Thanksgiving: an enduring immigrant tradition

On November 16th, MIRA continued the tradition of celebrating the immigrant family at it's 7th Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon. Thanksgiving first began when a group of some of the first immigrant settlers in America celebrated their harvest and the generosity of the native peoples. History since that idealized episode has been fraught with tensions between nativists and immigrants who believe in the the American Dream. But time and time again, as families gather around the table at the end of Fall, we remember the opportunities and rights this country promises its citizens. We also remember those who have joined our American family simply through a desire to succeed and be free, and whose inclusion was not based on race, ethnicity, origin or even heritage.

MIRA’s annual Thanksgiving Luncheon recalls that promise to newcomers in our midst who continue to expand America’s economic pie, enrich communities, and enliven our democracy. Represented by over 300 MIRA members, advocates, policymakers, religious leaders and service providers, the luncheon demonstrated the cultivation of a new life in this abundant land and the renewal of the American promise as a place of opportunity, justice, and refuge.

This year’s Thanksgiving Luncheon specially recognized the refugee journey, highlighting the accomplishments of the MAA Coalition of MA and the MA Haitian TPS consortium who have helped settle refugees from many tumultuous corners of the globe. Refugees who are given the resettlement resources and who successfully integrate into our society provide a rich example of the contributions immigrants make to Massachusetts and the nation. Regardless of the circumstances from which families and individuals emigrate, and the barriers they face as newcomers, they share a common destiny as part of America’s future, and common goals to work hard, provide for their families, and contribute to society.

As the nation pauses to celebrate family and recount blessings, let’s remember the immigrant story that began Thanksgiving. We thank immigrants for their determination to survive. We thank immigrants for their entrepreneurial skills and imaginations. We thank immigrants for the businesses and civic spaces they create. We thank immigrants for their wonderful examples of family devotion and sacrifices. We thank immigrants for giving us the thanksgiving spirit.

Gov. Patrick's Speech, courtesy of State House News Service:


Press Clips from the event: Boston Globe, MassLive, State House News

Another Great NY Times Editorial; Police Chiefs Support Driver's Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants

The New York Times was at it again today, elaborating on the relationship between comprehensive immigration reform and supporting worker's rights. One key point that is often forgotten in the debate over immigration, jobs, and wages is this: who holds the power. As the editorial points out:

“Workers don’t depress wages. Unscrupulous employers do,” said Terence O’Sullivan, president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America.

The weekend found this article on driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants, an issue that has garnered a good deal of attention across Massachusetts over the past few weeks. Many anti-immigrants complain about the cost of providing non-existent benefits to undocumented immigrants; yet when an option is brought up that would save time and money and increase public safety, they aren't happy either.

Speaker DeLeo Discusses MA State Budget Crisis; Budget Advocacy Efforts Essentail

Speaker Robert DeLeo discussed the budget crisis today, as covered by the Boston Globe. With the dire budget situation, advocacy becomes increasingly important. The MIRA Coalition, through a variety of feedback mechanisms (survey, one-on-ones, conference calls, etc.), developed its state advocacy agenda for 2009. All legislators at the MA State House have received a copy of the agenda and a letter detailing MIRA's budget priorities.


In terms of the budget, MIRA continues its advocacy efforts on the following budge items:

• Maintain funding for the Citizenship for New Americans Program (line item: 4003-0122) at $650,000;

• Fund Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (line item7035-0002) at its FY’08 level of $30.1 million;

• Implement the Dedicated Fund for Workplace ABE and ESOL, as recommended by the MA Workforce Investment Board, including full funding for the Workplace Training Fund;

• Fund the Refugee and Immigrant Safety and Empowerment Program (within line item: 4513-1130) at $300,000 with no change to the FY09 line item language;

• Fund MassHealth Outreach and Enrollment Grants (line item 4000-0352) at $3.5 million; and

• Continue support for the New Americans Agenda.

If you are interested in getting involved in advocacy efforts with MIRA, please contact MIRA's State Legislative Director. If you would like to contact your legislator(s) to support MIRA's budget priorities, you can find there information by visiting here. For an analysis of the impact of the Governor's House 1 budget on immigrants and refugees, click here.

Stay tuned for action alerts in the coming weeks.

Another Successful New Americans Agenda Meeting - March 18th in Fitchburg

The sixth and final New Americans Agenda (NAA) community forum took place on Wednesday, March 18th in Fitchburg, MA. Over 150 people attended the lively meeting, which saw testimony from immigrants, immigrant advocates, elected officials, and other testifiers, including the chief of police in Fitchburg, who spoke of the need to provide undocumented immigrants with driver's licenses to increase public safety.

The series of meetings has been well attended with people from all over the Commonwealth providing a broad range of recommendation to ease the integration of immigrants into all facets of life in Massachusetts. The result of the public and policy expert meetings will be a report delivered to Governor Patrick in July with actionable recommendations for departments and agencies across state government. The NAA is the result of an executive order signed by Patrick in July of last year.