We equip millions of supporters with awareness, education & ways to take action that drives real change.

Immigrant Legal Resource Center https://www.ilrc.org The mission of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is to work with and educate immigrants, community organizations, and the legal sector to continue to build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people.

Interfaith Immigration Coalition (one can sign up for notifications and they have a many different tools for advocacy) https://www.interfaithimmigration.org The Interfaith Immigration Coalition comes together to call on Congress and the Administration to enact humane and equitable immigration policy reforms. U.S. policies on immigration and refugee resettlement should recognize the gifts, contributions, and struggles of immigrants and refugees, ensuring justice and protection for all. Our platform is rooted in our interfaith principles, which call us to ensure that our laws promote and protect the dignity of each individual.  Learn about current actions here

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More Action Opportunities

Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition: Support HB1194 to create the Immigrant Legal Defense Fund by writing your State Senator and Representative to vote in favor of and prioritize funding for this critical bill. It is crucial that your State Legislators hear from you and why it is important that this bill moves forward to uphold immigrant rights in Colorado! Send an email to your legislator now by clicking on this link! Witness for Peace - Solidarity Collective: Contact your Representative to sign on to a dear colleague letter asking for the suspension of security force support to the countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador in the Appropriations bill for 2022. One of the reasons why people migrate is the human rights abuses perpetrated by the police and military. The suspension of aid would address one of the push factors that is a key root of migration.

Event with Mijente April 27, 4:00 PM MDT Join us next week for our second national Eyes on ICE forum, to hear about the changes that are needed to Biden’s deportation policies and to bear witness to the testimonies of people who have been criminalized and are now facing the double punishment of deportation. 

SPRING 2021 MISSION PARTNERSHIP ADVOCACY COLLABORATORS

International Rescue Committee https://www.rescue.org The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future. In more than 40 countries and over 20 U.S. cities, our dedicated teams provide clean water, shelter, health care, education and empowerment support to refugees and displaced people. Current Action link: Refugees and Immigrants must be included in COVID-19 recovery measures

La Union del Pueblo Entero - LUPE https://lupenet.org César Chávez and Dolores Huerta founded LUPE, a community union, rooted in the belief that members of the low-income community have the responsibility and the obligation to organize themselves. Through their association they begin to advocate and articulate for the issues and factors that impact their lives. Current Action link: Tell RGV public officials to read The Effects of Forced Family Separations in the RGV

Moms Rising https://www.momsrising.org MomsRising combines the best of American innovation and ingenuity. We are a transformative on-the-ground and online multicultural organization of more than a million members and over a hundred aligned organizations working to increase family economic security, to end discrimination against women and mothers, and to build a nation where both businesses and families can thrive. Current Action link: "Let’s make sure to include immigrants in the next COVID relief legislation!"  

National Immigration Law Center https://www.nilc.org Established in 1979, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is one of the leading organizations in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of immigrants with low income. At NILC, we believe that all people who live in the U.S. should have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. Over the years, we’ve been at the forefront of many of the country’s greatest challenges when it comes to immigration issues, and we play a major leadership role in addressing the real-life impact of policies that affect the ability of low-income immigrants to prosper and thrive. Take Action here

Poor People's Campaign (co-chair is Dr. Liz Theoharis, a PCUSA minister) https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org From Alaska to Arkansas, the Bronx to the border, people are coming together to confront the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. We understand that as a nation we are at a critical juncture — that we need a movement that will shift the moral narrative, impact policies and elections at every level of government, and build lasting power for poor and impacted people. 

Sojourners  https://sojo.net Sojourners are Christians who follow Jesus, but who also sojourn with others in different faith traditions and all those who are on a spiritual journey. We are evangelicals, Catholics, Pentecostals and Protestants; progressives and conservatives; blacks, whites, Latinos, and Asians; women and men; young and old. We reach into traditional churches but also out to those who can't fit into them. Together we seek to discover the intersection of faith, politics, and culture. Every Monday there is an Immigration Monday's that takes place at 11:00 a.m. MDT. During Immigration Mondays, we will learn how we can join the efforts of coalitions lead by DACAmented people, coalitions fighting for the rights of DACA recipients and the larger undocumented community. Sign up for Immigration Monday's Current Action links: Call your Senators to Protect DACA • Support the No Ban Act • A Call for Just Immigration Policy

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A Report from the New American

EconomyAs we celebrate Earth Day, we recognize the growing impact climate change is having on migration. The time to address this growing crisis is now. With an average of 23 million global climate refugees annually since 2010, and nearly 10 million in the first six months of last year alone, climate migration is already occurring. Already, one percent of the world is a barely livable hot-zone, and as the effects of climate change continue to worsen, millions more are likely to become climate refugees.

The Biden administration is taking an important first step today by hosting 40 world leaders to discuss the urgency, and economic benefits, of stronger climate action, including addressing the lack of protections for refugees who don’t fit the narrow definition under international law.

New American Economy’s research shows how refugees already play a vital role in our economy. In 2019 alone, 96 percent of refugees in the United States were likely employed, paying $27.5 billion in taxes, and holding $71.7 billion in spending power.

Cont. on page 6

SPRING 2021 MISSION PARTNERSHIP ADVOCACY COLLABORATORS

SojoAction Join our Advocate Network and commit to advocate for a radically just world in the areas of voter protection, immigration, climate justice, women & girls, and economic and racial justice through Prayer, Courageous Presence, and Action. Pledge to become a Faith-Rooted Advocate here.

Southern Borders Community Organization https://www.southernborder.org Formed in March 2011, the Southern Border Communities Coalition brings together 60 organizations from San Diego, CA to Brownsville, TX. Southern Border organizations and community leaders have come together to: • Ensure that border enforcement policies and practices are accountable and fair, respect

human dignity and human rights, and prevent the loss of life in the region. • Promote policies and solutions that improve the quality of life in border communities. • Support rational and humane immigration reform policies affecting the border region.

