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CHICAGO — Today, Alianza Americas, the Latino Policy Forum, Center for Immigrant Progress, The Resurrection Project, and the National Immigrant Justice Center, announced a three-part webinar series titled “Contextualizing the Migrant Crisis Narrative,” that will explore the root causes of migration to the United States, the response from the City of Chicago and the network of local communities, and the historical and recent wounds in the relationship between different marginalized communities in Chicago.
“The arrival of tens of thousands of asylum seekers to Chicago and other key cities in the U.S. over the past two years has exposed long existing societal failures in areas such as foreign policy, public welfare, immigration, immigrant integration, and ethnic and racial relations,” said Executive Director of Alianza Americas, Oscar Chacón. “This webinar series will allow us to explore the factors causing people to be forced to leave their nations of birth, their decision to establish themselves in the nation they believe offer them the best hope for a better future, the way racist and xenophobic forces have manipulated their arrival to the U.S. to advance their political and electoral goals, and ways we can turn this situation into an opportunity for deep course correction. Chicago, as a leading global city, has a golden opportunity to lead itself and the nation into a smart, humane, and visionary solution to this challenge.”
Over the past two years, hundreds of thousands of people have arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border seeking protection, part of an unprecedented global migration of people displaced from their homelands. However, recently, Republican governors in Texas, Arizona, and Florida started transporting many of these new arrivals, many of whom are legally seeking asylum, on buses and planes to Democratic cities, primarily Washington D.C., New York, and Chicago. The arrival of these migrants, in addition to the more than 11 million undocumented people who have been living in the U.S. for years, has exposed the serious flaws in the social policies meant to promote the wellbeing of all people that comprise U.S. society today. If handled appropriately, the situation presents us with an opportunity to demonstrate how communities and governments can rise to the occasion of providing dignified and humane treatment of people in vulnerable situations, but also help address historical tensions between marginalized groups.
Part one of this three-part series will dive into the various historical, economic, and political factors that force people throughout Latin America and the Caribbean to migrate to the United States, but also the challenges facing long-term undocumented immigrants who have been fighting for legalized status.
Panelists will be available for interviews immediately following each event.
To register for the January 18th event, visit: bit.ly/CMNCauses
This will be a bilingual conversation with simultaneous interpretation in English and Spanish.
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About Alianza Americas
Alianza Americas is the premier transnational advocacy network of Latin American migrant-led organizations working in the United States, across the Americas, and globally to create an inclusive, equitable and sustainable way of life for communities across North, Central and South America.
About the Latino Policy Forum
The Latino Policy Forum is the only organization in the Chicago area that facilitates the involvement of Latinos at all levels of public decision-making. The Forum conducts analysis to inform, influence and lead. Its goals are to improve education outcomes, advocate for affordable housing, promote just immigration policies, and engage diverse sectors of the community, with an understanding that advancing Latinos advances a shared future. For more information, visit www.latinopolicyforum.org.
About Center for Immigrant Progress
The Center for Immigrant Progress is a grassroots organization led by young leaders passionate about social justice and immigrant rights. Our mission is to build communities that provide protection, education, and social and economic opportunity for immigrant children and families. Our vision is an immigrant community that is self-empowered, and civically engaged to transform social structures that benefit all people. For more information, visit www.centerforimmigrantprogress.org.
About The Resurrection Project
The Resurrection Project (TRP) builds trusting relationships to educate and propel individuals, immigrants, and families to achieve their social and economic aspirations, stable homes, and equitable participation in their community. TRP is a leading provider of affordable housing, financial education, and immigration services on Chicago’s Southwest side.
During the past three decades TRP has worked to improve the lives of individuals and families by creating wealth, building assets, and engaging residents to be catalysts for change. Rooted in the Pilsen community, TRP’s impact now extends across the City of Chicago and through the State of Illinois; we are making steady progress towards leveraging and preserving more than $1 billion in community wealth by 2025. To learn more about our programs and services visit us at www.resurrectionproject.org.
About the National Immigrant Justice Center
Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) is dedicated to ensuring human rights protections and access to justice for all immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
With offices in Chicago, Indiana, San Diego, and Washington, D.C., NIJC provides direct legal services to and advocates for these populations through policy reform, impact litigation, and public education. Since its founding three decades ago, NIJC has been unique in blending individual client advocacy with broad-based systemic change.
