MIRA Volunteer Newsletter July 2013

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Volunteer Newsletter

July 10, 2013

Dear Volunteer,

Thank you for contributing t o the MIRA Coalitions work.

Though were the largest organization in New England fighting

for immigrant rights, were still a small nonprofit, and we rely

on volunteers for many projects.

MIRA is an umbrella organization, meaning we represent the

policy interests of over a hundred Massachusetts coalition

member organizations, most of which provide direct service to

immigrants, including community schools, health centers, law

offices, and unions.

This year, our most visible work has been pushing Washington

to pass comprehensive immigration reform (CIR), which

would fix a long-broken system that has t rapped 11 million

undocumented immigrants in a fearful underground existence.

Concurrent with CIR, we are also striving on three fronts to build immigrant power.

First, we are continuing with direct civic integration work, such as the citizenship clinics and voter reg-

istration drives that rely on volunteers like you. Second, we are working with our allies on pro-immigrant

bills and policies that compliment CIR, like the TRUST Act, which would limit the damage of the Secure

Communities enforcement program, and theSafe Driving Bill, which would allow state residents to apply

for drivers licenses regardless of their immigration status. This work also includes participating in national

anti-deportation campaigns like Keeping Families Together and Ni Uno Ms.

Third, we are working on integration policies and projects that help all immigrants. This includes our fight

for the English Language Learners Bill, which would stem a rising immigrant dropout rate in Massachu-

setts, and our continued expansion the New Americans Integration Institute, which works on everything

from bank lending to high-school counseling.

Weve been greatly encouraged this year by major national events like

the progress of CIR in Congress and the Supreme Courts invalidation of

the Defense of Marriage Act, which will help hundreds of international

same-sex spouses stay together in Massachusetts. Even so, a brighter

future for all immigrants is not yet secure. The Senate passed a CIR bill

with many great provisions, but it also included severe measures for themilitarization of our border with Mexico. And a bills chances in the

House are still unclear at best. In short, we need your support as much

as ever, and we deeply appreciate your dedication to the cause.

Sincerely,

The MIRA Staff

Letter from MIRA Staff

Participant Profiles 2

Give Liberty a Hand 2

Volunteer Profile 3

Immigration Reform Bill 3

Upcoming Events 4

Citizenship Clinics 4

Campaign Highlight 4

Inside this issue:


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VolumPage 2

The honorees included Deval

Patrick, Governor of Massachu-

setts, Paul Grogan, President

and Chief Executive Officer of

the Boston Foundation, Robert

Rivers, President and Chief Op-

erating Officer of Eastern Bank,and Kairos Shen, Director of

Planning at the Boston Redevel-

opment Authority.

The event included dinner, a

raffle, and speeches by the

honorees and other distin-

guished guests, including Mi-

guel Leal, a Cuban immigrant

and US armed forces veteran

whose wife faces the threat of

deportation.

The Give Liberty a Hand Gala is

MIRAs largest fundraising

event of the year.

This past month, MIRA held its

annual Give Liberty a Hand

Gala at the Fairmount Copley

Plaza in Boston. The gala hon-

ored leaders in government,

city planning and business for

their leadership and achieve-ments in the movement to pro-

tect and promote the rights of

immigrants and refugees. Over

300 people attended the event,

including politicians, business

owners, volunteers, and the

nights honorees.

Marcus Santos, a musician and

performer from Brazil, just be-

came an American citizen after

receiving help with his application

at a MIRA Citizenship Clinic a few

months ago. I heard about MIRA

through the non-profit world,

probably, he said. As a musi-

cian, I have the chance to meet a

lot of activists. Marcus volun-

teers for the Brazilian Womens

Group, and plans to volunteer for

MIRA in the future.

He describes his experience at

the clinic as ...great, everyone

was super nice, and Im super

thankful. Its great to have help

with such a long form. I wanted to

make sure that I didnt make a

mistake and put my residency in

jeopardy.

Marcus is currently enjoying his

new status as an American citizen.

He said that the biggest change iseasier international travel for his

business, Grooversity

(grooversity.com). Now I dont

need to apply for as many visas,

he said. But it also feels great,

you know. I have everything here.

Citizenship Clinic in Boston, she

decided to attend the event to

get help with her citizenship ap-

plication. I received a lot of as-

sistance at the clinic, she said.

Most of the help was with theapplication. I dont speak much

English, but the woman explained

everything to me in Spanish and

answered all of my questions.

Luzmila said she was grateful for

the help she received, and that it

allowed her to successfully com-

plete her application. I got help

When Luzmila Yrene Landa saw

an ad on TV in Spanish for a

with studying for the citizenship

exam as well, she explained. I

got flash cards and a book to

study, and I was able to pass the

test.

Now, Luzmila said she is much

more calm and relaxed, and proud

to call herself a citizen rather than

a permanent resident. Also impor-

tant to Luzmila is her new involve-

ment and voice in politics. I can

vote, I can be considered, she

said.

Give Liberty a Hand

Participant Profile: Marcus Santos

Participant Profile: Luzmila Yrene Landa

I own my own business. Its

great to be able to say that Im

a citizen of this country which

has given me so many opportu-

nities.
http://www.groversity.com/http://www.groversity.com/http://www.groversity.com/


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Volunteer Newsletter Page 3

Maude Laroche St. Fleur is an attor-

ney and legal volunteer at MIRAs

Citizenship Clinics, where she as-

sists applicants in all aspects of the

citizenship process, from intake to

processing.

