Points of Unity

NISN 2007 - 2008 Strategic Immigrant Campaign Proposal

(July 4, 2007 Draft)

For the past 3 months, based on the feedback from our members, allies, National Immigrant Solidarity network will formulate our 2007-2008 strategic immigrant campaign strategy, to be discuss, modify and adopt during our July 27-29 National Grassroots Immigrant Strategy Conference at Richmond, VA as Points of Unity. your feedback and opinions are highly welcomed, please send to: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org

Lee Siu Hin
National Coordinator
National Immigrant Solidarity Network
2007 - 2008 Strategic Immigrant Campaign Strategy

Foreword:
On June 28, the U.S. Senate killed the flawed "Grand Compromise" immigration bill by 46 to 53 votes, an unfortunate but expected outcome for an immigrant bill that no one supports.

What's this mean to the immigrant rights movement? Clearly, with the "08" factor around the corner the Congressional compensative immigration legislation is most likely dead until after the 2008 elections--although there's still a possibility of passing small scale "pro" immigrant legislation, but more likely funding for the border wall and more money for detention & deportation legislation could be pass before the Presidential election next year with more local anti-immigrant ordinance.

The immigrant rights movement should learn the lessons from the latest saga in order to re-exam our strategies, and carefully analyze the challenges and opportunities for the next two years, to build a new national immigrant strategies that will be broad based, inclusive, tactical, principle and accomplishable, so we can building a better position and solid grassroots supports to push for more after the 2008 elections.

Our Focus:
We believes our focus for the next two years should be focus to build multi-ethnic, multi-constituent, broad-based grassroots immigrant rights movements at across the country-especially the southern states and the rural communities, a de-centralized volunteer-based community-rooted immigrant rights movement with more youth, workers and community members can play more active role on campaign formulation and decision making.

Politically, we should less focus on Congressional legislation for the two years, and more focus on local coalition building with popular education campaigns, such as: know your rights training, and local immigrant campaigns that directly affect the communities, such as: dentition, deportation & raids; immigrant labor rights; campaign against local anti-immigrant ordinance; and linking the immigrant rights movement with other struggles, such as: war in Iraq and globalization.

Furthermore, we should also hold elected officials and political candidates accountable for their anti-immigrant votes during the 2008 elections, and pressure candidates to take stands on immigrant rights.


Strategic Campaign Proposals:
Based on the feedback from our members, allies, National Immigrant Solidarity network will formulate our 2007-2008 strategic immigrant campaign strategy, to be discuss, modify and adopt during our July 27-29 National Grassroots Immigrant Strategy Conference at Richmond, VA.

- Pressure Political Candidates at 2008 Elections
A year-long national and local campaigns to pressure political candidates who vote against immigrant rights, and pressure candidates to take a firm stand on support immigrant rights. Beginning January 2008, we'll encourage local immigrant organizations to organize diverse actions (such as: march, press conference and town hall meeting to invite candidates) during local primary are happen at their states, leading the pressure we'll be call for to major immigrant mobilization during DNC convention at Denver, CO at the end of the August 2008, and RNC convention at the labor day weekend, 2008 on Twin City, WI.

- Linking Immigrant Rights Movements with Other Struggles
We should linking immigrant rights struggles with other diverse struggles to build mutual supports, such as: war in Iraq/Afghanistan, health care, Katrina aftermath, environment, globalization and understand injury to one is injury to all!

- Campaign to Against Raids, Detention & Deportation; and to Supports Moratorium on Raids & National Sanctuary Movement
One of the core of the work for the National Immigrant Solidarity Network is campaign to stop raids, detention & deportation. we'll closely working with national and local immigrant coalitions, such as: Detention Watch Network, National Interfaith Workers Justice on campaigns for Moratorium on Raids, and National Sanctuary Movement. And building a national immigrant support hotline.

- Support Immigrant Labor Campaigns and Day Labor Centers
The anti-immigrant campaigns always links with labor exploitation, it's critical that we should closely working with labor organizations, unions and day labor center to support their campaigns. Such as: UFCW Union's Smithfield Justice Campaign.

- No to the Border Wall and Militization of the Border
We'll supports immigrant and human rights organizations along border states their campaigns to against any funding to expand the U.S.-border wall, and funding to increase the number of border agents.

- Strategic Resources for the Immigrant Activists
National Immigrant Solidarity Network will working with different organizations a joint-collaboration to build strategic resources for the immigrant activists. Includes: new wikipedia-style webpage for the immigrant rights, Mapping technologies, and "youtube"-style video sharing system (http://www.ImmigrantVideo.net); expanding our monthly "NISN Immigrant Alert" newsletter circulation, "know Your Immigrant Rights" Palm Card Series, and national immigrant support hotlines.

- Support Local Grassroots Immigrant Campaigns
A true immigrant rights/civil rights/human rights movements should be build based on mutual understanding, trust and honest exchange of ideas, and to build a equal partnerships to work together.

- Building a Multi-ethnic, Multi-constituents-based Immigrant Rights Movement
Immigrant rights movements should includes immigrant communities from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, with different religious background and issues: such as youth, LGBTQ, elder, women and handicaps.

- Congressional Immigrant Legislation
We'll continue to pressure Congress for comprehensive immigration reform, and campaign to against any National, state and local-level anti-immigrant legislation. We'll only working with Congressional members who shares our values to draft and promote our model legislation, and support legislation for family reunification, speedy visa applications and educational opportunities for the immigrant youths.