Locality: National

National

The DREAMer Incarceration Rate

8/30/17 There is a vast body of empirical literature showing that legal and illegal immigrants do not increase local crime rates, are less likely to commit crimes than their native-born peers, and are less likely to be incarcerated than are native-born Americans. This brief
by the CATO Institute is the first that estimates the DREAMer incarceration rate. DREAMers are less likely to be incarcerated than native born Americans with the same age and education. DACA ineligible illegal immigrants and all other legal immigrants are even less likely to be incarcerated.

Judge: Nonprofit legal groups can keep helping immigrants

7/24/17 A federal judge in Seattle said Monday that nonprofit legal groups around the country can keep assisting immigrants facing deportation, after a Justice Department decision threatened to curtail much of that work. In April, the Justice Department told the Seattle-based Northwest Immigrant Rights Project that it cannot provide certain legal assistance to immigrants unless it undertakes full, formal representation of them in court.

Managing Money from Consumer Action

A financial literacy clearinghouse featuring Consumer Action’s award-winning multilingual educational materials, headline news on personal finance topics and recommended publications created by other organizations and government agencies. The materials focus on financial services, sound financial planning and debt management, saving for emergencies and retirement and how to avoid frauds and scams. Key Words: Allies1 Multi-language: Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean

Sanctuary Policies: An Overview

2/25/17 Report from the American Immigration Council – Over the past several decades, many states, counties, and cities have adopted a variety of policies intended to serve and protect all of their residents, regardless of immigration status.
These laws, policies, or resolutions are sometimes referred to as “sanctuary” policies, although no legal or standard definition of the term exists. There are many reasons jurisdictions adopt “sanctuary” policies, such as: strengthening resident-police relations and ensuring that all people feel comfortable reporting crimes, regardless of immigration status; and protecting police agencies from liabilities resulting from local enforcement of federal immigration laws.

CA Educators: Learn How to Strengthen Your Campus Website for Undocumented Students

Colleges and universities transition to online services, it is vital that all students are able to access accurate information regarding their admissions, financial aid, and available services”especially undocumented students who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
With the lack of in-person support, too many current and incoming undocumented students face challenges in obtaining the information they need from their campus websites. These resources are critical for them to successfully stay enrolled, get the financial aid for which they are eligible, meet requirements for in-state tuition and/or access important services.

Map the Impact – ALLIES Report on Immigrant Contributions

In February 2017, New American Economy (NAE) released Map the Impact, an interactive tool showcasing the contributions of immigrants in all 435 Congressional districts, the 55 largest U.S. metro areas, all 50 states, and industry sectors across the economy. With information on immigrant tax contributions, spending power, entrepreneurship, workforce, homeownership, demographics, voting power, and more, Map the Impact shows that the foreign-born are helping to grow the economy everywhere. Key Words: Disaster, Mapping

Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA)

The CAELA Network helps states increase their capacity to provide high quality professional development to those who teach adult English language learners and provides assistance to professional developers, teachers, administrators, and others across the country who work with adults learning English. The CAELA Network project is funded by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), U.S. Department of Education.

A Veteran ICE Agent, Disillusioned with the Trump Era, Speaks Out

7/24/17 The agent was especially concerned about a new policy that allows ICE to investigate cases of immigrants who may have paid smugglers to bring their children or relatives into the country. ICE considers these family members guilty of placing children “directly in harm’s way,” as one spokeswoman recently put it, and the agency will hold them “accountable for their role in these conspiracies.” According to ICE, these measures will help combat “a constant humanitarian threat,” but the agent said that rationale was just a pretext to increase arrests and eventually deport more people. “We seem to be targeting the most vulnerable people, not the worst.”

