New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia is an interfaith immigrant rights organization working to end injustices against immigrants regardless of immigration status, express radical welcome for all, and ensure that values of dignity, justice and hospitality are lived out in practice and upheld in policy. NSM work includes Accompaniment - Community Fund: NSM is walking with 170 families facing deportation. At least 4 – 5 times a week NSM sends its accompaniment team to court in Philadelphia and York county to support families, hold courts accountable, and to bring God’s presence to a violent space that tears families apart. NSM organizes families in accompaniment to take action. The committee Familias Unidas began a community fund to support families affected by deportation. Sanctuary – Families Challenge Unjust Laws: NSM supports and facilitates the organizing of Oneita, Clive, Suyapa and Carmela’s families as they stepped into a tradition thousands of years old of breaking unjust and immoral laws when they took Sanctuary at First United Methodist Church of Germantown, Church of the Advocate and Germantown Mennonite. They fight to stop the separation of their families, expose the reality millions of people live with every day and challenge the extremist policies of the Trump administration. Immigrant Leadership – Promotores Program: Promotores work to learn, take leadership, organize and be liaisons in the their community to continue the long term work to change the balance of power. NSM is part of the Driving PA Forward Statewide Coalition working to push the Driver’s License campaign forward. Driving without a license in Philadelphia means a towed car, and fines of over $1000. It creates another barrier of poverty by limiting where people can work. Outside of Philly lack of Driver’s License could mean deportation and family separation. Follow NSM's work on Facebook!

As a member of PICC, we benefit from the collective power which helps us monitor and push back on anti-immigrant legislation in PA. PICC also gives us a platform of statewide connections to continue our immigrant rights work.

PICC is looking forward to an active year in 2019. The aggressive attacks on immigrant and refugee communities in the past two years required much of our energy be spent on defensive work. In 2019, we are excited to move forward with our members in advancing a more pro-immigrant agenda at the local and state levels. Here is a glance at some of our 2019 goals:

State Policy Goals:
As we start a new legislative session in Pennsylvania, PICC will be educating legislators about policies that would make our state more welcoming to newcomers. We need policies that reflect our values of compassion, inclusiveness, and diversity and work to end unjust deportations, reunify and keep families together and welcome those seeking asylum and refuge. These include:

• Access to Driver’s Licenses for All: Providing access to a uniform driver’s license to all Pennsylvanians will increase public safety and benefit the economy.
• Ensuring Equal Access to Higher Education: All graduates of Pennsylvania high schools should have equal opportunity to attend college, regardless of immigration status.
• Ending Police/ICE Collaboration: Communities are safer when local law enforcement is separate from immigration enforcement.

#StoptheHate Webinars:
PICC will also run a monthly series of #StoptheHate educational webinars. PICC is committed to the education and engagement of allies in our work. Our #StoptheHate Educational Webinars are the main platform to provide the tools for allies across the Commonwealth to become engaged in our advocacy initiatives and learn how they can take action to advance immigrant rights in a way that centers the needs of immigrant communities.

Shut Down Berks:
Three years after the PA Dept. of Human Services (PA DHS) revoked the license for the Berks Family Detention Center, Governor Tom Wolf has still neglected to take action to ensure end family detention in Pennsylvania. The Campaign to Shut Down Berks has an exciting year planned to ensure we end this inhumane practice here in PA and fight back against the deportation machine.

You can find more of PICC's 2019 action alerts by going to the Take Action! page on our webste.

We are excited to invite you to PICC's fourth annual Statewide Immigrant and Refugee Rights Convening!

2019 Immigrant and Refugee Rights Convening
June 9-10, 2019
Hilton Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA

This Convening will bring together members of the immigrant and refugee communities, grassroots organizations, advocates, and allies from across Pennsylvania, and will include workshops, networking sessions, and opportunities to meet with legislators to educate them on issues important to immigrant and refugee communities. Stay tuned for registration details and sponsorship opportunities.

We are currently looking a spring 2019 Civic Engagement Intern to join our team. Interns are responsible for attending naturalization ceremonies at the Philadelphia USCIS office every Monday and Friday and assisting with program quality control. Civic Engagement interns are asked to commit to a minimum of 10 weeks, and must be available to attend naturalization ceremonies on Mondays and Fridays. If you are interested, please submit a resume and cover letter to admin@paimmigrant.org with the subject "Civic Engagement Intern" by 5 PM on Thursday, January 31st. Interviews will take place on a rolling basis.

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.