Funder Briefing: Immigrant Civic Engagement in 2008
February 14, 2008 - Using demographic and electoral data, the New Americans Democracy Project and We Are America Alliance developed a shared list of priority program areas and goals for citizenship, voter registration, voter education, and voter turnout extending through 2008 and beyond. They also developed a map of the immigrant civic participation work that needs to be done locally and nationally and have collaborated on a plan for action that involves coordinating and reducing overlap. This briefing addressed the results of this process and the plans for 2008 in Chicago and nationally. Speakers included Juan Salgado, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; Rob Paral, American Immigration Law Foundation; Juan Jose Gonzalez, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; Becky Belcore, Korean Resource and Cultural Center; Rudy Lopez, Center for Community Change; and Joshua Hoyt, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

The Chicago Community Trust, the Donors Forum, the Joyce Foundation, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, and the McCormick Tribune Foundation co-sponsored a funder briefing on Immigrant Civic Engagement. The session was introduced by Larry Hansen, The Joyce Foundation, and John Sirek, McCormick Tribune Foundation, and featured contributions from Juan Salgado, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Rob Paral, American Immigration Law Foundation, Juan Jose Gonzalez, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Becky Belcore, Korean Resource and Cultural Center, Rudy Lopez, Center for Community Change, and Joshua Hoyt, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

Immigrant communities in Illinois and across the nation are facing tremendous opportunities to build civic and political strength. The total number of emerging voters (including recently naturalized citizens, permanent residents on the path to naturalization, and children of immigrants who are approaching the age of 18) could become part of a powerful political voice. Organizations are working with immigrants to help increase their civic participation and find ways to translate electoral involvement into long-term community engagement.

Recent elections have showed community organizers the value of engaging immigrants and their families in the civic process, and the experiences of previous years have demonstrated effective ways to work with this population. The New Americans Democracy Project of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is engaged in a multi-pronged approach to increase the number of immigrants who are registered to vote, improve the quality of their civic participation, and translate electoral engagement into long-term capacity building in communities across the state. Strategies employed include providing information and assistance on the naturalization process; contacting and registering voters; providing volunteers to work on election day to generate turnout; training community leaders in electoral mobilization; and holding candidate forums to help educate communities about local races and issues.

Research shows that immigrants and their children could have a substantial impact on the voting base. The immigrant population in Illinois is growing, and according to one estimate, naturalized immigrants and their U.S.-born children make up almost 19 percent of the voting-age population in Illinois. Additionally, naturalized immigrants and their children tend to vote at a higher rate than U.S.-born citizens.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform: What Happened, Why, and What's Next
September 25, 2007 - The Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees hosted a group discussion on Comprehensive Immigration Reform: What Happened, Why, and What's Next. The discussion was introduced by Larry Hansen, The Joyce Foundation, and featured contributions from Frank Sharry, National Immigration Forum, and Joshua Hoyt, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

The defeat of the comprehensive immigration reform bill in U.S. Congress earlier this year has changed the landscape for immigration advocacy efforts. The tactics used to rally opposition to the reform efforts are now spreading to the local level, and advocates for immigrants are working on new approaches to counter those efforts and to rebuild momentum for systemic reform.

Part of moving advocacy efforts to the local level involves ensuring that politicians understand the price they will pay if they advance an anti-immigrant strategy. In the 2006 mid-term elections, candidates who made anti-immigrant positions an important part of their campaign almost always fared poorly. As citizenship drives continue and the number of immigrants gaining the right to vote increases, this trend is likely to grow, meaning that candidates who espouse anti-immigrant views will have a harder time being elected. As new representatives and senators who are sensitive to immigrant concerns come into office, it will be possible to re-introduce comprehensive reform legislation. However, this process takes time, meaning another effort to introduce comprehensive reform is not likely to happen in the near future.

Advocates will also be working to counter many of the hurtful images and racially coded phrases used by anti-immigrant forces. By demonstrating that immigrants are important parts of their community and by exposing the hateful element that is often a part of anti-immigrant rhetoric, advocates can build a more accurate, more positive view of how immigrants contribute to their communities.