Immigrationlawhelp.org

ImmigrationLawHelp.org is a searchable online directory of over 1,000 free or low-cost non-profit immigration legal services providers in all 50 states. Only nonprofits that are BIA recognized or have attorneys on staff are included in the directory. Users can search by state, zip code, or detention facility. Users can also refine their search by types and areas of legal assistance provided, populations served, languages spoken, other areas of legal assistance, and non-legal services provided. Developed by the Immigration Advocates Network and Pro Bono Net. Multi-language: Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, Farsi, Frenc, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Khmer, Korean, Russian, Spansh, Vietnamese

Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education (CCCIE)

The Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education is a national network of community colleges dedicated to giving immigrants and refugees full access to higher education in order to accelerate their success as new Americans and enable them to achieve their educational, career, and personal goals.
The CCCIE is fulfilling that role through its strategic partnerships, awareness and outreach initiatives, and Promising Practices database.

Toolkit for ESL Professionals Supporting Highly Skilled Immigrants

High-skilled immigrants need assistance in transferring their skills to the U.S. labor market. In particular, they call for integrated, contextualized language and job training programs that help immigrants navigate the local job markets. In subsequent chapters of this manual, we will introduce you to ESL curricula, model programs and best practices that do that. Key Words: Education, Professional

Forward.US

FWD.us was founded by leaders in the technology community to give our values a voice in American politics. Tech is a community of dreamers and doers, entrepreneurs and engineers. We support comprehensive immigration reform, improving the quality of American education, and encouraging more investment in scientific innovation. Silicon Valley Chapter Key Words: Legal

Welcome Back INITIATIVE – Int’l Health Worker Assistance Center

Mission – To build a bridge between the pool of internationally trained health workers living in the U.S. and the need for linguistically and culturally competent health services in underserved communities.
Welcome Back Center Locations: San Francisco, San Diego, Boston, Rhode Island, Puget Sound, WA, Suburban, Maryland, New York, San Antonio, Colorado,
Northwest WA, Philadelphia,

El Rescate

5/17 Provides multiple services, including legal counseling and representation, social services, education and economic development.  Serves the Central American community with immigration issues and orientation.  Also offers ESL and Spanish classes and emergency assistance for newly arrived refugees and others in crisis. Serving: LOS ANGELES Multi-lingual: Spanish

Big Future Scholarship Search

College Board’s Free Scholarship Search. Find scholarships, other financial aid and internships from more than 2,200 programs, totaling nearly $6 billion. Scholarship information is based on the College Board’s Annual Survey of Financial Aid Programs. Enter your personal information to find the most matches. Key Words: Education, Directory,

Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG)

In the wake of the 2016 election, an army of more than 120,000 lawyers, law students, and activists rose up in defense of the values, principles, individuals, and communities that make America a truly great nation.  2023 Update:  State legislatures across the country have brought escalating attacks against our civil rights, particularly on the right to bodily autonomy through state bans on gender-affirming care, birth control, contraception, and more. To combat this, we’re working with on-the-ground partners to defend against future state-level attacks and develop proactive, protective policy approaches driven by leaders from the affected communities and supported by L4GG’s unparalleled attorney network.  #L4GG

USAHello Resources for Newcomers to America

A one-stop, comprehensive website that houses the resources and information newcomers need to build successful lives for themselves and their families in the US. Resettled refugees and immigrants have collaborated on our content, which is written for English learners and those with interrupted educations. Our programs are further enhanced by automated and manual translations and the latest in multi-modal learning techniques. We use the proliferation of mobile technology and the power of the internet to provide safe, trustworthy support where and when it is needed. Español, Spanish, English, Arabic, Français, French, Af-Soomaali, Somali, Afrikaans, Basa Sunda, Key Words: RIF

Why All Americans Should Care About What Happens to Unauthorized Immigrants

3/16/17 A new analysis by USC’s Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration, or CSII, and the Center for American Progress shows that millions of people, citizens or otherwise, live in mixed-status families with at least one unauthorized family member in the same household. Undeniably, there is no way to separate immigrants out from the U.S.-born population; there can be no us versus them. Key Words: Undocumented

Students perform better at schools offering extra services on campus

6/7/17 Schools that offer dental care, mental health counseling, food assistance and other services have a significant and measurable positive impact on student achievement, according to research released this week by the Learning Policy Institute and the National Education Policy Center. Schools that collaborate with nonprofits and government agencies to provide extra on-campus services in many cases showed increases in attendance, graduation rates and academic achievement, especially in math and reading.

