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Dear Friends and Supporters of ILCM,
It's an honor and a privilege to write this letter to you in my capacity as ILCM's new Policy Director. Having previously worked for ILCM as an attorney, I am both humbled and excited by the opportunity to continue growing ILCM's work in the policy and advocacy arena on behalf of immigrants and refugees in Minnesota.
Immigration, as many of us are undoubtedly aware, is a hot topic these days. Just this past week ILCM released a statement denouncing the Senate Emergency Supplemental Bill immigration concessions. Our asylum system must be rebuilt, not dismantled. The fundamental right to seek safety must be protected. LINK: [link removed]
I would also be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the outsized shadow that the 2024 election casts across our work and our clients. I urge all of us, however, to look beyond the headlines and numbers to understand the individual human stories behind them.
Minnesota may not be able to change federal immigration law, but the state legislature presents a viable forum for equitable, pragmatic, and welcoming policies to be enacted. Case in point: the 2023 legislative session, which saw landmark legislation passed to provide driver's licenses for all, MNCare for all, and expanded tax credit eligibility for ITIN holders. We at ILCM have spent much of the interim working with stakeholders on the implementation of some of these new laws, and we're grateful to the many partners we have been working with along the way.
While the 2024 session presents a bit of a regrouping moment for many organizations, including ILCM, we are looking forward to engaging on a variety of issues. We will continue to work on changes to reduce the disparate impacts of state criminal laws on immigrants and refugees. We will also work on ways to improve economic opportunities and workforce development for immigrants and refugees, such as reducing occupational licensing barriers. And we will keep exploring ways to increase immigration legal service funding and improve community access to legal assistance.
Enacting policy change can be a years-, even decades-long process. Much of the work that goes into legislative advocacy--research, relationship building, education, negotiations--is neither glamorous nor easily quantifiable. I say this partly to manage expectations, but more so to affirm our understanding, acknowledgment of, and commitment to what it means to engage in meaningful systems-level change.
I want to thank you for your ongoing support of ILCM, which is allowing us to head into the 2024 legislative session with a fully staffed policy department and a clear, thoughtful vision of how to build on the successes of 2023.
As things begin to happen at the legislature this year and you'd like up-to-date information on legislation affecting immigrants and refugees, please follow us on social media and sign up to receive Action Alerts.  LINK: [link removed]
In solidarity,
Julia Decker
Policy Director
Senate Emergency Supplemental Bill
Yesterday, the Senate voted down the "Senate Emergency Supplemental Bill," which would've brought about greater exploitation by cartels and smugglers of desperate people seeking safety.
ILCM stands with fellow humanitarian and legal services organizations, immigrant and civil rights groups, and faith groups in supporting humane, dignified, and fair solutions that create a working process at the border. We also support protecting long-term members of our communities who lack status and newcomers fleeing danger.
"We cannot acquiesce to a misguided border strategy in exchange for securing protections for certain classes of immigrants. We need and deserve an immigration system that works for all. The Senate Emergency Supplemental Bill does not bring us any closer to making that system a reality."
Read ILCM's full statement here: [link removed]
Community Conversation with Sahan Journal and MPR News
Looking for something to do tonight? There are still a few tickets left for tonight's event! Sahan Journal and MPR News have assembled a panel of experts, including ILCM's legal director, Jenny Stohl Powell, to speak about immigration facts and policies. Join them at El Colegio tonight!
RSVP: [link removed]
Give With Your Heart Today!
Today is Giving Hearts Day, a 24-hour fundraising event for charities in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, and we have exciting news to share: your gift today can make twice the impact.
A generous ILCM donor, Wendy Davenport, has offered matching gift funds up to $3,000 for today only!
Don't miss your chance to double your impact for immigrants and refugees in your community!
Donate: [link removed]
"Las Abogadas" Film Screening
Join us for a screening of the film "Las Abogadas," featuring four women attorneys who assisted asylum seekers at the southern border and the obstacles they faced. UMN Law Alum, Charlene D'Cruz '94 is one of the women attorneys featured in the film. Charlene will join a panel of immigration experts for a post-film discussion on U.S border policy towards migrants at the Southern Border.
Register to Attend: [link removed]
2023 Attorneys of the Year
ILCM is thrilled to share that Minnesota Lawyer has selected the group "Immigration Attorneys for Driver's Licenses for All," as one of the 2023 Attorneys of the Year! This was such an amazing team effort from the immigration attorney side, both in getting the law passed and getting it implemented. It was a privilege to work with this group of attorneys on Driver's Licenses for All. The team includes Ana Pottratz Acosta, Sarah Brenes, Linus Chan, Julia Decker, Susana De León, Marissa Hill-Dongre, Veena Iyer, Edmundo Lijo, Michele Garnett McKenzie, Michelle Rivero, and Virgil Wiebe. A big thank you to all the law students who worked alongside their professors as well!
Of course the list of folks who were integral in the passing of Driver's Licenses for All goes far beyond this group of immigration lawyers. We are honored to have worked with the amazing community members, groups, and organizations who led the efforts to make Driver's Licenses for All law once again.
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