Grupo de Apoyo e Integración Hispanoamericano, is a nonpartisan immigrant support group that believes immigrants are a vital part of our region’s rich history, present vitality, and future promise. Person by person, immigrant by immigrant, we strive to allow everyone the greatest opportunity to realize the dream we all share of working, living in community, educating our children, improving our communities, and creating a better future here and in our countries of origin. Over the past few years we have focused on assisting undocumented students prepare for the process of applying for DACA and applications for college. We are very aware that the more young people talk about their experiences, objectives, and dreams, the more articulate, confident, and persuasive they become. We are also going to be focusing on supporting undocumented communities through connecting them to physical and mental health resources.

As an all volunteer-run group, we appreciate being a member of PICC, and have benefited greatly from the support and expertise of the other member organizations, and hope that we have been able to offer useful resources in exchange. Follow on Facebook.

Over 125,000 people have naturalized in Pennsylvania since 2014, according to a report recently released by the PICC and National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA). These potential new voters exceed the margin of victory for the 2016 presidential election (44,292 ballots).

These Pennsylvanians are part of around five million individuals across the country estimated to have naturalized since 2014 in the United States. The report analyzed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data on naturalizations from fiscal years 2014 to 2018, applications approved in fiscal year 2019, and estimates for 2020, based on spikes of naturalization before the 2016 presidential election. Despite the mismanagement of USCIS and its backlog of over 700,000 citizenship applications serving as a voter suppression tool, around 5 million newly naturalized citizens can sway the outcome of this years’ presidential, Senate, and gubernatorial elections.

The report includes the following top lines on Pennsylvania’s new American population:
● In Pennsylvania, almost 40% of new naturalized citizens are Asian American & Pacific Islander, representing immigrants from India, China, Bhutan, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
● Nearly two-thirds of new naturalized Pennsylvanians were below the age of 45 when they naturalized.
● Newly naturalized citizens live across Pennsylvania, with significant populations in 30 of 67 counties.

This effort is part of PICC’s New Citizens=New Voters program and New American Voters 2020. The latter is a national campaign which promotes voting among newly naturalized Americans. This campaign will work with other member organizations (such as PICC), national partners, mayors, cities, and media, celebrities, and cultural figures in lifting up the importance of voting for naturalized citizens.

Read the full Pennsylvania report and learn more about the New American Voters 2020 Campaign.

Licenses and identification cards allow Pennsylvanians to move freely, participate in the community, maintain employment, and access crucial services. In recent years, While Pennsylvania currently restricts access to licenses for most noncitizens without legal status, 15 states across the country, including New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, have provided access to licenses for all residents regardless of their immigration status.

On September 8th, the Driving PA Forward Coalition released the report “Secure Our Data; Hit the Brakes on Information Sharing,“ detailing the need for privacy protections for all Pennsylvania drivers and residents. An individual should not have to choose between obtaining a license to drive and keeping their information private. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania residents are faced with this exact dilemma. Pennsylvania gives the information of over 36 million license or identification cardholders to hundreds of agencies and private businesses, including ICE, which uses information from statemotor vehicle license and registration departments (“DMVs”) as one of its main sources for arresting individuals and initiating deportation proceedings. For many noncitizens, this data sharing can have grave consequences: by getting a license, they risk the possibility that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) will use their information to track them down and deport them; if they drive without one, they risk arrest. 

The new legislation introduce by the Driving PA Forward Coalition - HB2835 - would address these issues and update PA’s DMV to be on par with other states.

For updates and more information, ollow the Driving PA Forward Coalition on Facebook and website.

The Policy Director will be focused on helping PICC answer the question: how do we change the political landscape in Pennsylvania to win more pro-immigrant policies and stop all anti-immigrant policies?

The Policy Director will lead PICC’s advocacy, working to increase the political power of immigrant and refugee communities through increasing the visibility of immigrant and refugee communities and organizations in the state capitol, developing the political understanding of community-led organizations, and creating deeper relationships with policy makers and progressive allies. The Policy Director serves as a member of PICC’s leadership team and shapes strategic thinking for the organization, including fundraising, communications, and planning. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a flexible and team-oriented approach to problem solving, and be excited about building political power for immigrant communities in Pennsylvania.

Read the full job posting and application instructions. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis with a final deadline of November 15, 2020.

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.