Effects of Sanctuary Policies on Crime and the Economy

4/17 Statistical analysis illustrates that across a range of social and economic indicators, sanctuary counties perform better than comparable non-sanctuary counties. To understand the effects of having a sanctuary policy, we statistically match counties based on a broad range of demographic characteristics and then compare sanctuary counties to non-sanctuary counties to better understand the effects that sanctuary policies have on a local jurisdiction.
The data are clear: Crime is statistically significantly lower in sanctuary counties compared to non-sanctuary counties. Moreover, economies are stronger in sanctuary counties: from higher median household income, less poverty, and less reliance on public assistance to higher labor force participation, higher employment-to-population ratios, and lower unemployment.

Higher wages linked to immigrant diversity

4-10-17 Diverse immigrant populations do more than enrich a city’s cultural fabric. According to geographers from the University at Buffalo and Southampton University, they also boost wages.
In cities that are unwelcoming to immigrants, as diversity rises, people’s wages either don’t change, or they go up by only a small amount. In cities that are welcoming to immigrants, as diversity goes up, people’s wages go up, and by a lot,” said Abigail Cooke, an assistant professor of geography in UB’s College of Arts and Sciences, who wrote the paper with Thomas Kemeny, a UB research assistant professor and a lecturer at the University of Southampton in England.

Know Your Rights and What Immigrant Families Should Do Now

4/28/17 ILRC Update – It’s important for everyone to know their rights if approached by an immigration (ICE) agent as well as how families can best prepare for something happening. This resource provides practical tips for things immigrant families can do now to prepare as well as information on rights everyone has in the United States, regardless of immigration status. Key Words: KYR, Spanish | Chinese | Arabic | Korean | Russian | Tagalog | Vietnamese |

Inspired by Trump, more immigrants rush to become U.S. citizens

Since Trump took office, his policies have inspired thousands of immigrants like Radwan to apply for citizenship. Between October and December 2016, the latest data available, 238,062 people applied for naturalization, according to Citizenship and Immigration Services records, compared with 185,466 applications during the same time period in 2015 – a nearly 30 percent jump.

SAMHSA National Helpline

SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) ,(also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service) is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the US DHHS. SAMHSA’s mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities.Key Words: Addiction,

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We’re committed to improving crisis services and advancing suicide prevention by empowering individuals, advancing professional best practices, and building awareness. Key Words: Mental Health, Multi-language: Spanish, Deaf & Hard of Hearing

DOJ – Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER)

Section of Dept of Justice charged with enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This federal law prohibits: 1) citizenship status discrimination in hiring, firing, or recruitment or referral for a fee, 2) national origin discrimination in hiring, firing, or recruitment or referral for a fee, 3) unfair documentary practices during the employment eligibility verification, Form I-9 and E-Verify, and 4) retaliation or intimidation.
Spanish
Employment Rights and Resources for Refugees and Asylees |

Archive – A Question of Honor: The Ongoing Importance of the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program

3/17 Urban Justice Center’s Report – The Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program was established in the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 in response to the extreme danger that Afghan employees of the U.S. government in Afghanistan face as a result of their work. As of this report’s writing in March 2017, visa interviews were suspended for lack of visas. All Afghan applicants must undergo extensive processing, which lasts for months or even years. Key Words: Refugee, Asylee

EveryoneOn – Low Cost Internet, Equipment, and Free Digital Literacy Classes

EveryoneOn is a national nonprofit working to eliminate the digital divide by making high-speed, low-cost Internet service and computers, and free digital literacy courses accessible to all unconnected Americans. Through partnerships, EveryoneOn is able to offer home Internet service for under $20 in 48 states and the District of Columbia. We work with refurbishers, to offer devices for under $100. Spanish Key Words Education

