Mobilizing Coherent Community Responses to Changing Immigration Policies | Mobilizing Whole-of-Community Responses to Changing Policies

July 11, 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 session discussed how diverse communities have pivoted from pre-election work to coordinated responses to new challenges. Exploring “whole of community” responses to current threats and opportunities, it described the role of mainstream, immigrant-serving institutions in broad-ranging community responses to Trump administration initiatives. The conversation assessed what’s been working – and why – and how individual communities can develop their own strategies.

Moderator: Roberto Suro, Professor in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and School of Policy, Planning and Development and Director of the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute, University of Southern California

Kathy Doan, Executive Director, Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition

Sarah Launius, Co-Founder and Anti-Deportation Team Leader, Keep Tucson Together

Apolonio Morales, Political Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights

Edwin Robinson, Managing Director, Faith in Texas

Jessica Shulruff Schneider, Director of Detention and Refugee Programs, Americans for Immigrant Justice