News

As a native-born U.S. citizen working in the movement for immigrant justice, I often reflect on what brought me to this work out of the many social justice issues that demand our attention. Navigating the immigration system alongside my wife who immigrated from Albania to pursue her dreams of a better future opened my eyes to the complex and often challenging immigrant experience in America.

Upwardly Global—a leading workforce development organization focused on connecting immigrants and refugees to skill-aligned employment—is teaming up with Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrant Refugees (GCIR)—the nation’s philanthropy-mobilizing organization focused on advancing immigrant and refugee justice—to address and dismantle systemic barriers that immigrant women of color face to economic security. The partnership is made possible due to a grant from Pivotal Ventures, and directly aligns with their goal of advancing social progress for women and families in the United States. 

In her first quarterly message of 2022, GCIR president Marissa Tirona highlights the importance of addressing the root causes of migration; supporting intersectional, transnational, and cross-movement work; and cultivating a thriving and durable immigrant and refugee movement ecosystem.

Looking back on the first year of the Biden administration, we remember that there was initially great promise and early progress toward advancing immigrant justice and restoring immigrant rights. Theadministration began by undoing many of the Trump administration’s racist and draconian immigration policies, including fortifying Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), rescinding the Muslim Ban, and ending government funding of a border wall. Yet, recent actions taken by the current administration, such as expelling Haitian migrants and increasing the number of immigrant detainees during a worldwide pandemic, continue to negatively impact communities.