The Golden Door: November 2021
Legal and Policy Issues
We are closely monitoring state and federal immigration law and policy. Please check our social media accounts for more frequent updates.
Build Back Better Passes House With Some Immigrant Protections
In November, the House passed the Build Back Better Act. The bill includes work permits, protection from deportation, access to certain benefits, and the ability to travel for around 7 million undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. more than 10 years.
We are disappointed that Build Back Better does not currently include a path to citizenship, which is what immigrant communities want, have fought for, and deserve. However, the inclusion of immigration protections in the Build Back Better Act represents an important step forward towards relief for millions of undocumented immigrants.
CALL TO ACTION: Contact Maine's Senators
Now it’s on to the Senate! Call or email Maine’s Senators and demand that they support immigration relief in Build Back Better:
Senator Susan Collins:
📞 (202) 224-2523
📩 www.collins.senate.gov/contact
Senator Angus King:
📞 (202) 224-5344
📩 www.king.senate.gov/contact
If you live outside of Maine, you can find your representatives here.
Advocates File Lawsuit to Fight Asylum Work Permit Renewal Delays
Individuals waiting for their asylum case to be adjudicated need to be able to work in order to provide for their families. Some Mainers with pending asylum applications have lost or will lose their jobs due to the government's extreme delays in renewing their work permits. The government is sometimes taking 10 months (or more!) to approve a work permit renewal.
The American Immigration Council and Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project filed a class action lawsuit to fight these illegal delays. The lawsuit seeks to force the government to address delays and renew asylum seekers’ work permits in a timely manner.
New Resource Page for Families in Immigration Court
Maine continues to welcome more newly arrived families who are in immigration court proceedings. Some of these families are on something called the “dedicated docket,” which is a fast-track immigration court process. You can read a letter from immigration providers about why this program is bad for asylum seekers here.
ILAP has created a new resource page with self-help materials for newly arrived families who are in immigration court proceedings.
A Closer Look
This section of the Golden Door takes “a closer look” at a topic relating to ILAP's work using an intersectional lens based on a monthly theme.
Giving Tuesday: Re-Imagined
Giving Tuesday was launched in 2012 as a day of generosity and giving. But as Nikkia Johnson (and others) have questioned: “Is Giving Tuesday even equitable and community-centered?”
While hugely successful in mobilizing people around the globe to give, Giving Tuesday often turns nonprofits against each other. Nonprofits compete for attention and resources in a kind of “Nonprofit Hunger Games,” as Vu Le has called it. More often than not, the organizations with the most resources, money, and privilege to begin with, end the day with the most donations too.
Grounded in our learnings from the Community-Centric Fundraising movement, ILAP has joined other nonprofits in re-imagining the way we spend Giving Tuesday, focusing now on spotlighting our partners and fellow nonprofits. Check out the list of organizations below from our #GivingTuesdaySpotlight series on ILAP's Facebook this year!
Like us, Maine Women’s Lobby spent the day highlighting partners as did Full Plates Full Potential, whose Executive Director reflected on the meaning of the day in a recent Medium op-ed.
For those who supported ILAP or another Maine organization this Tuesday, thank you! If you didn’t have the chance to give in some way, we hope you’ll learn more about the organizations from our #GivingTuesdaySpotlight series and consider supporting their work.
We have a vision for a more just and equitable future, and we know we can’t build it alone. The only way forward is together!
ILAP's Fall Newsletter is Now Available!
We are proud to be able to share our latest issue of ILAP's Immigrant Beacon newsletter with you. You can check it out online or download as a PDF!
From legal support for Afghan families and other asylum seekers to community legal education and a walking tour series, ILAP has been hard at work over the last 6 months. Learn more about what we’ve been up to in our latest newsletter.