Mobilizing Coherent Community Responses to Changing Immigration Policies | In Houston: Mobilizing in the Defense of the Immigrant Community

July 7, 2017

From June 7-9, 2017, scholars, researchers, community organizers, service providers, elected officials, leaders of faith communities, immigrant advocates, and others, joined together for a 3-day conference on how diverse communities are working together to protect, empower and meet the needs of immigrants and refugees in an era of heightened uncertainty. The conference examined “whole of community” responses to protecting and empowering immigrants and offered models and best practices for moving forward amidst numerous challenges.

The event was hosted by the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS), Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance of Catholic Charities of Galveston-Houston, the Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative, and the South Texas College of Law Houston.

This panel discussed the formation and work of the Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative. It discussed Houston’s “whole of community” approach to immigration services, how the community has organized to defend the rights of immigrants, and the engagement and mobilization of a diverse group of stakeholders, including legal services providers, the funding community, the City of Houston immigrant advocates, and social services organizations.

Moderator: Kate Vickery, Executive Director, Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative

Alissa Gomez, Executive Director, Houston Volunteer Lawyers

Meghna Goswami, Program Officer, Houston Endowment

Andrea Guttin, Legal Director, Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative

Irfana Hussain, Director of Outreach, Daya

Mary Moreno, Communications Director, Texas Organizing Project

Alex Triantaphyllis, Director of Immigration & Economic Opportunity, BakerRipley (formerly Neighborhood Centers Inc.)