Another strategy is to use the courts to combat local legislative initiatives designed to negatively impact immigrants. For example, the village of Carpentersville had proposed measures cracking down on undocumented immigrants due in part to concerns about unpaid ambulance bills that were supposedly tied to providing services to immigrants. A lawsuit has been filed claiming that this debate created a hostile climate in the village that led to a baby who was being cared for by an undocumented nanny being denied necessary medical services by an ambulance crew. This kind of litigation can make local governments understand the potential costs of trying to crack down on undocumented immigrants.

The speakers listed several things funders can do to help immigration reform efforts, including:

• Promote citizenship and voter registration efforts that can help immigrants have a greater voice in civic affairs;
• Support efforts to protect immigrant communities from the negative effects of proposed local laws;
• Help advance the state of policy research to show the different roles immigrants play in their communities and the nation and demonstrate the costs of forcibly removing them;
• Find ways to connect social service provision to larger efforts for systemic reform; and
• Assist efforts to develop messages that will help people think about what it means to be an American and what implications that has for the immigration debate.
  

The Latino National Survey
April 11, 2007 - The Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees hosted a group discussion on The Latino National Survey. The discussion was introduced by Alice Cottingham, Girl's Best Friend Foundation, and featured contributions from Rodney Hero, University of Notre Dame; John A. Garcia, University of Arizona; and Gary M. Segura, University of Washington.

A survey of thousands of Latinos across the nation was recently conducted. Building upon previous surveys, this project featured detailed interviews that covered many aspects of Latino life in the United States, including information on political interest and affiliation, views on pressing social and political issues, and thoughts and opinions on cultural identity and assimilation.

The design of the survey allows data to be separated by geographic areas. The data can be analyzed on the national level, state level, or by areas within states to allow for different types of comparisons. For example, data on individuals living in the Chicago area can be compared to data on respondents living in other parts of Illinois, and both these levels can be compared to national averages. Data can also be analyzed by looking at whether the respondents are the first, second, third, or fourth generation of immigrants, then crossing that value with other data points. Complete data from the survey will be publicly released in September, allowing researchers to find other ways to analyze the data and develop their own cross-sections.

One of the goals of the survey was to discover if Latinos had a set of underlying values that is distinct from the values of the rest of the nation and that might prevent their integration into larger society. The survey showed that, in general, the values and goals of Latinos have significant overlap with the values and goals of the rest of society, and there is not a broad schism as is sometimes portrayed.

Some of the findings of the analysis that has been performed to date include:

• Many Latinos do not see a conflict in the ideas of blending into larger society while maintaining a distinct culture. The survey showed that 87.6 percent of first generation respondents think it is very important or somewhat important to change in order to blend into larger society, while 94.8 percent think it is very important or somewhat important to maintain a distinct culture. Though the numbers change somewhat, the trend remains for all generations of respondents-a significant majority believe it is very important or somewhat important to both change to blend into larger society and to maintain a distinct culture.
• The survey showed high civic participation by Latinos, including those who are not citizens of the United States. Thirty-one percent of non-citizens reported having multiple contacts with public officials, while 42 percent of non-citizens said they had engaged in organizational problem-solving in their communities. This data shows that the non-citizen population may not be as socially isolated as they are sometimes portrayed.
• While the Iraq War had the highest number of respondents (31.4 percent) pointing to it as the most pressing current issue in the nation, nearly 30 percent of the respondents identified illegal immigration as the most pressing problem for Latinos. While first-generation Latinos favor immediate legalization as a preferred policy for dealing with undocumented immigrants, all generations favor a policy that allows immigrants to have an avenue for legalization, such as a guest worker program. Securing the border is the preferred policy of a small minority of respondents in each generation.
  

Immigrant Integration: National and Local Perspectives
September 28, 2006 - The Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees hosted a session on Immigrant Integration: National and Local Perspectives. The discussion was introduced by Lawrence Benito, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and featured presentations from Daranee Petsod, Grantmakers Concerneed with Immigrants and Refugees (national); Ngoan Le, The Chicago Community Trust; Susan Downs-Karkos, The Colorado Trust; and Juan Salgado, Instituto Progresso Latino.

