Citizenship Assistance Event to be held in Cornelius this Saturday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2012

CONTACT:
Francisco Lopez, Executive Director, (503) 269-5694
Erik Sorensen, Communications Director, (503) 488-0263

Citizenship Assistance Event to be held in Cornelius this Saturday

Salem, Ore.-- This Saturday, Causa Oregon will hold it's first in a series of Citizenship Assistance Events with the experience and support of local partners and the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA). The event is part of a national Citizenship Campaign.

Similar efforts are taking place in California, Washington, Colorado, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Florida, New York, Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts. NPNA represents the eleven largest immigrant rights coalitions and organizations working on immigrant integration in the US.

Causa is taking action to help Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) in Oregon because as a Naturalized Citizen, individuals will be able to vote in elections, serve on juries, be elected to public office, have the ability to be involved in government decisions, and have ability to sponsor family members to immigrate to the United States, just to name a few.

With the new Citizenship Program, Causa aims to assist 125 eligible Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) with legal review of their N-400 application and provide general citizenship outreach to 4,000 eligible LPR's across the State of Oregon.
To maximize our outreach efforts, Causa is partnering with community organizations and local ethnic media. Local legal service providers will also provide technical assistance and legal overview for group processing events.

There are three (3) upcoming events in Oregon that Causa is coordinating with SOAR Immigration Legal Services-- a branch of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO), Immigration Counseling Services (ICS) and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). They are as follows:

Cornelius
March 17th, 10 AM
United Methodist Church
1095 South Beech St.
Cornelius, Oregon

NE Portland
April 28th, 10 AM
St. Matthews Episcopal Church
11229 NE Prescott St.
Portland, Oregon

Salem
June 2nd, 10 AM
First Congregational
United Church of Christ
700 Marion St. NE
Salem, Oregon

For more questions about Causa's Citizenship Program, please contact program coordinator Luis Guerra at luis(at)causaoregon.org or at Causa's hotline at: 855-884-2287

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Causa, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Organization, is the largest Latino and Latina civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit http://www.causaoregon.org/

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Oregonians Help Turn Up the Heat on Immigration Reform

Oregonians Help Turn Up the Heat on Immigration Reform

March 19, 2010
Chris Thomas, Public News Service - OR

PORTLAND, Ore. - More than 50 Oregonians are traveling to Washington, D.C. for Sunday's March for America, a national attempt to kick-start the stalled push for immigration reform. David Leslie, executive director of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, is one of them. He says people need a clear and fair path to U.S. citizenship, and he blames the lack of progress on a lack of political will in Congress. Leslie hopes the size and scope of the national event energizes the immigrant community and other supporters.

"The real work is not going to be in Washington, D.C. - it's coming back home where you work your district, you're working with members of congregations, you're working with your community. I think a march like this provides a real boost of energy, to take some of that back home and further the cause."

Marchers will include members of faith, and business and labor groups, all of whom say immigrants deserve a fair shot at becoming U.S. citizens. Greg Delgado, Oregon coordinator for the Bend office of Jobs With Justice, will be there. He says the current system creates unnecessary hassles - and hostilities.

"We're a small community, maybe of 11,000 Latinos, here in Central Oregon. We still, on a daily basis, hear complaints - of worker violations, racial profiling with the police - that we're trying to clarify for the community as well."

Those who want tougher immigration laws say the country can't afford an influx of new citizens. Supporters of reform believe it's a human rights issue, and that people working in the U.S., even illegally, are contributing to the economy and often paying taxes. On Sunday, tens of thousands of people are expected for a rally at the Lincoln Memorial starting at 2:00 PM (EDT), followed by a march to RFK Stadium.

Oregon marchers will meet Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 3211 Pine St. NW, Washington, D.C.

Visit this link to get the audio for this news report: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/13079-1

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Oregonians Remember Families Torn Apart By Immigration Raids

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2008

Contacts:
Beth Poteet, Witness for Peace Northwest, (503) 287-7847
Robert Brown (503) 267-9346
Marco Mejia, AFSC Portland, (503) 740-8035
Erik Sorensen, CAUSA (503) 488-0263


Oregonians Remember Families Torn Apart By Immigration Raids
Oregon New Sanctuary Movement to hold a week of action and prayer for the families torn apart by Fresh Del Monte ICE Raids

Portland, Ore.--One year ago, the Fresh Del Monte Produce fruit and vegetable processing plant in North Portland was raided by agents from the when the Department of Homeland Security Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 167 immigrant workers were torn from their livelihood and their families. Many were taken to a private prison near Tacoma and deported. A small number of women who were pregnant or had very young children were put under house arrest. One year later the families are still struggling to rebuild their lives.

From June 6th to 14th, the Oregon New Sanctuary Movement, Oregon immigration rights and labor groups, and immigrant families will take time to decry the injustices at Del Monte as well the ongoing assault against immigrant workers and their families through detentions, raids, and deportations. We stand in solidarity with all immigrants as they fight for their human rights.

Last year, community leaders, elected officials, faith communities and community organizations came together to denounce the raids in a press conference at Fresh Del Monte in North Portland. Portland Mayor Tom Potter at the time denounced such actions by The Department of Homeland Security saying that "Our nation would be better served if this kind of energy was focused on creating a comprehensive approach to immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship; addresses the immigration backlog that keeps families apart."

"Today, raids on immigrants continue across the country, separating little children from their parents and tearing apart families and communities", said Marco Mejia from the Oregon New Sanctuary Movement. "As a nation, we need to decide if we truly value workers' rights, family unity, and the wellbeing of children."

Organizations co-sponsoring the week of events between June 6th and June 12th include: Oregon New Sanctuary Movement, Augustana Lutheran Church, Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition, Comite de Solidaridad y Apoyo Mutuo, Jobs with Justice, American Friends Service Committee, Portland Central America Solidarity Committee, Witness for Peace NW, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, Bridgeport UCC, Zion UCC, the Jobs with Justice Faith-Labor Committee, CAUSA, Ascension Catholic Church, Peace and Social Concerns Committee of the Multnomah Friends Meeting, the Social Justice Council of the First Unitarian Church, Justice Commission of Ainsworth UCC, and the Justice Witness Ministry Team of the Central Pacific Conference of the UCC.

For more information on the Oregon New Sanctuary Movement, visit www.oregonsanctuary.org or call (503) 550-3510 or email portlandsanctuary.@gmail.com.

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Resources:
Let My People Stay Calendar of Events

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