Immigrant Integration & Civic Participation

Core Values | Common Ground | Equal Justice

Nebraska Appleseed seeks policies and practices that promote the integration and participation of new immigrant populations in Nebraska and Great Plains communities. This advocacy has been in response to the dramatic and unprecedented changes taking place across the Great Plains. Nebraskans are in the midst of one of history’s great demographic moments, as thousands of mostly Latino immigrants have migrated to rural Nebraska communities to take highly dangerous jobs in meatpacking and seek to build homes in rural places that have little, if any, experience with Latinos, their language, and their culture. These “New Gateway” communities all face new needs and challenges which affect newcomers’ access to safe workplaces, education, healthcare, financial services, economic opportunity, civic leadership, and justice for all residents. This has created an exciting opportunity to build support for new immigrants, develop new friends and allies, and to help find new and positive ways to create the most welcoming legal and policy environment for our newest neighbors. Building the political will and focusing the public’s attention on the shared interest in breaking down barriers and building up opportunity means engagement in many areas, on many policies. Nebraska may be a “laboratory” for others across the country working on integration for our newest neighbors, but it is one in which the results are far from in.

Watch Appleseed in Action, Supporting a Nebraska Community:

Fremont, NE Defeats Anti-Immigrant Ordinance

1,000 attend local hearing. Community says this is not good for our town – let’s build Fremont’s future together.

To view pictures of the hearing, Click HERE | To read Nebraska Appleseed’s testimony, Click HERE

To read media about the ordinance, Click HERE

Detention in America series: Careless Detention | System of Neglect

As Tighter Immigration Policies Strain Federal Agencies, The Detainees in Their Care Often Pay a Heavy Cost

In this series of articles, Washington Post reporters Dana Priest (Walter Reed Army Medical Center report) and Amy Goldstein examine the treatment of detainees as well as the alarming number of detainee deaths in ICE detention centers.

Read more...

Asking state and local law enforcement to don a second hat as federal immigration officers has dangerous ramifications for public safety

“Forcing Our Blues Into Gray Areas: Local Police and Federal Immigration Enforcement” provides community advocates with legal and practical tips to protect public safety. It also describes troubling legal and political efforts to move into uncharted territory by involving local officers in federal immigration matters, breaking down a division that has been standard practice for many years.

These efforts are widely opposed by major law enforcement organizations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Major Cities Police Chiefs Association. Dozens of major cities and groups from across the ideological spectrum – ranging from the National League of Cities to the ACLU to Americans for Tax Reform – also oppose these programs.

Read the Report | Read the Press Release

New Appleseed Guide Helps Banks Provide Fair and Efficient Services to Growing International Remittance Market

Appleseed has released a first-of-its kind guide to assist banks and credit unions in better serving the growing remittance market. Immigrants living in the U.S. sent $45 billion to Latin American and Caribbean countries in 2006 (representing only 10% of their earnings – the other 90% stays in the U.S., benefiting U.S. communities and economies), according to recent estimates from the Inter-American Development Bank.

In addition to providing a detailed market overview, “Banking in a Global Market” offers a comprehensive hands-on approach to setting up transparent and efficient remittance services, drawing on the experiences of large and small financial institutions throughout the U.S.

Banking in a Global Market Report | Supplement | Executive Summary | Press Release

A collaborative of major funders now in its fifth year is powering up Nebraska Appleseed and other grassroots immigrant groups in 28 states.

Foundations aren’t known for joining forces, but the Four Freedoms Fund demonstrates that, in some circumstances, partnership more than pays off. Launched in 2003 to energize American democracy by actively supporting and engaging the country’s newcomers, the Fund has doubled from five member foundations to ten while discovering a new way to work as a team: sharing ideas, learning from one another, leveraging funding and forging dynamic strategies to benefit immigrants and refugees across the country. Read more about the Four Freedoms Fund in the Winter 2008 Carnegie Results.

Projects

Basic Banking for Immigrants Nebraska Appleseed and our community partners are working to improve immigrants’ access to the banking system through creative outreach, education, and advocacy.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Nebraska Appleseed articulates and publicizes strong regional support for our newest neighbors and for the policy changes necessary to treat them fairly.

Human Rights & Detention Nebraska’s progress in welcoming newcomers and treating immigrant families equitably has been frustrated by the thousands of non-citizens detained in county jails across the state for immigration law violations and facing deportation without legal representation.

Immigrants & Public Benefits When the Congress enacted major welfare reforms in 1996 under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), new rules were added to public benefits programs making it harder for immigrants with legal status to receive public benefits.

Meatpacking WorkerHealth & Safety Meatpacking workers face some of the most hazardous work conditions in the country. Illness and injury rates in meatpacking are double that of all U.S. manufacturing, and according to a 2005 Government Accountability Study, underreporting of injuries is a serious problem in available data.

State Integration Policy Nebraska Appleseed has worked hard to insure Nebraska is a welcoming state, with policies and practices that do not disadvantage newest Nebraskans. These efforts are also designed to increase the ability and willingness of new immigrants to participate in their new communities.