Communities experiencing rapid growth in their immigrant populations need to adopt proactive strategies to help promote integration. The most effective of these strategies benefit all segments of a community-immigrants and other residents alike prosper when they live in a stronger, more inclusive community. By demonstrating these benefits and by putting human faces on the issues, immigrant integration efforts can break down many of the existing barriers around this issue.

The effort to promote immigrant integration can often play out separately from the debate on reforming national immigration policy. In fact, it can be beneficial to avoid the emotions of that political debate and instead build collaborative efforts to promote integration. This does not mean, however, that the red-flag aspects of the immigration issue should simply be avoided-people will often not respond to an approach that seems too rosy and not grounded in reality. Having an effective plan means building an effective case for why it is the right plan. The toolkit from the national GCIR provides ways to help deliver these messages, including references to films that provide specific examples of how immigrant issues affect people's lives.

The involvement of institutions in a community can play a vital role in encouraging integration. If people at various institutions (including schools, law enforcement organizations, and local government) are aware of some of the issues facing immigrants and are given the capacity to deal with those issues, immigrants will have a variety of avenues to help them gain access to the broader community. These institutions may need technical assistance to help them build the capacity they need to understand and address the issues facing immigrants.

Foundations can act as leaders and catalysts to help communities develop and implement their integration plans. They may do this through program areas specific to immigration, or through other program areas, such as health and education, that overlap with immigrant concerns. As foundations work with collaborations within communities, they will be able to identify individuals to lead integration efforts and keep them moving forward.

In Illinois, the New Americans Executive Order issued in November 2005 promotes immigrant integration. The Policy Council created as a result of that order recently issued its first round of recommendations, and an accompanying report will be issued in the late fall or early winter. The recommendations include:

• The State should improve English acquisition for immigrants while also encouraging other children to learn non-English languages. Dual-language education programs can contribute to this goal.
• The State should help highly educated immigrants meet Illinois' professional requirements so that they may practice their vocations. The State should also provide opportunities for low-skilled immigrants in specifically targeted industries, possibly by tying advancement in these industries to English classes.
• The State should strengthen partnerships with organizations serving immigrants and help improve the capacity of these organizations when necessary.
• State agencies should develop working plans to ensure that immigrants have full access to their services.
  
  Grassroots organizing efforts to increase the political influence of immigrant communities could help ensure that the effects of this executive order will continue into the future, regardless of the outcome of the November elections.
  

Immigration Reform & the Current Policy Debate
May 15, 2006 - The Community Building Task Force and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugess co-hosted a discussion entitled Immigration Reform & the Current Policy Debate. Introduced by Jenny Arwade, Albany Park Neighborhood Council, and moderated by Larry Hansen, The Joyce Foundation, the discussion featured presentations from Christina DeConcini, National Immigration Forum; Elena Sugura, Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform; Lawrence Benito, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Reform; and Sandra Bruno.

The drive for immigration reform has hit a crucial juncture. On the one hand, a bill recently passed the United States House of Representatives that not only makes undocumented immigrants felons and bars them ever obtaining immigration status but also potentially criminalizes all contact with undocumented immigrants-people who employ, feed, or provide shelter or transportation for undocumented immigrants could be prosecuted for "smuggling."

On the other hand, demonstrations in Chicago and other cities in March and May generated tremendous turnout and showed popular support for more humane, comprehensive solutions to the problems of the immigration system. Compromise bills have appeared in the Senate, and Senate leadership expects to have a bill passed by Memorial Day. The exact provisions of the Senate bill, and the question of building a conference version of the House and Senate bill, are the issues that will shape the final bill.

If a bill is to successfully address the entirety of the problems with the immigration system, it needs to provide more than just increased border security-previous efforts to reduce the number of undocumented immigrants through increased enforcement have not had much of an effect. Comprehensive reform should include:

• A path to citizenship for existing undocumented immigrants;
• An increase in the number of work visas issued annually. This number should better reflect the current demand for immigrant workers, and it should be adjustable;
• A reduction in the backlogs of families wishing to enter the United States. For residents of some nations, this backlog can be 12 years or longer;
• Enforcement provisions that enlist the assistance of employers; and
• Provisions to help immigrants integrate into society.

Security concerns have been raised in relation to proposals to provide paths to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, but an effective proposal would actually increase security, as it would take millions of people who are currently more or less invisible to the system and give them visibility.

