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National & Oregon Immigration Rights Resources Compiled by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon

Sections:
I. National Immigration Information and Rights Sites II. Religious Groups with National Immigration Legislation Information III. State Immigration Rights and Legislation Information IV. Religious Statements and Resources on Immigration Reform V. Resources for Presentations/Classes or Distribution I. National Immigration Information and Rights Sites

Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) runs a blog with news, links and actions to take at
http://fairimmigration.wordpress.com/. More information about the movement, a coalition of
hundreds of organizations across the country at http://communitychange.org/our-projects/firm/.
League of United Latin American Citizens, Hispanic American rights and advocacy group,
has news, action alerts and links about immigration rights at
http://www.lulac.org/immigration.html.
Out of Sync: “New Temporary Worker Proposals Unlikely to Meet U.S. Labor Needs” is a
report by the American Immigration Law Foundation about one of the key aspects being
debated for comprehensive immigration reform. Offers clear statistics and numbers of various
industries and workers needed, and what the proposed legislation would and would not provide.
http://www.ailf.org/ipc/policybrief/policybrief_060707.shtml.
League of Women Voters has available an outstanding set of immigration study, position and
background papers on immigration issues at
http://www.lwv.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=LWVUSImmigrationStudy.
National Immigration Forum has a lot of useful resources available at
http://www.immigrationforum.org/. See also their “Top 10 Immigration Myths & Facts” at
http://www.immigrationforum.org/documents/TheJourney/MythsandFacts.pdf.
The Justice for Immigrants Web site, located at http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/, has
useful information, such as a section dedicated to educational materials for Catholic Parishes.
On that page, you can find a link to “Immigration Basics” and other good materials. Go to
http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/parish_kit.html.
American Immigration Lawyers Association has prepared a well done resource guide
“Making the Case for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. You can find it at
http://www.aila.org/resourceguide.
National Immigration Law Center has many useful resources at their Web site at
http://www.nilc.org/. Be sure to look at the 2007 paper titled “Overview of Key Immigration
Issues Facing the Immigrants’ Rights Movement” at
http://www.nilc.org/immlawpolicy/fedimm_overview_2007-11-16.pdf.
Project Vote Smart posts their Congressional Key Votes that can be searched by issue, bill
number or keyword to find an objective synopsis and highlights of each important bill and lists of
how congressional representatives voted.
http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote.php?state_id=NA.
GovTrack: Find status, summaries and links to analysis of bills, as well as Congress members’
voting records at http://www.govtrack.us/.
II. Religious Groups with National Immigration Legislation Information

Friends Committee on National Legislation: The Quaker peace and justice lobby has actions
to take, faith statements, background information and analysis on immigration at
http://www.fcnl.org/issues/issue.php?issue_id=69.
NETWORK, a national Catholic social justice lobby, has positions on and summaries of current
legislation at http://capwiz.com/networklobby/issues/bills/.
III. State Immigration Rights and Legislation Information

CAUSA, an Oregon immigrants rights coalition, offers information and analysis on proposed
state and federal legislation related to immigrants at
http://www.causaoregon.org/resources and opportunities for immediate response and actions at
http://www.causaoregon.org/action-center.
“Farmworkers in Oregon” is a study of the League of Women Voters. While issued in fall of
2000, this excellent document is comprehensive and relevant to current situations, offering the
history of migrant and seasonal workers on Oregon, labor law and enforcement, worker rights
and conditions, and consumer issues, at http://www.open.org/~lwvor/Farmworkers2.htm.
“The New Pluralism In Woodburn, Oregon” is a community study conducted during 2003-
2004 by the University of Oregon, which describes the community and also includes indigenous
people from Mexico. About 30 percent of recent immigrants arriving in Oregon are indigenous
people from Mexico and Guatemala. This is a helpful resource that reflects the same type of
transformation occurring in small towns throughout Oregon. View the study at
http://wnw.uoregon.edu/pdf_imm/Short%20Woodburn-Final%209-15.pdf.
“Gender, Families and Immigration in the Northwest Project” is an initiative of the
University Of Oregon’s Center for the Study of Women in Society,
http://wnw.uoregon.edu/immigration.shtml. This site includes the excellent work of Lynn
Stephen and her colleagues including “The Gaze of Surveillance in the Lives of Mexican
Workers” at http://wnw.uoregon.edu/pdf_imm/gaze%20of%20surveillance.pdf.
Oregon Law Center, at http://www.oregonlawcenter.org/, offers a variety of legal services to
low income people and others who are bilingual, with special attention to indigenous women
and men. Legal Aid, at http://www.osbar.org/public/ris/LowCostLegalHelp/LegalAid.html, also
assists low income people. Both Legal Aid and the Oregon Law Center have offices throughout
Oregon and offer discussions and legal clinics for community groups, churches, etc.

Oregon Farm Worker Ministry (OFWM) and National Farm Worker Ministry offer
educational and theological resources for churches and faith communities accompanying
women and men who work in the fields, orchards, ranches, nurseries and dairies. Immigration
law reform and the Ag Jobs legislation hold many implications for migrant and seasonal
workers. OFWM can also provide speakers, pulpit supply, and resources in English and
Spanish on these and related issues. Call the Oregon office at (503) 288-3528 or (503) 990-
0611 or visit http://www.nfwm.org/index/index.shtml.
IV. Religious Statements and Resources on Immigration Reform
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon has a list of religious statements and resources on
immigration reform at http://www.emoregon.org/action1.php.
V. Resources for Presentations/Classes or Distribution
“Wall Street and Immigration: Dividing America for Profit” is an instructive PowerPoint
presentation about one of the leading causes of the massive increase of migration to the United
States, produced by ENLACE, a membership organization comprised of work centers, unions
and organizing groups in the United States and Mexico dedicated to economic and social
justice. Find the PowerPoint at http://www.enlaceintl.org/wa/enlace/ei/962/. There is a Portland
office and staff who can travel throughout the state. Contact information can be found at
http://www.enlaceintl.org/.
“Maquilapolis: City of Factories” is a film by the women who worked in the Tijuana
maquiladoras (multinationally-owned companies dotting the United States/Mexican border).
They visually and creatively tell the story of the invasion of the maquiladoras that employed
thousands of workers, the effects of the companies on local communities, working conditions,
union issues, toxic contamination, and how globalization moved the companies to seek work
forces in Asia and the Mexican work force to the United States. Film information can be found at
http://www.maquilapolis.com/project_eng.htm. Shown in the Portland metro area on Portland
Community Media (public access television); call or e-mail them to encourage new cablecast
times at (503) 288-1515, [email protected]. Call Deborah Schwartz at PCASC (503) 236-7916.
“Nosotros: The Hispanic People of Oregon, Essays and Recollections,” published by the
Oregon Council for the Humanities. Oregon has been home to Latinos from the Spanish
explorers of the 1770s to the recently arrived immigrants from Mexico. Read more about this
important publication and order from http://www.oregonhum.org/publications.php.

“In Our Own Words: Immigrants’ Experiences in the Northwest” is a 40-page booklet found
at http://www.nwfco.org/pubs/2006-0214_In.our.own.words-Immigrants.expericences.in.the.NW-
webversion.pdf and “Bar to a Healthy Future: Stories of the Immigrant Children Left
Behind,” produced by the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations (Oregon, Idaho,
Montana, Washington, June 2007, can be found at
http://nwfco.org/pubs/2007.0530_Bar.2.Healthy.Future.pdf.

Source: http://www.emoregon.org/pdfs/Public_Policy/National-Oregon_Immigrant_Rights_Resources.pdf