Immigration 101
Immigration in the United States is complex and ever-evolving. Start here to understand the fundamental aspects of immigration policy, its history, and its impact on both individuals and the country at large. Learn commonly used terms about immigration law and how the U.S. immigration system is designed. Explore layered topics like how and whether immigrants can become citizens, as well as what individual protections look like under the law.
Sorry Donald Trump, Immigration is Still Associated with Less Crime and Safer Communities
Donald Trump opened a political rally in Southern California last night by sharing the stage with activists who have lost loved ones at the hands of immigrants in the U.S. without legal status. While no one can minimize the pain associated with losing a family member, Trump’s motive behind… Read More
Deep Faith Motivates Nancy Long’s Support for Immigration Reform
In 2015, Nancy Long treated a young bipolar man who came to the crisis center where she worked as a licensed clinical professional counselor. The young man wasn’t medicated properly, and his family feared for their safety and his own. “They were kind of afraid of him when he was… Read More
Lawyer Says Asylum Seekers Can Wait Years Just To See a Judge
The worst part of representing asylum-seekers in the U.S. legal system is the wait. “It’s awful,” says Jenny Rizzo, who provided pro bono legal representation to refugees in Buffalo, New York, and now serves as executive director of The Pro Bono Project in New Orleans. The system is so overburdened… Read More
Immigrants Add Value to Local Economy, Says the Executive Director of Catholic Charities in East Texas
When the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy passed in 2012, Nell Lawrence, the executive director of Catholic Charities in East Texas, didn’t expect it to impact her life very much. DACA shields many young undocumented immigrants from deportation and allows them to work here legally. But Lawrence expected… Read More
Pastor Peter Matthews Says Congressional Republicans Are Out of Step with Their Evangelical Constituents
In 2015, when Pastor Peter Matthews went to Washington, DC, to urge Congress to pass immigration reform, he and his fellow evangelical leaders realized just how disconnected congressional leaders had become from their evangelical base. In one meeting with then-Speaker John Boehner’s advisors, Matthews and the other pastors made a… Read More
Despite Legal Status, Fear of Forced Return to Mexico for a Dedicated Austin Teacher
When Areli Zarate crossed the border from Mexico at the age of eight, she was with her three brothers, the oldest of whom was nine. They didn’t have any adults with them—their parents were already in the United States—but the four knew that their lives were changing forever. Sixteen years… Read More
For One Young Woman, It Took Becoming a Crime Victim to Get a Green Card
Alina Luna had the grades and the drive to attend college right after high school, but she didn’t have a Social Security Number. As an undocumented immigrant who came to Atlanta from Mexico at the age of 12, she wasn’t allowed to apply for federal financial aid without it. Luna… Read More
Arizona City Council Member: “America Needs the Passion, Skills, and Experience of DREAMers”
Today, Lorenzo Sierra is a city council representative of Avondale, Arizona, a diverse city of 80,000 people. He also works with the next generation of underprivileged Hispanic kids to help them achieve. It’s a mission that stems from his background: Sierra grew up in a poor Tucson neighborhood… Read More
Iowa City Councilwoman Says Immigration Reform Helps Economy and Can Help End Cycle of Abuse
Sara Monroy-Huddleston, a Mexican immigrant and the first Latina woman to run for Iowa’s State House of Representatives, spent years at a local domestic violence agency where she witnessed the systemic obstacles immigrant women faced when trying to escape their abusers. “They face not only domestic violence,” she says. “They… Read More
Immigration Policy Stifled the Athletic Ambitions of One of Florida’s Most Promising Tennis Players
Adrian Escarate was three years old when he arrived in Miami from Santiago, Chile with his parents and older brother. The family overstayed their tourist visas and never tried to establish permanent residency. This was in the 1990s when life was manageable for undocumented immigrants. Escarate’s parents were able to… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
