The Greater Reading Immigration Project is a coalition of community volunteers working to raise awareness about immigration issues in Berks County through education, communication, and advocacy. We are made up of community members, such as church leaders, immigration attorneys, high school and post-secondary school faculty, immigrant leaders, and concerned citizens. What we do:

• Inform the community on the immigration issues facing local youth and their families through summits, lectures, and events.
• Provide resources to undocumented students so they can continue their education, research possible paths to citizenship, and live their lives.
• Grow the DREAMer Scholarship fund for students whose immigration status (or lack thereof) does not let them get student loans or grants.

Join us at our 2021 Speaker Series! Come learn from experts on various immigration topics. Register today!

Today, immigrant rights organizations, students, and educators will be launching the Tuition Equity & Inclusion Campaign!

For many immigrant and refugee students, the dream of attending college is out of reach due to additional barriers when applying for, and attending, college. Many colleges and universities view undocumented students, and students with temporary immigration status, as out-of-state or international students, and charge higher tuition rates than for other residents of Pennsylvania – even when that student has lived in the state for many years and attended a Pennsylvania high school. We can change that by passing legislation that will allow all students who graduate high school in Pennsylvania to pay in-state tuition at community colleges and state universities.

Join PICC and members of the campaign at our campaign launch!

• When: 2:30-4:00pm, Wednesday, January 27th, 2021
• Where: Online public link: Facebook Live Event Link
  

Want to get involved with the campaign? Fill out our campaign interest form!

On January 20th, President Biden enacted a series of executive orders on immigration. These actions serve as an important first step in reversing the harm caused by the previous administration and are a down payment on the President's campaign promises to address the long-standing flaws in our immigration system. These Executive Orders and Memos cover a broad range of issues:

• DHS Memo creating a 100 day deportation moratorium
• DHS Memo terminating the MPP program
• Executive Order rescinding the Muslim Bans
• Executive Order rescinding 2017 enforcement priorities
• Executive Order restoring proper census count
• Executive Order affirming DACA
• Executive Order affirming Liberian DED
• Executive Order halting border wall construction

In addition to issuing these executive actions, the President also released a fact sheet outlining a comprehensive immigration reform bill. While the full text of the bill has not been released, according to the outline, the bill will include a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, removes barriers to family-based immigration, seeks to reduce lengthy visa backlogs, and improves protections for immigrant workers.

Learn more about these actions:

• Summary in English & Spanish from NPNA
• Full analysis from NILC

These actions are due to the hard work of immigrant leaders across the country who have fought to ensure immigration was a priority for the new administration. While we celebrate these important actions, we also know we have a long fight ahead of us to reverse the harm caused by the previous administration and address the structural inequities in our immigration system. Follow us on Facebook and check out our calendar of events for upcoming actions and ways to get involved!

The Capacity Development Director will be focused on helping PICC answer the question: how do we build the organizational capacity, individual leadership, and infrastructure of our movement so that immigrant communities can access the services they need and have powerful vehicles for creating systemic and structural change?

The Capacity Development Director will lead the work of developing and implementing a movement-oriented capacity building strategy that includes a robust public education program, leadership development, and providing organizational development support. The Capacity Development Director serves as a member of PICC’s leadership team and shapes strategic thinking for the organization, including program development, communications, and planning. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a flexible and team-oriented approach to problem solving, and be excited about building movement infrastructure.

Read the full job posting and application instructions. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis with a final deadline of February 15, 2021.