The grassroots movement that has grown around the issue of immigration in recent months has surprised people on all sides of the issue, and the burgeoning support for more humane reforms has been built through the efforts of numerous organizations and media personnel-Spanish radio DJs were instrumental in promoting the demonstrations. The demonstrations can in part be seen as a reaction to the strict provisions of the House bill-passage of that legislation helped galvanize thousands of people on this issue. Organizations hope to build on the momentum of these marches throughout the summer, with more demonstrations planned for Labor Day.

While the turnout for the demonstrations has surprised many of the organizers, there is still much work to be done. People favoring harsher treatment of immigrants are very persistent at getting their message out, and television talk shows regularly carry their views to a broad audience. Educational efforts are needed to counter this message and to demonstrate the more humane, effective solutions are a better approach to reforming the immigration system.

Legal Aid Safety Net
May 11, 2005 - Mark Marquardt of Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois began the presentation by saying that legal aid is often overlooked in the context of social services, but that it plays a role in all charitable efforts - from homeless issues to environmental policy, from the rights of disabled individuals to children and family issues.

Mr. Marquardt was Research Director for The Legal Safety Net: A Report on the Legal Needs of Low-Income Illinoisans, a study jointly-sponsored by several legal associations and published in February 2005. The report is a follow-up to a study conducted in 1989.

Nearly half of the low-income households surveyed reported having at least one legal problem in the past year (the report excludes all criminal cases). The top three legal problems are: consumer issues (20%); housing (18%); and family (16%). Only one in six households said that they had legal assistance for their problem. The number of people who need legal aid exceeds the number of people who are being helped. In 2003, 140,000 households were denied legal assistance because the state's legal aid caseload was already maximized. The total number of cases for the year equals 104,000.

Statistically, there is one legal aid attorney for every 4,000 individuals in need of assistance. Mr. Marquardt and his team conservatively estimated that $49 million in additional funding is required to meet the legal needs of the un-served.

Co-panelists Rob Paral and Lisa Parsons, who also played a role in the study, provided information about housing and immigrant issues. In both areas, individuals are at the mercy of legal and bureaucratic barriers to service and often end up as victims of the system. GCIR co-chair Bob Glaves involved the panel in a discussion of what sweeping changes need to occur in the legal profession in order for under-represented populations to receive the equal justice that our country promises to all.

GCIR Update
April 22, 2005 - National GCIR representative Daranee Petsod provided attendees with a first draft of its Immigrant Integration Toolkit. The document is a comprehensive set of multi-media resources to inform grantmaking strategies, program development, and policy formulation relating to immigrants and refugees.

The toolkit has three distinct but inter-related components:

• a comprehensive set of publications on immigrant integration;
• a web-enabled DVD including film clips, resources and PowerPoint templates; and
• an annotated filmography

After going through the draft, Ms. Petsod asked the group for comments and suggestions. The remainder of the meeting was a lively and thoughtful discussion of current issues facing grantmakers in the field, the national political environment, the history of immigration in the U.S., related ground-breaking studies, and what other materials and information could add value to the final Toolkit.

The documentary traced the lives of many Sudanese refugees, highlighting their first few months in America. The film captured the documentary subjects learning about American culture, their struggles attending school, and highlighted preconceived notations each refugee brought with them to America. After the screening, the Chicago-documentary subjects shared their personal experiences and commented on their struggles with access to affordable housing, education and employment.

Emerging Trends and New Data: Implications for Grantmaking in Immigrant & Refugee Communities
May 18, 2004 - The Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees hosted a program on the latest immigrant-related research findings, national grantmaking trends in the field, and the findings of a Chicago funder scan that documented the levels of immigrant-related funding before, at the conclusion of, and after the closing of the Fund for Immigrants and Refugees (FIR). Panelists included: Daranee Petsod, Grantmakers Concerned for Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR); Michael Fix, Urban Institute; Alice Cottingham, formerly of FIR; and Margo de Ley, Chicago Community Trust. Discussion was moderated by Leslie Ramyk, Chicago Community Organizing Building Initiative (CCBI), and Fabio Naranjo, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

The latest research revealed that one out of every nine U.S. residents is an immigrant. One out of every two workers in the labor force is foreign-born. Immigrants are younger, poorer, less likely to be documented, and speak limited English. The migration of immigrants from states such as California and Texas create new gateway states such as Oregon and Minnesota. Many of these new locations do not have the resources or experience managing immigrant issues.