Archive – AIRBNB Donation for Afghan Refugees

8/24/21 Many Afghan refugees are being temporarily relocated to military bases in Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin for asylum. Other countries have also vowed to take in Afghan refugees. To help alleviate the global refugee crisis, rental company Airbnb announced Tuesday that it would house up to 20,000 Afghan refugees worldwide for free or at a discounted rate.
There’s an urgent, unprecedented need for emergency stays for refugees arriving from Afghanistan. Join Airbnb.org in supporting Afghan refugees. Key Words Housing, Afghanistan

What is a sanctuary city?

2/17 A sanctuary city is a place that has decided to keep local resources to solve local problems. Some people think ‘sanctuary’ means the city is harboring fugitives. That’s a misunderstanding of the term. A better term than sanctuary might be local control or safe city. From Teach Tolerance

HAIS

HIAS stands for a world in which refugees find welcome, safety, and freedom. Following resettlement, HIAS supports both refugees and host communities around the U.S. to ensure successful integration. Although this can be a long process requiring the participation of many actors, refugees bring the resilience and resourcefulness that saved their lives at home.

US: A nation of immigrants, but ambivalent about immigration

America’s self-image is forever intertwined with the melting pot. It’s a nation that welcomes the world’s wretched refuse, a nation built by immigrants, a nation whose very motto is “E Pluribus Unum” – Out of Many, One.
America’s history also is replete with efforts to shut the golden door to arrivals from China, from Eastern and Southern Europe – and most recently, from predominantly Muslim nations.
America’s relationship with immigration is … complicated.

Helping immigrant children heal

2015 Report from the American Psychological Assoc. – Psychologists are working to help undocumented immigrant children recover from trauma and deal with the uncertainties of their lives. Key Words: Mental Health, Stress, unaccompanied minors,

ILRC Family Preparedness Plan for Immigrants (English-Spanish-Chinese)

Every family should have a Preparedness Plan in case of disruption of their routines for any reason. The dramatic expansion of ICE activities makes it even more important that immigrants consider the potential impact that detainment or deportation would have on their families. ILRC (Immigrant Legal Resource Center) has prepared this packet with information, forms, and additional information for families that include immigrants. Spanish | Chinese |

Restoring your home after a natural disaster

9/14 What you need to know to rebuild. This video covers potential hazards that could arise after a disaster such as lead, mold, asbestos, CO2, and other hazards and how to address them as you rebuild. It will discuss tips to hire contractors that are licensed and capable of addressing the scope of the work and will highlight things to keep in mind during construction. Key Words: Flood

Archive – Alzheimers ‘tsunami’ among Latinos raises concerns over costs, caregiving

3/18/17 The number of Latinos with Alzheimer’s in the U.S. is expected to rise by more than eight times by 2060, to 3.5 million, according to a report by the University of Southern California’s Institute on Aging and the Latinos Against Alzheimer’s network.
That tidal wave of Alzheimer’s cases is prompting some tough conversations in Latino families, which often pride themselves on caring for elders at home, rather than placing them in nursing homes.

How the Irish compare to other waves of immigrants in the U.S.

3/17/17 St. Patrick’s Day is March 17, when about 39 percent of Americans say they celebrate their Irish heritage. More than 4.5 million Irish immigrants arrived in the U.S. between 1820 and 1930. Between 1820 and 1860, the Irish constituted more than one-third of all immigrants to the U.S. Here is a look at many waves of immigrants coming to America over the decades. Report

Fake news- Social media reports of deportation checkpoints false, designed to cause panic

2/4/17 Immigration groups said the claims of deportation checkpoints, which have surfaced on Instagram and other social media platforms, have unnerved some in the U.S. without proper papers.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice said the checkpoint rumors have been circulating across the nation this week. She said that while the agency does run operations involving immigration enforcement, it does not create random checkpoints aimed at mass deportations.

Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting (FGM/C) – Multilanguage

FGM/C refers to cutting and other procedures that injure female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It may be called ‘female circumcision’ in some parts of the world. The practice has no health benefits and can lead to a range of serious physical and mental health problems.
The U.S. government opposes FGM/C, no matter the type, degree, or severity, and no matter what the motivation for performing it. The U.S. government considers FGM/C to be a serious human rights abuse, gender-based violence, and, when done to children, a form of child abuse.| English | Amharic | Arabic | French | Swahili | Tigrinya | Somali |

A Primer on Expedited Removal – FACT SHEET from American Immigration Council (AIC)

7/22/19 President Trump’s January 25, 2017, executive order directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to dramatically expand the use of expedited removal. Expedited removal is a process by which low-level immigration officers can quickly deport certain non-citizens.
One of the major problems with expedited removal is that the immigration officer making the decision virtually has unchecked authority.

Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC)

The Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) is a partnership of faith-based organizations committed to enacting fair and humane immigration reform that reflects our mandate to welcome the stranger and treat all human beings with dignity and respect. Coalition members work together to advocate for just and equitable immigration policies, educate faith communities, and serve immigrant populations around the country. Key Words: Sanctuary Toolkit

African Human Rights Coalition

The African Human Rights Coalition (AHRC) works with LGBTI communities and individuals in African countries seeking to claim and defend their human rights. *Providing advocacy and direct services to combat homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia, as well as related individual case advocacy, forming coalition alliances locally, on the continent, and abroad; *To provide fully comprehensive and ad hoc case management services for LGBTI individuals, to include humanitarian assistance, referrals and resources; International

Know Your Rights (KYN) – ILRC Multi-language Red Cards

All people in the US, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. The Red Cards were created to help people assert their rights and defend themselves against constitutional violations. Red cards provide critical information on how to assert these rights, along with an explanation to ICE agents that the individual is indeed asserting their rights. These cards can be ordered free by non-profit service providers in English/Spanish. Also available on line in: | Spanish | Chinese | Tagalog | Arabic |

Rainbow Welcome Iniative

The Rainbow Welcome Initiative through Heartland Alliance supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) asylees and refugees as they resettle in the United States. This project helps LGBT asylees and refugees find assistance and connect with trained service providers and support. Multi-language LGBT Know Your Rights: English | Spanish | French | Arabic
| Key Words: Unacompanied Children, KYN

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) – Federal

The EITC or EIC, is a benefit for working people with low to moderate income. To qualify, you must meet certain requirements and file a federal tax return, even if you do not owe any tax or are not required to file. EITC reduces the amount of tax you owe and may give you a refund. 29 states and DC also have additional state EITC awards. All states have free tax filing assistance provided by trained volunteers between January 15th and April 14th. Call the IRS at 1-800-906-9887 to find locations nearest to you. Multi-language: | Spanish | Chinese Traditional | Korean | Russian | Vietnamese |

Informed Immigrant

Directory of over 1,200 trusted non-profits, clinics, and immigrant-serving organizations that are able to connect with you directly in your community.
Enter your zip code.and find free or low cost help in the following areas:
Legal Help, Healthcare Access, Mental Health Support, Financial Assistance or employment support, Community Action & Organizing: local, regional, and national organizations coordinating many efforts of the immigrant community to advocate for their rights | Spanish |

Searching for Sanctuary – ILRC Analysis of US Cities & Counties

12/2016 Immigrant Legal Resource Council Immigrant Legal Resource Council (ILRC) identified seven different types of policies to consider in assessing the extent of local assistance with
immigration enforcement in different jurisdictions. We
used these factors to evaluate the extent to which local
law enforcement agencies offer voluntary assistance to
ICE. Without enacting policies to preserve local
resources and safety for the entire community, regardless
of immigration status, local law enforcement will continue
to be extensively involved in deportations.

