Member Highlights
December was a very busy time! Our campaign for dignity continued with a four-day 60-mile walking pilgrimage through Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo's district. She is the only Colorado House Democrat who hasn't yet committed to cosponsor Registry, a bill that would change one date in immigration code and allow an estimate 8 million people to get on a path to citizenship. Congresswoman Caraveo has not agreed to a meeting with our members yet. The pilgrimage received regional and local coverage.
Please send an email to your congressperson in support of HR 1511
The Associated Press covered the work of AFSC in Fort Morgan!
In 2020, AFSC began supporting newcomer immigrant community members to access the asylum process and to advocate for just, humane migration policies.
Immigrants are not Political Pawns! Our two projects - Not1More Fort Morgan and Denver delivered giant cards to Senator Bennet and others to demand he protect asylum, cosponsor a bill for citizenship and reject President Biden's deadly supplemental. Add your voice in support here!
Led by Dana Miller and Jordan Garcia, our project Coloradans for Immigrant Rights packed hundreds of snacks for newcomers.
Action alerts
Did you know the City of Denver does not open extra shelter and warming centers until the temperature drops below 20 degrees?
Did you know the city mandates police continue to sweep people’s belongings and encampments even when it’s below freezing and snowing?
Show out to City Council - virtually or in person, monday January 29 at 2:30pm in outside the City 1437 Bannock St. Denver, CO
Housekeys Action Network (HAND) and some city council members are leading an effort to save lives by prohibiting freezing sweeps and opening warming centers sooner.
HAND’s members are people who are currently or formerly houseless and now include newcomers who have nowhere else to go after their shelter stay. Together they’ve proposed lifesaving measures, backed by medical professionals and cosponsored by Councilman Paul Kashmann (District 6), Councilwoman Shontel Lewis (District 8), Council President Jamie Torres (District 3), and Councilmember At-Large Sarah Parady.
Final hearing on No Freezing Sweeps bill POSTPONED until Jan 29th
We have just been notified that our final hearing on the No Freezing Sweeps Bill is postponed until January 29th. Some council members are sick and may not be able to attend so postponement was needed.
Now those measures will go to a final vote on Monday, January 29! Send your message to City Council today.
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Senator Bennet, Act to prevent lasting harmful changes to immigration law, reject President Biden’s deadly supplemental funding request for more detention, walls, weapons and war
Together we have blocked approximately $15 billion from ICE and CBP. Now the Biden Administration is asking for $105 billion additional dollars for walls, weapons and war and some Republican Senators are leading an effort to attach HR2, a bill that would end asylum, end the President’s right to designate temporary status, expedite deportations and make detention during deportation mandatory.
Senator Bennet is a lead negotiator who has not spoken out to protect asylum. Join us in asking him to prevent lasting harmful changes to immigration law and to reject the supplemental.
On December 20 our members met with Senator Bennet’s staff and raised our concerns about the harmful policies reported to be included in negotiations.
We asked:
- “Can you assure us Senator Bennet will not trade asylum and immigrant rights for the Supplemental?”
His staff could not. - We asked Senator Bennet to being making public statements about the need to protect people seeking safety and the need for a path to citizenship for our undocumented neighbors –
So far he has not. - We asked for a meeting with legislative staff and Senator Bennet and to date.
We have not received a response.
Take action every day this week –Call Senator Bennet
You could say: "My name is ___ and I am from ____. I am calling to ask Senator Bennet to oppose the extremely harmful immigration policies in the ongoing supplemental funding negotiations. Human life has equal value no matter where someone is born – Ukraine, Gaza, Venezuela or Sudan. This supplemental and the negotiations you are engaged in seek to trade some lives for others.
Will Senator Bennet firmly safeguard asylum and reject additional funding to ICE and CBP?
Will Senator Bennet vote NO on the White House supplemental and reject including these horrific changes to our asylum laws?
The supplemental also includes billions of unconditional military support to Israel, a government that continues to systematically displace and kill civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. Will Senator Bennet call for a ceasefire?
Background: HR2 policies include near-impossible barriers to apply for asylum, dramatically expanding expedited removals, and undermine humanitarian and other forms of parole. Codifying these harmful changes for a generation, funding immigration and border enforcement, will have devastating consequences at the border and across neighboring countries, jeopardizing the lives of vulnerable people seeking safety.
If you have Twitter/X, please retweet us here or tweet at @SenatorBennet
Matthew Paul D'Agostino
Stop the war, free Palestine
- Send your message today. Please keep urging Congress to demand a cease-fire and humanitarian access.
- Register to join people across the US to hear from AFSC staff and take action – every Friday at 10am Mountain time AFSC Action Hour – Ceasefire Now
Events and Actions
SAVE THE DATE Monday February 12 Love Knows No Borders Vigil outside Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s for profit detention center run by GEO 3130 Oakland in Aurora
We demand justice for our people in the for-profit GEO detention center. We denounce detention and deportation, which tear families apart and harm all of our communities. Join our immigrant-led efforts to advocate for fair and humane immigration policies that welcome and respect the dignity of all people. This event is sponsored by the Center for Service Learning at Regis University and the American Friends Service Committee.
Start making Valentines! For the 15th year in a row, AFSC will deliver handmade valentines to detention center detainees. Make something beautiful for someone separated from loved ones, separated by borders and distance or by walls. We assert that our Love knows No Borders, No Walls. You can find inspiration here.
