Latino Immigrants in Action (ILA) was started in October of 1999. We are a group of community volunteers from Austin, Texas. ILA arises from the need to help improve the quality of life for immigrants, publicizing not only the services available in the Austin area, but also the rights and responsibilities of each person who arrives in this country. From our inception, we have tried to address the lack of services, to provide public information and community education, and to help foster interpersonal relationships.
We promote the need for community unity, personal training, and the understanding of different cultures and the United States. In collaboration with immigrant volunteers and citizens of this country, ILA has developed diverse community projects through chats, presentations, and information workshops utilizing the method of popular education. ILA was established as a non profit organization recognized by the State of Texas as of 2001.
The Austin Coalition for Immigrant Rights emerged. ILA joined and participated in campaigns, marches, and local and national events in favor of immigrant rights.
http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?id_nota=230395
http://www.casademaryland.org/press/apr6-2006(2).htm
The years 2005 and 2006 were totally negative for immigrants, since various proposals became law, such as the proposed “Real ID” http://www.nclr.org/content/policy/detail/29762/ . As soon as this became law, the anti-immigrant group “Minutemen” emerged. https://secure.responseenterprises.com/minutemanhq/ (immigrant-hunters).
We started our Project Monarch, and we promoted the vote by Mexicans living abroad in the elections occurring within Mexico.
In 2003, members of ILA were part of The Immigrant Workers’ Freedom Ride, and also worked with local organizations in Austin to host travelers that arrived from California.
http://www.iwfr.org/endorsement.asp
http://www.afsc.org/immigrants-rights/news/freedom-ride-events.htm#austin
ILA contributed to the documentation of cases for the “No-Match Letter”, documenting more than 800 affected workers, and offering information forums for the community Social Security Administration’s No-Match Letter Program.
We also documented cases of fraud in housing and land for 16 affected families and we worked together with the Mexican Consulate and the State Attorney General.
ILA participated with the Texas Coalition in the campaign “One Million Voices for Legalization” that ended with a national rally in Washington, D.C. More information.
In 2002, we attended an assembly where various governmental personalities representing their countries got together with the Texas Coalition for Dignity and Amnesty, and also representatives of the people. By means of the Texas Coalition for Dignity and Amnesty, ILA contributed to the Declaración de Monterrey of 2002.
Events in which we participated as “Promoters in Action”
In the legislations of 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2005, first as Promoters in Action and later as ILA, we supported legal proposals, including driver licenses for all.
And we have attended various events where we joined as another resource for the immigrant community.
http://www.communityresourcebank.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=650
www.nnirr.org/immigration/immigration_map.html
http://texinfo.library.unt.edu/texasregister/html/2000/Sep-22/adopted/37.PUBLIC%20SAFETY%20AND%20CORRECTIONS.html
We promoted the movie, The Workers (Los Trabajadores), a movie performed with characters from daily life, that shows us the realities of immigrant workers, and at the same time shows us an option for the development of a day labor center where the workers can come. http://www.daylabormovie.com/screenings/local.html
At certain times coalitions emerge that are necessary to voice the needs of immigrants, and in 2001 we joined organizations from various cities around the State of Texas to form the Texas Coalition for Dignity and Amnesty. From its start and because of the need to orient our immigrant community, ILA joined this coalition and has participated in various activities such as the following:
In the ILA office, each year we receive reports of roundups or raids that occur in our city, and this year in March of 2006 re received an endless stream of calls advising us of raids being done by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency in public places and work centers around the entire metropolitan Austin area, as well as in other States. In response to these calls, in March 2006 ILA joined with other local organizations to create the Austin Coalition for Immigrant Rights. The objective was to organize and confront these challenges. The first demonstration in Austin was in support of a national protest march on April 10th , 2006, continuing with a subsequent labor stoppage and another march on May 1st, 2006. Subsequently, on July 27th an information forum was held and then a vigil on September 7th. www.ahorasi.com/stories/20060518_pagina14.html
Because of the aforementioned reasons, ILA joined the Austin Coalition for Immigrant Rights and participated in various campaigns supporting the rights of immigrants.
1304 East 6th Street, Ste. 3 • Austin, TX 78702 • (512) 474-2399