Interfaithimmigration.org

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Interfaithimmigration.org

• Welcome to this months Webinar on
• Breaking Bread and Building Bridges
  Strengthening the movement for just and humane
  immigration reform
• Monday, December 10th, 2012
• Call and Webinar will begin at 400 p.m. EST
• For audio, please dial 805-399-1000 and enter
  access code 104402. The audio and visual portions
  are NOT linked. You must dial this number to hear
  the audio portion of the webinar.

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AGENDA
400 Welcome overview of call 405- Jen
Smyers- National State of Play on Immigration
Reform 410- 415 Rev. Noel Andersen Campaigns at
Local and State level 415-425 How to Create a
Breaking Bread Event Rev. Craig Rosenhaven
425-430 Rev. Noel Andersen Family Unity Vigils
and Neighbor to Neighbor Meetings 430- 440
Importance of Effective Strategy- Kristin Kumpf
Midwest Academy 440-450 Report backs from
campaigns in the field Beth Poteet NSM Portland,
and Petra Faclon Promise AZ 450 QA
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STRATEGY

• Breaking Bread and Building Bridges is part of a
  larger strategy to lift the voices of faith
  communities at the local level and turn the tide
  for immigrants rights. Local events such as
  potlucks, vigils, and detention visitation
  connect advocates with those most directly
  affected by unjust immigration policies. The
  relationships that are nourished serve to build
  understanding and strengthen dedication for
  continued work toward just and humane immigration
  reform.
• The post-election reality in 2012 ushered in a
  significant shift in the narrative for humane
  immigration reform. Grassroots involvement,
  including in-district meetings with members of
  Congress and public, prayerful witness will be
  critical to any national reforms. At the same
  time, it will be critical to continue to push for
  local and state policies that build welcoming
  communities and stop deportations.

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Goals of Breaking Bread and Building Bridges
To create and strengthen relationships of
solidarity among people of faith, impacted
communities, and immigrants rights groups to
effectively organize to win just immigration
policies at the local and national level.
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2012 Post-Election Analysis

• Voters have clearly rejected the GOP Platform of
  self-deportation trying to make life so
  miserable for undocumented immigrants that they
  leave the United States voluntarily. The power of
  the New Citizen vote has shifted significantly
  shifted the GOP strategy on immigration creating
  new opportunities for immigration reform.
• At the same time, it will be important to push
  back against anti-immigrant laws and harsh
  enforcement policies (S-Com/ 287 (g)) at the
  local level. Local wins for immigrants rights are
  continually important to stop deportations and
  family separation while building a stronger
  movement.

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National and Local Campaigns
Push for compassionate and humane immigration
reform Host an interfaith prayer vigil outside
the local office of your senators and/or
representatives, calling for immigration reform
that prioritizes family unity. Join Restoring
TRUST Campaigns at the city, county or state
level to resist ICEs harmful enforcement program
known as Secure Communities or S-Comm. A prayer
vigil can include stories of families torn apart
by S-Comm and call for local officials to stop
honoring ICE holds, which will help keep families
together and keep communities safe. Stop
state-led Arizona styled anti-immigrant bills
Join campaigns in Kansas, Virginia, Mississippi,
Arkansas, and elsewhere. Prayer vigils can take
place outside of state capitol buildings to
highlight the opposition to anti-immigrant state
legislation. Work toward the passage of
pro-immigrant bills, such as the equitable/
in-state tuition for DREAM Act youth at the state
level. Prayer vigils can include the stories of
DREAM Act youth and others who would be helped by
these pro-immigrant bills.
 
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Phase I- Breaking Bread Together

• The relationships that are nourished serve to
  build understanding and strengthen dedication
  for continued work toward just and humane
  immigration reform.
• Local events such as potlucks, vigils, and
  detention visitation connect advocates with those
  most directly affected by unjust immigration
  policies.
• Part of a larger strategy to further grassroots
  support of faith communities joining impacted
  groups at the local level and turn the tide for
  immigrants rights.
• Timeline Start planning in December and begin
  having events in late January- March according to
  whats best at the local level

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Phase II- Family Unity Vigils

• Host a Family Unity Prayer Vigil to highlight the
  need for local, state and national reforms to
  reunite and keep families together. Be strategic
  about your actions and identify what makes most
  sense for you in your region and community
• Register your Vigil on the Interfaith Immigration
  Website
• Identify timeline for your vigil possibly
  starting in Feburary-March/ April
•  

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Phase III- Neighbor to Neighbor Meetings with
Decision Makers

• Organize local neighbor-to-neighbor visits with
  your senators, representatives, and local
  decisionmakers. By linking local congressional
  visits with DC-based visits, we can send a strong
  message that people of faith care about
  immigrants rights.
• Set up meetings with strategic decision makers
  and coordinate a delegation of faith
  leadersand/or service providers to meet with
  influential politicians on your campaign.
• Join and organize local actions such as marches,
  rallies and press conferences.

