Aspirations & Action: Looking Ahead to 2021
The election of a new administration in January is a bright light after four years of relentless and ongoing attacks on immigrant communities that have hurt countless people and families in Maine. But we know that the flaws in our immigration system are decades old and will require aspirational and ambitious action as we move forward.
So here at ILAP, we’re looking ahead to 2021 with hope and determination, while acknowledging the ongoing difficulties we all face as the pandemic continues to devastate communities across the state. Our plans include some bold new initiatives, deliberate internal changes, and the strengthening of our core immigration legal services for thousands of Mainers every year.
We don’t yet know what we can expect from the incoming administration, but we do know that bold action is needed to achieve justice and accountability in our immigration system. Immigrant leaders and groups nationwide have spoken loud and clear on the need for continued advocacy and action. And indigenous scholars and activists continue to push us beyond our colonial understanding of the immigration system and remind us of the power of collective resistance.
During the final weeks of 2020, we shared three action areas, inspired by generations of Black, indigenous, and immigrant leaders and activists in the immigrant justice movement, that will guide our work as we move forward in the coming year and beyond.
Action area #1: Racial justice
What we’re calling for:
End to racist immigration enforcement, detention, and deportation practices
End to over-policing, criminalization, and mass incarceration in Black communities, including through the immigration system
Guaranteed legal assistance and counsel, especially in immigration court
Who we’re learning from:
What we’re doing:
Amplifying the voices of Black- and immigrant-led partner organizations and groups and taking action on intersectional issues that harm our communities
Changing the immigration system through advocacy and federal litigation in collaboration with local and national partners [read more about our recent lawsuit against U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services with ACLU of Maine and Maine Law]
Building equity and anti-racism into all aspects of our work, internally and externally
Action area #2: Right to safety
What we’re calling for:
An asylum system that upholds human rights and welcomes people fleeing persecution, including at the southern border
Restored protections for survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, and crime, as well as children and youth
Recommitment to U.S. leadership in international refugee protection
Who we’re learning from:
What we’re doing:
Providing full representation to more people in their immigration cases, including children and youth, people who are applying for asylum, and people with cases in immigration court
Offering more robust assistance and translated self-help resources to people we cannot represent
Aligning the collective strength of partners and volunteers to meet more immigration legal needs in the community [read more about how important our network of partners have become in the remote environment in the most recent edition of The Immigrant Beacon]
Action area #3: Dignity and opportunity
What we’re calling for:
Permanent legal status for everyone who has built lives in the U.S. and their families
Protecting family unity and repairing the harm done by inhumane family separation policies
Creation of fair and efficient policies for accessing immigration benefits and citizenship
Who we’re learning from:
What we’re doing:
Expanding our statewide presence to remove geographic barriers to accessing immigration legal services, with a focus on Lewiston and rural Maine [read more about our Rural Maine Project pilot with partners across the state]
Utilizing improved technology and strengthened relationships with community-based organizations to outreach to more people
Deepening our collaborations with partners to ensure rightful supports, like anti-poverty programs, are responsive and equitable [read more about our "public charge" advocacy work with Maine Equal Justice and Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition]
Want to dig deeper? The 2021 Immigration Action Plan collaborative, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) [leer en español] have developed comprehensive recommendations for the incoming administration to start to undo the damage of the last four years, and the decades and centuries before them.