One out of every five children is a child of an immigrant. Almost five million children are either undocumented or have parents who are undocumented. Even with two parents working full-time, many immigrant children are still poor. Super-saturated, linguistically-segregated schools have been identified. The population of foreign-born children is increasing fastest in grades 6 through 12. These schools are least likely to have the resources to address children with low literate skills and limited English proficiency. Forty-six percent of second generation immigrant children have limited English proficiency.

The Metro Chicago Immigration Fact Book (pdf) has been a useful resource to grantmakers. The information has assisted in justifying new focus areas for one foundation. The information has been useful for nonprofit organizations in explaining their need for immigrant and refugee funding.

FIR partners continued their high level of commitment in continuing to fund immigrant and refugee issues. Foundations that responded to a sample survey noted that their level of funding had remained steady or increased since the closure of the Fund. A few foundations have added new immigrant and refugee grantee organizations. One foundation stated that the closure of FIR was a factor that contributed to their increase in funding of immigrant and refugee issues. A health foundation that responded stated that it was in the midst of active discussions, at both staff and board levels, about how to address language access issues.

National GCIR trends discussed included funding increases in capacity building, a greater focus on funder collaborations, and the valuable use of research. Collaborations mentioned could have implications for the immigrant and refugee community. Grantmakers expressed difficulty in accessing funding level amount due to the current categorization of immigrant and refugee funding.

Distributed materials included:

1. The New Neighbors: A User's Guide to Data on Immigrants in U.S. Communities. By Randolph Capps, Jeffrey S. Passel, Dan Perez-Lopez and Michael E. Fix.
2. Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees Policy Update - May 2007

New Americans Screening
March 8, 2004 - The Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees held a screening of selected excerpts from New Americans, a multipart documentary film produced by Kartemquin Films. A panel discussion was held after the screening. Panelists included: Gordon Quinn, Kartemquin Films; Steve James, Kartemquin Films; and Hatem Abudayyeh and Israel Nwidor, Chicago-area documentary subjects.

The documentary traces the immigrant and refugee experiences of five families with ties to the Dominican Republic, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Vietnam, and the West Bank. Two excerpts involving the Chicago-area documentary subjects were shown. Both panelists shared their personal stories and described how they made the decision to participate. Highlighted were issues that came about because of the political climate in the United States and abroad. Their honesty placed a human face on the challenges immigrants and refugees struggle with on a day-to-day basis.

Additional discussion focused on the access the film crew was given by the families, schools and government agencies that were represented in the series. The producers commented on the courage of the documentary subjects to participate. Producers hoped the series would communicate that the dreams and challenges of current immigrants and refugees are similar to those of our ancestors many years ago.

Immigration 101: What Every Funder Needs To Know
January 1, 2004 - Alice Cottingham, Girl's Best Friend Foundation, led the Peer Network for New Grantmakers and the Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees in a general overview of immigrant and refugee basics.

Immigrant agencies, terms and definitions, and local and state information were topics included in a quiz distributed to program attendees. Other issues of discussion included immigration and refugee policy and anti-immigration sentiment in the United States.

No other city in the United States outnumbers Chicago in the amount of immigrant and refugee coalitions. Religious organizations play a major role in many immigrant and refugee communities. As demographics in a certain community change, organizations will identify immigrant and refugee needs to be addressed.
A resource packet was distributed. Resources included:

• Suburban Immigrants Have New Ally, by Natasha Korecki
• Patriot Act Uniting Ethnic Minorities; Rise in Profiling Told at Hearings, by John Biemer and Manya Brachear
• Anti-Immigration is Anti-American Wake Up Sheet
• Comprehensive Immigration Reform: It's Time To Walk The Walk
• Immigration 101: Immigrant and Immigration Resources Sheet
• National Immigration Law Center Reflects on President Bush's Immigration Reform Proposal: A Compelling Vision But a Seriously Flawed Proposal.