I heard about MIRA through a

friend, she said. I decided to vol-

unteer because I like helping peo-

ple. What better way to give back

to your community than to help

people for free?

Maudes desire to volunteer started

at an early age, watching her father

help other people in their commu-

nity with their problems free of

charge. I tried my best to stay

away from the law profession but it

just kept following me. I had an

Proposed Immigration Reform Bill

Volunteer Profile: Maude Laroche St. Fleururge to do itand Im so glad I

did. It puts me in the best posi-

tion to help as many people as

possible, she said. Maude

graduated from the Massachu-

setts School of Law in Andover

and has recently started her

own law firm, Laroche Law Of-

fice LLC in Roxbury. She contin-

ues to dedicate her free time by

volunteering with MIRA. I have

to be creative and work long

hours, sometimes seven days a

week, she said. But I love the

volunteer work so much, I just

have to do both. Id love a fu-

ture where I can volunteer full

time.

The Border Security, Economic

Opportunity and Immigration

Modernization Act, passed in the

Senate on June 27th, and has

moved on to the House of Repre-

sentatives. The bill, drafted by the

Senates bipartisan Gang of Eight,

passed by a 68-to-32 vote.

The bill must be approved by theHouse of Representatives and

signed by the President before it

becomes a law.

Here are some of the highlights of

the proposed bill, at the time of

the publication of this newsletter.

Requirement for employers

across the country to use a fed-

eral electronic system, called E-

Verify, to confirm the employ-

ment authorization of every new

person they hire. All employers,

including agricultural employers,

must adopt this system within 4

years.

Increased border security, in-

cluding 700 miles of fence along

the Mexican border and up to

$46 billion in additional funding

for increased border personnel

and equipment. This equipment

includes mobile surveillance sys-

tems, ground sensors, and secu-

rity cameras.

A 13-year path to citizenship for

undocumented immigrants. Un-

documented people who meet

strict eligibility criteria can re-

ceive a temporary status called

Registered Provisional Immigrant

(RPI), and then are able to apply

for legal residency after 10

years, and for citizenship after

three years.

Most applicants will need to pay

$2,000 in fines in addition to ap-

plication fees for registration, re-

registration after 6 years, adjust-

ment of status, and naturaliza-

tion.

Certain immigrants who came to

the US under the age of 16

known as DREAMerswould have

a shortened 5-year path to citi-

zenship

8-year path to citizenship for farm

workers who have worked in agri-

culture for 100 days or 575 hours

during 2011-2012, or those who

are the spouse, child or family

member of a farm worker who

meets this requirement.

Merit-based system for work vi-

sas, with higher preference given

for those with higher levels of

education, knowledge of English,

special skills, or family ties to the

United States

Elimination of sibling visas, visas

for married sons or daughters

over 31 years old, and diversity

visas.

Join MIRAs e-mail bulletin for up-

dates on immigration reform at

www.miracoalition.org. For more

information, go to National Immi-

grant Resource Center

(www.nilc.org).


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MIRA Coalition

Citizenship Program Volunteer Opportunities

Upcoming Citizenship Clinics in the Boston Area:

Saturday, July 27

Saturday, August 24

Screening Call Volunteers: Flexible schedule. Must speak Spanish or Hai-

tian Creole and be comfortable with cold calls.

For more information on any of these opportunities please contact Julia at jschus-

[email protected] or 617.350.5480 x 229

Other MIRA Events

September 15-22: National Welcoming Week in Massachusetts. Get in-

volved and host a welcoming event in your community!

For more information, contact Cristina at 617-350-5480 Ext. 206

or [email protected]

Upcoming Voter Registration Drives: Volunteers needed to help registernew citizens to vote at citizenship ceremonies. 6-8 volunteers needed foreach event.

July 18 & 25 September 5 & 19

August 8 & 22 September 27 (80 volunteers needed)

For more information, contact Renato at 617 350 5480 ext. 217

or [email protected].

Upcoming Events

105 Chauncy St.

9th Floor

Boston, MA

Phone: (617) 350-5480

Fax: (617) 350-5499

www.miracoalition.org

Supported by

Campaign Highlight: Fathers Day Vigil

In partnership with its members, MIRA

works for the rights and opportunities of

immigrants and refugees through policy

analysis and advocacy, institutional orga-

nizing, training and leadership develop-

ment, and strategic communications.

MIRAs Citizenship programming is

generously supported by:

On Saturday, June 25th, volunteers and protestors gathered in front of the

Suffolk County House of Correction as part of a nationwide effort to urge the

Obama administration to stop deportations, many of which separate immi-

grant fathers from their wives and children. Protestors carried signs and ban-

ners, watching as their loved ones waved to them from behind the barred win-

dows of the House of Correction.

The vigil was held through the coordination of dozens of organizations partici-

pating in Fathers Day is for Families actions across the country. These

groups were posting policies that separate immigrant families through depor-

tations and arrests.

Last year, over 5,000 immigrants were deported from New England, and a

large number of them were sent through the Suffolk County House of Correc-

tion. This facility holds around 250 de-

tainees every day, many of whom spend

weeks or months waiting for their cases

to be heard, without the right to a state-appointed attorney. MIRA Coalition

members continue to hold events to

raise awareness and draw attention to

the injustices of current immigration pol-

icy so that changes and reform will be

possible.Protestors at the Fathers Day Vigil

Documents

MIRA Volunteer Newsletter July 2013