NOVEMBER 1, 2017
In this issue...

PICC Member of the Month: VietLead

VietLead is a grassroots organization in Philadelphia and South Jersey that is creating a new vision for community empowerment and social justice. Founded in 2015, the staff and advisory board has collectively over 25 years of community engagement. VietLead’s mission is to develop innovative solutions to improve health, increase sovereignty, and develop Vietnamese leadership in solidarity with Black and Brown communities. We do this through intergenerational farming; youth leadership; health navigation; policy advocacy; and civic engagement. VietLead is part of PICC in order to enhance our ability to respond to policy threats to the broader immigrant and refugee community in the state of Pennsylvania. Follow VietLead on Facebook. 

Get Out the Vote!

Election Day is next week - Tuesday, November 7! This year, Pennsylvanians across the state will be going to the polls to elect judges and municipal officials, and make their voices heard on several ballot questions. Your vote is important, and helps make sure our elected officials listen to the needs of immigrant communities. Local elections typically have very low turnout, meaning that every vote has a significant impact on the outcome of the election. Visit the Pennsylvania Department of State to find or confirm your polling place. To learn more about this year’s candidates, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania  and The Committee of Seventy have produced helpful non-partisan guides for voters. If you have any questions on Election Day, you can call these hotlines to get assistance:

• English-language: 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683)
• Spanish-language bilingual: 1-888-Ve-Y-Vota (1-888-839-8682)
• Several Asian languages: 1-888-API-VOTE (1-888-274-8683)

As part of our ongoing civic engagement efforts, PICC will be holding two non-partisan phone banks to help get New Americans to the polls for the first time. We need more volunteers for one (or both) of our phone banks in Philadelphia on the following dates:

1. Thursday, November 2, from 5:30-8:30 pm  
2. Monday, November 6, from 5:30-8:30 pm

We will train all volunteers on the day of their shift and provide food. Please sign up today! Please email Carlos Adolfo Gonzalez at carlosgonzalez@paimmigrant.org if you have any questions about volunteering or our civic engagement program in general.

Dismantling the Refugee Program

On October 24th, the Trump Administrative announced more restrictions on the refugee resettlement program. Under this new order, "Resuming the United States Refugee Admissions Program with Enhanced Vetting Capabilities," most refugee resettlement work will resume, but under harsh new restrictions: a 90 day ban on refugees from 11 countries, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and some Palestinians; additional review procedures; new requirement to provide personal information such as phone numbers and address for the past 10 years, up from the current 5-year threshold; and refugees will have to report contact information for family members living throughout the world, not just the U.S. This order also puts on indefinite hold the "Following To Join" program which allows children and spouses of resettled refugees to be united with family in the U.S. These new requirements are unjustified and will immediately hurt refugees throughout the world, many of whom were already cleared for resettlement, but are now forced to comply with these unnecessarily onerous requirements which will severely delay their journey to safety. People from the 11 banned countries made up almost half of all refugees resettled in the U.S. last year. It is clear with these new restrictions that the administration is doing all it can to dismantle the U.S. refugee program. With the extended Muslim ban and the increased requirements on refugees, it is unlikely that the U.S. will even reach the 45,000 admissions ceiling for the 2018 fiscal year.

Upcoming Events

Multicultural Community Orientation – Harrisburg
Fri Nov 3 10:00am - 11:30am
International Service Center 
Fellowship Hall, Market Square Presbyterian Church, 21 South River Street, Harrsiburg, PA 17101

In an effort to increase the awareness of the various community representatives and Language Consultants regarding the mission and services of the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the International Service Center is organizing a Multicultural Community Orientation on Friday, November 3, 2017 from 10:00am to 11:30am.

Please RSVP by Wednesday, November 1, 2017 by contacting Mr. Tuan at (717) 236-9401, e-mail: tuan@isc76.org;  or Ms. Hang at (717) 236-1523, e-mail: hang@isc76.org.

#StoptheHate Bi-Weekly Call
Fri Nov 3 12:00pm
PICC

Join activists from around the state who are working to stop all anti-immigrant legislation in PA and to pass pro-immigrant policies at the municipal and state levels. Every call we will have an in-depth presentation on a different topic or campaign.

This week’s topic: digital surveillance

Registration is required to receive the video link and call-in information.

We Are One Action Fair/Run For Immigrant Rights
Sat Nov 4 8:00am
We Are One/Resist Hate
1700 W. Main St. Norristown, PA

Our civil rights are in jeopardy. Support your favorite cause and those that impact your neighbors and friends. Come and learn about, make a donation to, or sign up to volunteer with these great organizations doing important work in Montgomery county. Come for the food, stay for the cause!

Proceeds from the 5k run/2k walk will benefit PICC! Facebook event here.

News from PICC

Pittsburgh Community Navigator Training Series

Pittsburgh will be hosting it's first 2-week Community Navigator training series from November 27-December 9, 2017! Community Navigators will receive specialized training to provide quality immigration services for their communities in an empowering and effective way. Through this program, you will be trained to:

• Conduct public education information sessions 
• Lead workshops on Know Your Rights and Deportation Defense Preparation 
• Work with families to develop Deportation Defense Packets and gather documents 
• Organize legal workshops and legal clinics to provide comprehensive legal screening and naturalization assistance through community workshops

Interpretation & childcare will be available. You can register here through November 20th. For more information, please contact Alicia at aliciaquebral@paimmigrant.org or 412-387-7422. We hope to see you there! Thank you to our partners at the City of Pittsburgh, Jones Day, and NPNA.

Please Donate to PICC!

PICC depends upon your support. Please donate to PICC today to support our advocacy and organizing work to mobilize the immigrant vote, build immigrant leaders, campaign for pro-immigrant policies at the local, state and federal levels, and support the effective implementation of pro-immigrant public policies.