Sign up here to get the latest updates and participate in petitions

United We Dream  https://unitedwedream.org United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led community in the country. We create welcoming spaces for young people – regardless of immigration status – to support, engage, and empower them to make their voice heard. We have an online reach of over 4 million and are made up of over 400,000 members. Current Action links: Join the here to stay network • Stop the deportation force

Women's Refugee Commission https://www.womensrefugeecommission.org The Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) is creating a better world for refugees. WRC catalyzes transformative change to protect and empower women, children, and youth displaced by conflict and crisis.

2021 Immigration Action Plan Read the plan here Led by the Immigration Hub and America's Voice, more than 100 organizations have worked together over a period of 9 months to develop detailed policy prescriptives, instructions for implementation, and a clear vision of our expectations. The 2021 Immigration Action Plan is a preview of our collective efforts. It identifies 10 actions with specific steps to both reverse the racism and damage of the Trump years and discard the longstanding harsh criminalization and deportation policies that have defined many past administrations.

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"For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the greater God, mighty

and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for

the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and

clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of

Egypt." ~Deuteronomy 10:17-19

Book ListA Migrant With Hope: A Memoir of Peril and Promise - For thirteen years, Elizabeth Loza Newby, the daughter of Mexican-American migrant farm workers, lived with her family in the back of an Army surplus truck as they followed the annual harvest. A Migrant with Hope is the story not only of her life as the child of migrant farm workers but also of her spiritual journey to a new life that allowed her to remain connected to and in service of other migrant families and communities.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent is not directly about our current immigration policies in the United States, but it shares an historic look at what we have been and what we remain today. It is a critical tool for greater understanding as to where immigration policies arise and why.

Separated: Inside an American Tragedy is from award winning journalist, Jacob Soboroff. A powerful and deeply reported journey, laying bare the full truth behind the defining moral crisis of the Trump years: the systematic separation of thousands of desperate migrant families at the US-Mexico border In June 2018.

The House that Love Built is the quintessential journey of one woman questioning what it means to be an American--and a Christian--in light of a broken immigration system. Through tender stories of opening her heart and home to immigrants, Sarah Jackson shines a holy light on loving our neighbor. Listen to chapter 1 on soundcloud.

SPRING 2021 MISSION PARTNERSHIP ADVOCACY COLLABORATORS

Cont. from page 4 - New American Economy Report Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, refugees have served as essential workers on the frontlines, filling roles that are crucial to America’s economy and workforce. Our research has found that: • Nearly 16% of refugees work in the healthcare sector • Refugee workers are vital to the American food supply

chain, with more than 46,000 in food processing, 31,000 in grocery stores and supermarkets, and 77,000 in restaurants and food service establishments

• When the U.S. limits refugee resettlement, even just for one year, we risk millions of dollars in income and additional economic stimulus

• We are committed to working alongside leading organizations and partners at this critical intersection of climate change and migration.

They include: • Church World Service • International Rescue Committee • Mayors Migration Council • Refugee Council USA • United Nations High Commissioner for

Refugees • United Nations International Organization for

Migration • World Relief

Learn more about how to support refugee entrepreneurs and the role refugee resettlement has played in helping boost the economic fortunes and futures of communities across the country. Thank you for your continued support, Jeremy Robbins Executive Director New American Economy

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Book List Cont. • Aviva Chomsky, Central America's Forgotten History:

Revolution, Violence, and the Roots of Migration: Tracing the roots of displacement and migration in Central America to the Spanish conquest, Chomsky answers the urgent question of How did we get here? Ultimately, she concludes that the more immediate roots of migration from the three Northern Triangle countries (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras) lie in the wars and U.S. interventions of the 1980s, which spurred refugee streams and set the stage for increased U.S. presence, and the peace accords in the 1990s, which set the stage for neoliberalism in Central America.

• Todd Miller, Empire of Borders: The Expansion of the U.S. Border Around the World: "Joining meticulous documentation and vivid on-the-ground research in multiple border hot spots around the planet, Todd Miller pulls the veil off the layers of borders and their policing that shape our world, revealing a stunning and terrifying reality. The artificiality of borders, and the commitment of the world’s wealthy and powerful to preserve their wealth and power through them, have never been so clearly laid out.” Aviva Chomsky, author of Undocumented: How Immigration Became Illegal

• Margaret Regan, Detained and Deported: Stories of Immigrant Families Under Fire: Compelling and heart-wrenching, Detained and Deported offers a rare glimpse into the lives of people ensnared in America’s immigration dragnet.

• Harsha Walia, Border And Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism: Trained in the law, Harsha Walia is a community organizer and campaigner in migrant justice, anti-capitalist, feminist, and anti-imperialist movements, including No One Is Illegal and Women's Memorial March Committee. A must-read in these difficult times of war, inequality, climate change, and global health crisis, Border and Rule is a clarion call for revolution. The book includes a foreword from renowned scholar Robin D. G. Kelley and an afterword from acclaimed activist-academic Nick Estes.

• Jia Lynn Yang - One Mighty and Irresistible Tide: The Epic Struggle over American Immigration, 1924 - 1965: A sweeping history of the twentieth-century battle to reform American immigration laws that set the stage for today’s roiling debates. Framed movingly by her own family’s story of immigration to America, Yang’s One Mighty and Irresistible Tide is a deeply researched and illuminating work of history, one that shows how Americans have strived and struggled to live up to the ideal of a home for the "huddled masses," as promised in Emma Lazarus’s famous poem.