I & R Issues: National Perspectives & Trends
November 11, 2003 - Bob Glaves, Chicago Bar Association, introduced Alison DeLucca, Program Director, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR).

Key issues discussed in today's session included national refugee policy trends, key issues identified by the philanthropy community, and the GCIR national publication and program schedule.

• Policies that have a negative effect on refugee issues are the Patriot Act and Patriot Act 2 legislation. Policies such as these have resulted in tighter borders, rising immigration fees, and efforts to smuggle people across the borders. Trials may be granted to those detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but are likely to be kept within the Executive branch.
• Policies that have a positive effect on refugee issues are The Dream Act, which has been moving forward with support from students, and the Agriculture Jobs, Opportunity, Benefits and Security Act (AGJOBS), which has bi-partisan support and will be voted on soon. If passed, the bill will allow undocumented farm workers to obtain temporary legal status on the basis of attachment to work. Naturalization may be possible for those who serve in the armed forces.
• GCIR members who completed and returned a recent survey revealed their top three immigrant related issues of interest are civic participation, immigrant policies and immigrant integration. Education and organizational capacity building followed closely.
• Specific initiatives in development include: Carnegie, Knight, McKay (SF) and other funders looking at the impact of immigrants on the 2004 election; and JEHT, Ford, Atlantic and other funders are interested at looking at immigrant and refugee issues through a human rights lens. Health conversion funders such as CO Trust and major national funders such as Carnegie have expressed an interest in immigrant integration.
• 2004 GCIR publications
  • February - Immigration and national security brief
  • March - Undocumented immigrant issue brief
  • April - Civic Participation Report: Pursuing Democracy's Promise.
  • June - Language Acquisition brief
  • August - Workforce Issue brief
• Two new learning circles were created to address the interest of GCIR members. The Immigrants and Education Study Group will meet every two months via conference call. The Immigrant Children, Youth and Families learning circle will convene for the first time in the middle of November 2003.
• GCIR National conference will take place in Toronto in April. GCIR will be offering 4 sessions, a member meeting and reception.
• Midwest regional conference, "New Immigrant Gateway", will be held in June with a focus on a regional topical issue.

Who Is a Refugee?
October 22, 2003 - Philip Thomas, Woods Fund of Chicago, and Lisa C. Klein, Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, welcomed program attendees and introduced the panelists. Panelists were: Gregory Wangerin, executive director, Interfaith Refugee and Immigrant Ministries; Elmida Kulovic, program director, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago; David Bamlango, advocacy program director, Exodus World Services; Dr. Edwin Silverman, chief of the Bureau of Refugees and Immigrant Services; and Dori Dinsmore, executive director, World Relief Chicago.

Key issues from the session included:

• Defining the term refugee
  A refugee is one who, in times of persecution or political commotion, flees to a foreign power or country for safety. An immigrant can return home, a refugee cannot. Kulovic described the challenges of her flight as a refugee and resettling in a new country without language skills. Bamlango described political persecution and deaths his colleagues suffered.
• Location and number of refugees
  There are 13 million documented refugees from the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. There are many more refugees in the world who are undocumented. Eighty percent of the world's refugees are women and children. UN agencies direct refugees to countries through resettlement agencies.
• The role of resettlement agencies
  Last year, half of 1% of the refugees were resettled; the U.S. government did not reach the total number of refugees (70,000) permitted to resettle in America. It can be many months or years before a refugee is resettled. Responsibilities of resettlement agencies are: job placement and training; clothes; food; English lessons; and housing. Current challenges resettlement agencies face are: full ESL classes; conflicts in program changes; language barriers; and stopped or stalled processing due to or resulting from impact of September 11, 2001.

Information shared by Dr. Silverman described how current funding for refugee social services is based on the previous three years of refugee arrivals; discretionary funds for the state have diminished over fifty percent in the last three years; the challenges of trying to meet and greet refugees when under-staffed. Agencies represented discussed the need for additional funding in the area of program support for both established and seed programs.

GCIR Committee Meeting
September 10, 2003 - GCIR held a committee meeting to complete fiscal year 2004 plans.

