Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND IMMIGRATION PATHWAYS FOR UKRAINIANS ? There have been many recent changes in the U.S. immigration system and this has caused fear and confusion in the immigrant community. At this event, immigration legal professionals will provide information and answer questions about the rights of Ukrainians who arrived under the U4U program and what pathway options Ukrainians have if their Humanitarian Parole or Temporary Protective Status ends. Please join us either in person or online: ? Thursday, March 20th, 3-5 PM Ukrainian American Community Center 301 E. Main St., Minneapolis, MN, 55413 (Live streamed on the UACC Facebook page) Please RSVP by texting your first and last name, and the number of people you might bring to (507) 200-2038. Walk-ins are also welcome!? ? ПРАВА ТА ?ММ?ГРАЦ?ЙН? ШЛЯХИ ДЛЯ УКРА?НЦ?В: ЩО ПОТР?БНО ЗНАТИ? За останн?й час в ?мм?грац?йн?й систем? США в?дбулося багато зм?н, що викликало страх ? плутанину в ?мм?грантськ?й сп?льнот?. На цьому заход? фах?вц? з ?мм?грац?йного права нададуть ?нформац?ю та в?дпов?д? на запитання щодо прав укра?нц?в, як? прибули за програмою U4U та про ?мм?грац?йн? шляхи у випадку зак?нчення гуман?тарного паролю або TPS (тимчасовий захищений статус). Запрошу?мо вас при?днатися особисто або онлайн: Четвер, 20 березня, 15:00-17:00 Ukrainian American Community Center 301 E. Main St., Minneapolis, MN, 55413 (Пряма трансляц?я на стор?нц? UACC у Facebook) Для належно? орган?зац?? под??, будь ласка, над?шл?ть SMS на (507) 200-2038 з ?м'ям, пр?звищем та загальною та к?льк?стю в?дв?дувач?в, або просто приходьте!?

Learn about immigration basics from Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and how to apply your knowledge as a community advocate. Aimed at people who work alongside newly arrived immigrants, this training will cover basic US immigration structures, relief options, client autonomy, and connecting to legal resources. Register for the March 18 virtual event below:?

ILCM’s policy director, Julia Decker, spoke to the Grand Forks Herald about the 500% increase in ICE detentions, describing it as part of a larger nation-wide trend. People are being apprehended at a much higher rate than before, often starting with traffic stops. Even though local police departments claim to have no involvement with immigration enforcement, contact with police often ends with arrest by ICE. Decker says transparency is even worse than typical. She says people who are detained need to try to contact someone as soon as possible to try to slow down the process. Decker also notes “the reality that ICE moves people around without really telling anybody...people are sort of just falling out of the system — which is incredibly troubling.”?

International Women’s Day (IWD) grew out of a 1910 International Conference of Working Women where it was decided that there should be a day of solidarity to collectively fight for women’s rights. Since then, IWD celebrations have spread around the globe, helping to foster solidarity, raise awareness, mobilize people in the fight for gender equality, and celebrate women. The evolution of IWD has been spurred by the contributions and participation of many different groups and people from across the world. Over the years, it has become more inclusive and expansive by virtue of existing for the sincere purpose to uplift all women. The IWD website proudly proclaims that the day is not for or by any one country, group, or organization, but its significance is the fact that it simultaneously belongs to no one and everyone.

Join our team! ILCM is looking for a dedicated passionate individual to serve as Pro Bono Manager.? ? The Pro Bono Manager will engage members of the private bar to provide legal services to income-eligible immigrants and refugees in several areas of immigration law, including but not limited to, citizenship, deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA), crime victim relief, and removal defense.? ? Apply here!?https://lnkd.in/eVq4FAvn

On Tuesday, ILCM’s policy director, Julia Decker, testified at a House Committee hearing on HF10. The bill, as introduced, seeks to prohibit undocumented Minnesotans from accessing any service, program, grant, or financial aid/assistance that is funded by the state of Minnesota, including MN Care health insurance and the North Star Promise Act (free college tuition). Decker implored representatives to oppose the bill, expressing concern for vulnerable Minnesotans who may find themselves in immigration status limbo due to a clogged immigration system that can take years to reach any decision. She noted that HF10 would increase the barriers to accessing medical care and critical assistance and “make it harder for people like our clients to access the legal immigration system at all.”?

The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota celebrates the incredible strength, grace, fortitude, creativity, and grit of immigrant women. People migrate for various reasons, but women are often the ones who make it possible, for themselves and others, to move. They provide the unnoticed and underappreciated work of planning, caring for children and the elderly, emotional labor, and countless other tasks required to prepare for uprooting one’s entire existence for a journey into the unknown. Women do this all amidst the additional strains of living in a patriarchal society where so often their strength is underestimated, their roles are devalued, and their humanity is disrespected. If they come to the US, they will face the intersection of xenophobia and sexism, encountering systems and institutions that were not built to recognize their dignity and personhood. Yet somehow, immigrant women persevere. To earnestly honor the incalculable sacrifices immigrant women have made and invaluable qualities they bring, we must not only recognize these truths but strive to change them.

On Wednesday, February 26, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce released its annual report on the economic contributions of New Americans. The report details Minnesota's reliance on immigration for maintaining its population, the crucial roles immigrants play in the labor force, and the changing occupational demographics of new Minnesotans.

On February 14, the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General released guidance for Minnesota schools on federal immigration policy. The document goes into detail on ICE interactions with staff and students, student records privacy, and how to support students and families. It states that “regardless of changes in federal immigration policy, schools continue to be bound by law to provide public education to students regardless of immigration status, must protect student data, and cannot be compelled to enforce a federal program or changes in federal policies.”? https://lnkd.in/eyzPav26?

Black immigrants in Minnesota have a storied past, vibrant present, and bright future. Be in community with immigrants all year long. While you’re waiting for spring, plan a trip to the Somali Museum of Minnesota. Later this?summer, enjoy a celebration of Caribbean culture at Twin Cities Carifest. Join the ORGANIZATION OF LIBERIANS IN MINNESOTA as they commemorate Liberian Independence Day in July. Then party into the night at Little Africa Festival in Hamline Park. Festivities continue in the fall, as African Fashion Week arrives in September. Save the date for the Minnesota African Cultural Festival, September 13. And next winter, don’t forget to check out the Minnesota African Immigrant Farmers Annual Harvest Festival. Remember, it doesn’t need to be any specific day, month, or event to celebrate the humanity of Black immigrants.?