Global Wordsmiths in Pittsburgh, PA is a Social Enterprise that provides language translation and interpretation services, as well as language access consulting and training.

Every dollar of profit they earn is used to finance their innovative Social Impact Initiatives. These initiatives:

- provide free translation and interpretation to selected nonprofits,
- provide quality jobs and growth opportunities for our staff, and
- help service providers to build or improve their language access policies and procedures.

Global Wordsmiths' goal is to create and advance a culture of language access awareness, so that translations and interpreters will become more widely available for individuals who need them in order to access services, to integrate and to thrive. Follow them on Facebook!

Temple University Law School’s Sheller Center for Social Justice has put the spotlight back on the courts with their newly published report on the impact of statewide ICE enforcement in PA courts. The report, Obstructing Justice: The Chilling Effect of ICE’s Arrests of Immigrants at Pennsylvania’s Courthouses, highlights the dramatic shift in ICE arrests since Trump’s election and exposes the distressing effect that these arrests have had on our communities in accessing the justice system. In fact, ICE arrests increased 37% from FY2016 to FY2017 and have steadily instilled a widespread fear across the immigrant community. Although it may appear outwardly as a “Philadelphia problem,” the report also demonstrates how ICE agents have utilized this practice in 13 different counties across the state – 11 of which are the most populated immigrant counties in PA.

It is not just community members and advocates who are pushing back against this immoral and illegal practice; some attorneys and judges are also being vocal about this aggressive targeting. Why wouldn’t they? ICE’s presence in PA courts undermines the entire judicial system by preventing witnesses and victims of crime from appearing in court. However, despite the presence of advocate outcries backed by legal evidence, ICE continues to stalk undocumented immigrants and court personnel continue to collaborate with ICE.

This is a solvable problem. The PA Supreme Court can and should take actions to stop this unlawful practice. The report summons the PA Supreme Court to create a task force that will develop “model policies” that limit these ICE enforcement practices and that can be adopted by PA courts.

To read the full report go here. Let’s work together to get #ICEout of courts!

On Monday, January 28th, PICC joined the Latino Community Center in Pittsburgh, PA to give a presentation to Pittsburgh Public Schools law enforcement and security about immigrant students in the public school systems and the added risks of potential police/ICE collaboration.Throughout the country, there are more than 17,000 school resource officers (SRO), sworn law enforcement tasked to prevent crime, respond to emergency situations and educate youth about safety, on K-12 campuses. However, with the increased presence of law enforcement in public schools, there is also an increase of the school-to-prison pipeline of mostly black and brown students, into the juvenile justice system through punitive discipline practices on minor school infractions.

For immigrant students and especially undocumented students, increased interaction with law enforcement in schools contributes to the school-to-deportation pipeline. Minor infractions and citations in schools could lead to long-lasting consequences such as losing employment opportunities, not being able to qualify for public housing, college opportunities. In the case of immigrant students, this can affect their immigration status, such as their ability to apply for immigration status or citizenship, and in the case of adult convictions may completely bar them from being eligible to get immigration status or cause them to lose their legal status and be deported.

We know that the fight for safe and welcoming schools for our immigrant students does not stop with ensuring that police does not collaborate with ICE. It is ending the school-to-prison pipeline for black and brown youth, and it is ending the school-to-deportation pipeline for immigrant youth. As schools work to keep ICE off their campuses, they should also ensure that their disciplinary polices are not sending students to ICE. In the coming months, PICC hopes to work with education justice and immigrant justice groups across Pennsylvania to open up this dialogue in ensuring that schools are safe for all our youth, regardless of immigration status. If you would like PICC to come to present at your school, please fill out our speaker request form!

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.