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What does it mean to be an American? How has the United States defined citizenship over time? To explore these critical questions, GCIR has developed a timeline, “Who Gets to Be an American,” which provides in-depth information on the evolution of American citizenship and how the United States has determined who belongs in this country and who does not. Understanding this history and the forces that drive it is critical to understanding how we decide who gets to be American today. This is the first in a series of timelines GCIR will release over the coming year, culminating in the release of a full Im/Migration Timeline tracking the history of movement within, to, and from the United States through a decolonized lens.
This four-page timeline summarizes immigrant and refugee policy developments and philanthropic responses from 1990 to 2020.
While there has been a long history of efforts to erase and exclude immigrants, BIPOC, and other marginalized communities, this timeline shows how powerfully communities in Texas have resisted. From Indigenous nations fighting to preserve their culture to BIPOC communities organizing to end the criminalization of Black and Brown lives, people have sought to protect their freedom to move, stay, work, and thrive.
Recognizing the intensifying legal service needs of immigrant communities, GCIR and the California Immigrant Integration Initiative (CIII) launched a study in 2019 to understand the capacity of immigration legal service providers in California and generate recommendations for philanthropic investment. This 2022 update is a supplement to the 2019-20 findings and offers recommendations to strengthen immigration legal services in California. Read the full report to learn more.
Even as the coronavirus sickens Americans by the tens of thousands—and roughly 29,000 DACA recipients risk their lives as healthcare workers—the Supreme Court may still render a decision on the Administration’s ability to terminate Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
This two-page document considers different avenues for funders to respond to the changing policy landscape and support children in immigrant families.
Read our post-election policy recommendations for funders, laying out critical priorities for advancing immigrant justice in 2021.