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Strategy Components

• Effective community organizing is always about
  building collective power to win concrete changes
  in peoples lives
• The IIC encourages people to join local
  interfaith teams and coalitions, but to also
  focus on outreach and building a stronger base in
  your own denominational/ tradition/ organization
• It is important to identify our goals first, then
  think about our organizational capacity,
  constituents, allies, opponents, targets-
  Decision makers
• Once you have identified the above categories,
  you can move to tactics, activities and actions
  that will help you accomplish your goal and place
  strategic pressure on the decision maker.

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Decision Makers (Targets)

• It is important to identify the decision maker
  who has power to get you want you want.
• For a campaign against S-Com or 287 (g) it is
  most likely the county Sheriff
• For Federal Immigration Reform, it will be key
  Senators and Congresspeople, such as Sen. Graham,
  Sen. Menendez, Rep. Goodlatte

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Continued Activity and Involvement

• Connect with local service initiatives. Find ways
  in which to work together through service
  initiativessuch as detention ministry, legal
  clinics or refugee settlement volunteer work.
  Develop relationships of solidarity. Even if
  humane immigration reform is enacted, there will
  still be much work to do to bring communities
  together and ensure equal rights for all. Be part
  of joining advocacy efforts to service work!
• Participate or organize a detention visitation
  program. Connect with interfaith and ecumenical
  groups who have established programs in your
  region. Many long-termdetentions of immigrants
  who may not have family in the region Detention
  visitation LIRS Visitation resources with
  toolkit, Advocacy resources from Detention Watch
  Network
• Connect with a local refugee resettlement agency
  to see how you can volunteer orbecome a
  sponsoring congregation.
• Bring advocacy to service work by working to
  change immigration enforcement policies locally,
  advance immigration reform, and preserve funding
  for refugee programs.

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Detention Ministry and Refugee Resettlement
Co-Sponsorship
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Full Toolkit

A toolkit will be released shortly to help you
think about strategies and activities and to
provide resources for planing and publicizing
events. The toolkit will include Introduction
to strategy, goals, activities and timeline How
to host a Breaking Bread and Building Bridges
event Hosting a public prayer vigil on family
unity Organizing a local congressional visit for
immigration reform Education, resources and
contacts Communications messaging, talking
points, media advisory and social media
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Signing Up To Host Event
http//salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1272/p/salsa/
web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY7179 
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IIC Contacts by organization

• African American Ministers in Action Leslie
  Malachi, lmalachi_at_pfaw.org
• American Jewish Committee Chelsea Hanson,
  hansonc_at_ajc.org
• Bread for the World Institute Andrew Wainer,
  awainer_at_bread.org
• Church World Service Jen Smyers,
  jsmyers_at_churchworldservice.org
• Disciples of Christ Ken Brooker Langston,
  revkenbl_at_yahoo.com
• Episcopal Church Katie Conway,
  kconway_at_episcopalchurch.org
• Franciscan Action Network Patrick Carolan,
  pcarolan_at_franciscanaction.org
• Friends Committee on National Legislation Ruth
  Flower, flower_at_fcnl.org
• Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Liza Lieberman,
  liza.lieberman_at_hias.org
• Interfaith Worker Justice Thomas Shellabarger,
  tshellabarger_at_iwj.org
• Irish Apostolate USA Geri Garvey,
  administrator_at_usairish.org
• Islamic Information Center Hajar Hosseini,
  hosseini_at_islamicinformationcenter.org
• Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, Shaina Aber,
  saber_at_jesuit.org
• Jewish Council for Public Affairs Elyssa Koidin,
  ekoidin_at_thejcpa.org
• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Nora
  Skelly, nskelly_at_lirs.org
• Mennonite Central Committee Tammy Alexander,
  talexander_at_mcc.org
• Muslim Public Affairs Council Hoda Elshishtawy,
  hoda_at_mpac.org
• Sisters of the Good Shepherd Larry Couch,
  lclobbyist_at_gsadvocacy.org