Emerging Trends and New Data
June 10, 2003 - GCIR held a session that featured new findings and data trends to inform funders, policymakers, and agencies working with immigrant populations and issues. Nikki Will Stein, Polk Bros Foundation, and Bob Glaves, Chicago Bar Foundation, moderated the discussion. Research presenters and topics included: Chirag Mehta of the University of Illinois Center for Urban and Economic Development (UIC-CUED) on a study of Chicago's undocumented immigrants and recent legislation granting access to higher education for the undocumented; Garrett Harper of Heartland Alliance on a recent Poverty Report and the latest immigrant statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau; Dr. Ed Silverman of the Illinois DHS on a report of state policy recommendations, "Illinois Immigrant Policy Project"; and Kwadwo Ntim of the Coalition of African Service Providers on a survey exploring the issues and experiences of African refugees and immigrants on the critical link between mainstream systems and the homeless.

Homeland Security Act: Implications for Immigrants
January 17, 2003 - Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees held a timely presentation on the form and function of the recently created Department of Homeland Security, and the implications its creation will have on the lives of immigrants in the United States. Special guest Judy Golub, the Senior Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs with the American Immigration Lawyers Association, provided a structural overview of the department and specifically highlighted areas where more conscientious reform is needed.

The creation of this new department, enacted through the Homeland Security Act of 2002, represents the combination of 22 existing agencies, the abolition of the INS, and its replacement with separate bureaus for border security and immigration services. Ms. Golub noted that this provision places immigration within the context of terrorism and as such requires greater attention to be paid to the areas of the department that do not work. She highlighted the following areas for immigrant advocates and funders to focus on as the newly implemented department begins to unfold:

• the coordination of the two new bureaus
• the emphasis on both adjudication and enforcement as key issues of immigration
• expertise and accountability in leadership
• the review of current visa policies
• ensured protection of civil rights
• support of the new Ombudsman position

Could That Possibly Be Right?
October 8, 2002 - This program addressed pertinent questions affecting Chicagoland immigrant and refugee communities. Debbie Covington, of the Jewish United Fund, moderated a panel of experts including: Dale Asis from the Coalition of African, Asian, European and Latino Immigrants of Illinois; Rebeka Levin from the Center for Impact Research; Mary Meg McCarthy from the Midwest Immigrant and Human Rights Center; Ed Silverman, the chief of Bureau of Immigrant and Refugee Services for the Illinois Department of Human Services; and Fred Tsao from the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Their responses to questions about arrivals and demographics, employment and immigrant civil liberty issues provided a renewed perspective on the state of affairs for immigrants and refugees as a result of both the attacks of September 11th and the down-turned economy.

What's On the Immigration/Immigrant Horizon?
May 29, 2002 - This program addressed key risks, opportunities and challenges in rights, policies, funding and services for immigrant communities. A celebration of the Fund for Immigrants and Refugees was held after the program. National speakers included:
Frank Sherry, National Immigration Forum; Antonio Maciel, Open Society Institute; and Daranee Petsod, national GCIR. Local Leaders included: Ed Silverman, Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Services at IDHS; Josh Hoyt, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Grace Hou, Chinese Mutual AID Association; IL State Senator Steven Rauschenberger; chair, Appropriations Committee; and Alice Cottingham, Fund for Immigrants and Refugees

September 11, the Recession and Their Impact on Immigrants
March 13, 2002 - Coupled with the current economic recession, the attacks of September 11 have had catastrophic effects on immigrant communities across the country. This program explored the problems faced by immigrants from the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America that may have been exacerbated by these events, and the legal, political and social implications of changes in laws and attitudes toward the members of these immigrant groups.

Immigrants in Detention: Will Justice Be Served?
March 20 - Bob Esbrook, director of Asylum Services at Immigration and Naturalization Services, discussed asylum seekers and corresponding detention practices. Mary Meg McCarthy from The Detention Project of the Midwest Immigration and Human Rights Center added to Mr. Esbrook's discussion but with particular emphasis on Illinois and the state of these services post-September 11. Chris Nugent talked about alternative initiatives nationwide as well as where foundations can channel their dollars.

Dollars can be allocated to:

• Legal services for asylum seekers and detainees.
• Model building such as the Arizona self-improvement project.
• Supplemental services such as visitation services.
• Administrative advocacy work.
• Impact litigation.
• Coalition building and community organizing.

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