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Becoming a GCIR member makes it possible for us to continue providing vital services to grantmakers and guide timely and strategic philanthropic responses to address the most pressing issues facing immigrants and refugees.
The recent federal court decision blocking approval of new and pending DACA applications underscores the need for a pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants who call this country home. Read our statement for analysis and specific actions philanthropy can take to help the immigrant justice movement reach this goal.
As the daughter of a Chinese-Thai father and a Filipina mother, I struggled with stereotypes of Asian American/Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), including being perceived as a “perpetual foreigner.” When I was in kindergarten, my parents offered me the choice of learning Thai or Tagalog. However, my classmates were already teasing me because of my perceived otherness, and I roundly rejected learning another language because I was “American.” I received compliments about how “well” I spoke English. And questions such as “Where are you from?” followed by “Where are you really from?” when my answer was unsatisfactory for my interrogator, started to trigger me.
We find ourselves in a precarious moment for the right to seek asylum in the United States. While advocates continue to push for more inclusive and welcoming state and local policies for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, the fundamental right to seek safety in the U.S. continues to be at grave risk. Though last month’s U.S. Supreme Court decision cleared the way for the Biden administration to rescind the inhumane Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as “Remain in Mexico,” an array of cruel and ineffective asylum and immigration policies still stand, foremost among them Title 42.
In her latest quarterly message, GCIR president Marissa Tirona lays out what is at stake for DACA recipients as the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals considers deeming DACA unlawful, a decision that would leave nearly 700,000 of our DACAmented families, neighbors, and friends unable to legally work and at risk of deportation. Marissa also shares what immigrant justice advocates are doing to protect and defend DACA at this critical juncture, and explains how philanthropy can help fight both to protect DACA and to ensure we are prepared for its possible end.
Soon after the U.S. government’s hasty and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan last summer, the United States received over 80,000 Afghan evacuees, many of whom were at added risk due to their association with the U.S. government during the two-decade war. Ninety percent of these migrants entered the country on humanitarian parole (HP), which allows them to live and work in the U.S. for two years, but does not provide a path to permanent residency, leaving them in legal limbo. The Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA), would allow Afghans with humanitarian parole to apply for permanent legal status and would expand the categories of Afghans eligible for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs).
In this webinar session – a part of GCIR’s series on rural power building – we will explore how detention in rural areas is harming communities; challenges to obtaining legal representation; and how local, state, and national organizations are confronting the harmful impacts of immigration detention on communities across the country.
Join GCIR and movement leaders in this webinar for an analysis of the root causes of migration for Black immigrants and refugees, how they are working to build power domestically and transnationally, and how funders can support this diverse community.
With wage inequality impacting the ability of women – particularly women of color – to receive fair compensation for their labor, GCIR will host a webinar discussion on strategies for supporting the economic empowerment of immigrant and refugee women.
To deepen and expand support for survivors, the Violence Against Women Act's (VAWA) most recent authorization provided more than $500 million in increased resources for survivors of violence, and, importantly, restored the ability of Indigenous courts to hold non-Indigenous individuals accountable for sexual assault. Last November, the Senate went a step further and voted to amend VAWA so that Indigenous Hawaiian survivors of gender-based violence also have access to programs and resources under the act, leaving them better equipped to keep themselves and their communities safe.
Join this webinar to learn more about pressing state and federal immigration policy issues from campaign leaders and to explore steps funders can take to support their efforts.
In her second quarterly message, President Marissa Tirona discusses how GCIR is rooting our work as a philanthropy mobilizing organization in a global analysis, and explores how this ties into dismantling white supremacist systems worldwide.
Join us for a timely discussion with experts from the climate justice movement on their strategies for building climate resilience in the South and learn how philanthropy can invest in transformative solutions to lessen the harms of climate change on immigrants and BIPOC communities.
This past year, GCIR embarked upon an exciting new initiative and formed an internal working group to engage in intersectional and cross-movement analyses and develop an organization-wide action plan to ensure equitable and inclusive policies and practices in GCIR’s internal and external work.
In her quarterly message, President Marissa Tirona calls on philanthropy to act to address forced displacement, the systems that drive it, and secure the safety and dignity not only of those who are forcibly displaced but also of marginalized communities who experience violence and discrimination.
In this session, we’ll explore with movement leaders and funders how they are approaching safety and security, and how other grantmakers can contribute to the well-being of the movement ecosystem.
The Arizona Undocumented Workers Relief Fund has been established by more than 20 community groups and leaders to raise funds for undocumented working families who support our economy, industries, and communities every day, but who are not eligible to receive unemployment benefits or most of the federal disaster relief funds.
California Dignity for Families Fund grantees.
A review of the thought leadership, technical assistance, educational programs, and resources that GCIR provided in 2016 to support funders in understanding shifting conditions in the field and respond to emerging needs.
Funders Applaud Outcome on Citizenship Question Case, Remain Committed to 2020 Census