Freedom for Immigrants

4/18 The U.S. has the largest immigration detention system in the world. On any given day, over 40,000 children and adults are languishing in immigrant jails and prisons. They don’t have access to a court-appointed attorney, a free phone call, or a speedy trial. Many of them are subjected to medical neglect, sexual and physical assault, and other forms of human rights abuses. Two-thirds of people in U.S. immigration detention are in private prisons and the rest are locked up in county and city jails, all of which profit off their misery. FFI (Previously CIVIC – End Isolation) is the national immigration detention visitation network, which is working to end U.S. immigration detention by monitoring human rights abuses, elevating stories, building community-based alternatives to detention, and advocating for system change. Key Words: Humanitarian

The Criminalization of Immigration in the United States

7/13/15 Report from American Immigration Council – For more than a century, innumerable studies have confirmed that immigrants are less likely to commit serious crimes than the native-born, and high rates of immigration are associated with lower rates of violent crime and property crime. This holds true for both legal immigrants and the unauthorized, regardless of their country of origin or level of education. In other words, the overwhelming majority of immigrants are not criminals by any commonly accepted definition of the term. For this reason, harsh immigration policies are not effective in fighting crime.

Understanding Refugee Upward Mobility in the Context of Resettlement

4/2016 A 2.5 year study on refugee integration and the obstacles to self-sufficiency. The data suggests that without additional support including intensive and intentional ESL, affordable housing, skill training, or opportunities to capitalize on preexisting skills, it can take 13-15 years to reach living-wages. Moreover, these refugees often have to supplement their income with long periods of government financial support or engage in negative and potentially dangerous strategies in order to get by.

Huffington Post is Tracking Islamophobia

2016 The Huffington Post will document this deplorable wave of hate for all of 2016 using news reports and firsthand accounts. The breadth and severity of Islamophobia in America can no longer go unnoticed. Enough is enough. Email to report an anti-Muslim act for the tracker. Or tell us about those who have overcome, battled or survived Islamophobia for a possible story: islamophobia@huffingtonpost.com Key Words: Hate Crimes

My Fellow American

A project of Unity Productions Foundation (UPF), My Fellow American is an online film and social media project that calls upon concerned Americans to pledge and spread a message that Muslims are our fellow Americans. It asks people of other backgrounds to pledge, and share a real life story about a Muslim friend, neighbor, or colleague that they admire. Using the power of social media, My Fellow American seeks to change the narrative – from Muslims as the other, to Muslims as our fellow Americans. Key Words: Islam, Positive Resource

ServiceSpace

ServiceSpace is an organization run entirely by volunteers. We leverage technology to encourage everyday people around the world to do small acts of service. Our aim is to ignite the fundamental generosity in ourselves and others, creating both inner and outer transformation.
ServiceSpace was conceived by volunteers, was built by volunteers, and is run by volunteers — all for the benefit of volunteers. Our projects range from a daily positive news service, to an acts-of-kindness portal, to a gift-economy restaurant. Regardless of the endeavor, we act in concert to create service opportunities for each other and to support each other’s service journeys. Key Words: Positive Resource

Everyone has certain basic rights, no matter who is president

11/10/16 NILC Factsheet – No matter who is president, everyone living in the U.S. has certain rights, including undocumented immigrants. If you have to deal with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other law enforcement officers at home, on the street, or anywhere else, remember that you have the rights described in this factsheet. The factsheet also provides suggestions for what you should do to assert your rights. Multi-language: Hyperlink | Spanish |Traditional Chinese |Simplified Chinese | Key Words: Post-Election

Untapped Talent: The Costs of Brain Waste among Highly Skilled Immigrants in the US

12/16 Migration Policy Report – Nearly 2 million immigrants with college degrees in the US. 1 out of every 4 are relegated to low-skilled jobs or unable to find work. This skill underutilization (often referred to as brain waste) comes at a significant cost to families and the U.S. economy: College-educated immigrants employed in low-skilled work miss out on more than $39 billion in wages. And as a result, federal, state, and local governments lose out on more than $10 billion in unrealized tax receipts, according to this study, which offers the first-ever estimates of the economic costs of brain waste.