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Dig Deep And Skill Up -
Workshops and Volunteering
Colorado Rapid Response Network - volunteer opportunities We’re looking for a volunteer to be a dispatcher - To be a dispatcher you need to be bilingual in English and Spanish. The shifts are just twice a month and can be overnight or during the day. No previous experience needed!
Sign up for more info and to begin training to be a Dispatcher, Confirmer or Legal Observer! Learn how to respond safely to immigration enforcement and raids, help people protect their rights and keep their loved ones safer. Training will be provided.
Join us for our January Spotlight On, Immigrant Rights at the CO Legislature, Focus on Housing on Tuesday, January 30th at 5:30 PM.
Welcome to the 2024 Legislative Session. For this Spotlight On we will be focusing only on legislation regarding Housing specifically eviction prevention (just cause eviction) and mobile home policy. Learn the details about these pieces of legislation from representatives of the various campaigns spearheading them. Learn what role you can play in their success. Spanish/English interpretation provided!
Register in advance for this meeting:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Únase a nosotros para nuestro foco de enero sobre los derechos de los inmigrantes en la Legislatura de CO, enfoque en la vivienda el martes 30 de enero a las 5:30 p.m.
Bienvenidos a la Sesión Legislativa de 2024. Para este Spotlight On nos centraremos únicamente en la legislación relacionado a la vivienda – específicamente desalojamiento y casas móviles . Conozca los detalles sobre estas leyes de la mano de representantes de las diversas campañas que las encabezan. Descubra qué papel puede desempeñar en su éxito. ¡Se proporciona interpretación español/inglés!
Regístrese con anticipación para esta reunión
Después de registrarse, recibirá un correo electrónico de confirmación con información sobre cómo unirse a la reunión.
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Series from AFSC National - Protecting Migrant Rights in an Election Year
Part 1 - Jan. 23, 5 pm Mountain Time Register here
This is a great intro and refresher series and perfect for inviting your book club, faith community or that one loved one who is always asking you about your passion for immigrant rights.
As 2024 begins, we welcome a year that we hope will bring peace, light, and love to our communities. But as we enter the presidential election season, we also anticipate some unwelcome challenges. In past elections, we've seen political campaigns misrepresent issues related to migration—and even blame immigrants for a host of societal problems.
Please join AFSC for a series of monthly webinars to learn about the U.S. migration system – and how we can protect migrant rights in these times. We will share AFSC's perspective on migration issues, developed from longstanding partnerships with immigrant communities. We'll also provide positive messaging you can use in talking about these issues and offer opportunities for you to take action. Together, we'll explore how the systems work and ideas for visionary change.
Save the dates February 27 Immigration Process Overview, March 26 US Border Policy, April 23 Detention and Deportation, May 28 Employment and Worker Rights, June 25 Hard Conversations
Mutual Aide and volunteering in support of Metro Area newcomers
City staff have been working around the clock to welcome people and we are so grateful for their efforts. Even so, the Mayor's office continues to need some encouragement to continue the to allow resources to provide sheltering. Recently the City of Denver moved forward with a policy to stop sheltering people who don’t have an “A number” (a number the government gives you as you go through an immigration process) and to offer just 14 days of shelter to adults without minor children and 37 days to families. Many people are asked to leave shelter without a place to go and with limited support. You can be that welcome and support in a variety of ways.
- Check back to this site for volunteer and in-kind donation needs supporting organizations involved.
- Donate to the Rose Foundation Newcomer Fund here you support all the groups providing resettlement direct services and orientation to newcomers (Including AFSC's Know Your Rights presentations)
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What We Are Reading, Listening to or Watching
What does the Registry Bill do? Under current immigration laws, people who arrived before 1972 can register with the government and start down a path to permanent residency. This bill would move the date forward to 2016, and roll the date forward automatically every year. Learn more here
Where can I learn more about the New Way Forward Act? This bill would fix the criminalizing, exclusionary laws that passed in 1996. These laws are fuel for our deportation machine and make it impossible for those deported to rejoin family. Check out more here
Opinion: The federal government is failing migrant families being kept between the border walls: For months, Border Patrol has held migrants—including children—in open-air detention sites without access to basic services. Last month, AFSC and other immigrant rights organizations filed a federal complaint against the Department of Homeland Security for these gross human rights violations. Thanks to volunteers, we've also been providing migrants with food, water, medical care, and other relief. “It is one small way to challenge the inhumanity of the walls,” writes AFSC’s Adriana Jasso. (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
New podcast episode: Exploring Palestinian identity through poetry: Last year, AFSC brought together artists, activists, and cultural practitioners from the Middle East and North Africa to share their knowledge and experiences in using art for social change. Our limited podcast series, “Assembly,” features the stories and perspectives of some of our participants. In this episode, we hear from Farah Chama, a Palestinian poet and performer who writes about Palestinian identity.
Organizing resources: Everyone is needed to work for an immediate cease-fire!
Looking for tips on how to engage at a town hall meeting? How to be a good bystander at a protest?
How to write a compelling letter to the editor?
Or ways to divest from militarism?
Check out the downloadable resources on our Action Hour resource page and check out these six ways you can act!
January 30 6:00am MT Arts for Social Action: Artistic Responses to Gaza, online webinar
January 30 6pm MT Apartheid-free Municipalities Webinar online