Immi.org

Immi helps immigrants in the U.S. understand their legal options. Our online screening tool, legal information, and referrals to nonprofit legal services organizations are always free to use. Immi was created by the Immigration Advocates Network and Pro Bono Net, two nonprofit organizations dedicated to increasing access to justice for low-income immigrants. Key Words: Directory Multi-language: Spanish

Refugee Phrasebooks – 16 Languages

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Cultural Orientation Resource Center was funded to develop phrasebooks for selected refugee populations. These phrasebooks include appropriate English phrases for use in daily American life, selected to be direct, brief, and relevant. Included are sections on Giving Information About Yourself, Recognizing Signs, Dealing With Money, Health, Food, Clothing, Housing, and Jobs. Each phrasebook is approximately 140 pages and can be downloaded for free.
Languages: Russian, Spanish, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Chinese (Cantonese), Somali, Czech, Farsi, Haitian Creole, Hungarian, Hmong, Khmer, Lao, Polish, and Vietnamese Key Words: Multi-language, Translate, Interpret,

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning – CDC FAQ’s

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is found in fumes produced any time you burn fuel in cars or trucks, small engines, stoves, lanterns, grills, fireplaces, gas ranges, or furnaces. CO can build up indoors and poison people and animals who breathe it. The Center for Disease Control cautions CO awareness in the winter when there may be poor indoor circulation. Key Words: Health Multi-language: | Spanish | Vietnamese |

Migration Policy Institute’s Language Portal

MPI’s Language Portal is a digital library of translation and interpretation information, offering one-stop access to thousands of state and local agency documents including contracts, planning reports, and translated material used to provide services to LEP individuals. Use the database to find resources by state, language, document type, area of service, and more. Multi-language Key Words: Interpret, Language Access

Nearly half a million U.S. citizens are enrolled in Mexican schools. Many of them are struggling.

Sept 2016 – Researchers find that many students struggle to integrate into Mexican schools because they can’t read or write in Spanish. Others lacked the necessary accreditations to enter school. Nearly a third had either been held back a grade or missed a year or more of school.
“These kids have enormous potential, but we’re losing them. We want to reframe these kids as bilingual, bicultural assets as opposed to problems.” Key words: Education, Deport, Immigration Reform

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

FAFSA should be the first port of call for most students. There are very few restrictions to the program – each applicant is considered on a case-by-case basis. Applicant must be a US citizen or an eligible non-citizen (such as a permanent resident), and have a valid Social Security number. Funding is also dependent on income level and “satisfactory” academic grades with a minimum GPA of 2.0. Key Words: Financial Aid, Education, Scholarship

CFPB Report Identifies Challenges Faced by Borrowers in Resumption of Student Loan Payments

1/5/24  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published an issue spotlight today on the CFPB’s oversight of student loan servicing practices in the early months of the resumption of federal student loan repayments after over three years of a payment pause due to the COVID-19 emergency. Borrowers are encountering long hold times when trying to reach their student loan servicer, experiencing significant delays in application processing times for income-driven repayment plans, and receiving inaccurate billing statements and disclosures.

Updated: Resources for consumers impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (Stimulus #2) The second coronavirus pandemic stimulus package was passed by the U.S. Congress in late December 2020. The bill contains relief policies that provide financial help to families, additional unemployment funds, rental relief funds and extended small business loans.
We will continue to update this list as we learn more.Spanish version

Addressing domestic violence should be part of recovery plan during natural disasters

8/31/17 Hurricane Harvey is the most recent natural disaster that has caused damage and destruction across many communities. When disasters strike an entire community, they do not affect all community members equally, and victims of domestic violence are often particularly vulnerable. Researchers at the University of Missouri have now identified a framework that can help victims of domestic violence before, during and after disaster events.

Coursera for Refugees

Coursera is an international on-line learning platform that offers free on-line classes from 140+ top universities and educational organizations. Non-profit organizations that work with refugees can apply to receive group financial aid packages, which include: 1) Free access to Coursera courses. 2) A recommended course list specifically for refugees. 3) Administrative features & support to best use Coursera. 4) A custom portal to connect with other nonprofits serving refugees. Key Words:

National Voter Registration Forms in 21 Languages

Official U.S. Government Online Voter Registration site. with registration forms in 21 languages. Multi-language: National Mail Voter Registration Form – English | Amharic | National Mail Voter Registration Form Audio File – Apache | Arabic | Bengali | Chinese | French | Haitian Creole | Hindi | Japanese | Khmer | Korean | Navajo | Polish | Portuguese | Russian | Somali | Spanish | Tagalog | Vietnamese | Yup’ik | Key Words: Citizen, civic

Forms of Identification for Undocumented Immigrants

Alternative identification cards can enable immigrants to enjoy great benefits other residents also enjoy and they can help facilitate their abilities to cooperate with local law enforcement in resolving crimes and other safety concerns. Description of various types of ID available and accepted in different cities and states. Provided by the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.

Hmong Studies Journal

The Hmong Studies Journal is a unique and established peer-reviewed Internet-based academic publication devoted to the scholarly discussion of Hmong history, Hmong culture, Hmong people, and other facets of the Hmong experience in the U.S., Asia and around the world. The Hmong Studies Journal has published 15 volumes and 19 online issues since 1996. Key Words: Asian, , API Hmong,

Hmong Americans in the 2013 American Community Survey

The 2014 released American Community Survey (ACS) data do present insights into population growth, demographics, education and socioeconomic progress of Hmong Americans. The data provided in this article are from the Selected Population Profiles for the Hmong Alone Or in Any Combination category in the ACS. The U.S. California and Minnesota Hmong profiles are also included in this brief analysis. Key Words Asian, API, research

ITIN – The Facts about the Individual Tax Identification Number

The Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) is a tax processing number issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to ensure that people – including unauthorized immigrants – pay taxes even if they do not have a Social Security number and regardless of their immigration status.
ITINs allow the IRS to bring in billions of dollars the federal government otherwise would have no way of collecting. This fact sheet explains what ITINs are, who has them, and the purposes for which they are used. Key Words:

Detained, Deceived, and Deported: Experiences of Recently Deported Central American Families

May 18, 2016 Between February and May, 2016, the American Immigration Council interviewed eight individuals who were deported (or whose partners were deported) from the US after being detained in family detention facilities, during which time they came into contact with the CARA Pro Bono Project. These women (or in two of the cases, their partners) shared their experiences both describing what has happened to them and their children since returning to their country and recounting the detention and deportation process from the United States.

Mexican Consulate – Protecioón Consular

It is the function of the Mexican Consulate to protect and defend the rights of Mexican Citizens outside of Mexico, regardless of their immigration status.
Links to resources and information for unaccompanied minors and families, problems outside of the country, and preparation for travel. (Conoce el trabajo que realizan nuestros consulados para proteger y defender tus derechos como mexicano, fuera del pais, sin importar tu situacióon migratoria) Multi-lingual – Spanish

Preparacion para casos de desastre para personas con discapacidad y otras necesidades especiales

Una red de apoyo personal (o “grupo de autoayuda”) podria servirle para prepararse en caso de desastre. Las personas que la integran pueden hacer esto ayudandole a identificar y conseguir los recursos que usted necesita para hacer frente a la situación de manera eficaz. Los miembros de la red también pueden brindarle asistencia despues de que ocurre una catastrofe. Key Words: Disaster, Spanish, Disability, Special Needs