Day: March 23, 2015

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2015 NAPABA Lobby Day Registration—Open Now!

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association is now accepting registration for the 2015 Annual Lobby Day, which will be held in Washington, DC, from May 18-19. This event is an opportunity for NAPABA members from across the country to educate members of Congress and congressional staffers on issues of importance to the Asian Pacific American (APA) community. Lobby Day also gives members an active role in promoting NAPABA’s mission of advocating for justice, equity, and opportunity for APAs.

Participants will meet with legislators and voice their perspectives on a range of topics. As a participant, you will be given all the information and materials you need to meet with legislators on Capitol Hill. Registration for Lobby Day includes a webinar training prior to Lobby Day as well as onsite training the day of, so that all participants are prepared for meetings with congressional members and staffers.

Registration
Lobby Day: bit.ly/NAPABA2015LobbyDay
Congressional Reception (May 18, 2015): bit.ly/NAPABA2015Reception

Stipend
Stipends are available for NAPABA members traveling to Lobby Day from out of town. The deadline to submit an application is April 3, 2015 at 11:59 pm PST. To apply for a 2015 Lobby Day stipend please click here.

More 2015 Lobby Day information here

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NYIC Press Statement: Federal, State, and Local Government, Law Enforcement and Community Leaders Issue Alert, Warning Immigrants of Legal Assistance Fraud

(Issued Tuesday, March 17, 2015)

Press Contact:
Thanu Yakupitiyage; New York Immigration Coalition
[email protected]; Office: 212-627-2227 x235; Cell: 413-687-5160

***** SCAM ALERT*****

Government, law enforcement and community leaders today warned that immigrants seeking legal assistance should take precautions against scammers seeking to take advantage of them with incorrect, misleading, or false information. Officials expect that these scammers will use the delay in President Obama’s Executive Action on Immigration programs to confuse immigrant consumers into being defrauded out of their hard-earned money, and endanger their ability to stay and work in this country.

Due to a federal court order delaying immigration relief, the federal government will not begin accepting requests for Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), nor for the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), until later in 2015. This delay in the implementation of the immigration programs may lead to more immigrant New Yorkers being defrauded by con artists posing as immigration attorneys or authorized immigration representatives, who charge fees for services that are never provided.

Immigrant consumers should make sure to get advice from the right person – whether you are renewing your Green Card, applying for naturalization or citizenship, or trying to choose the right forms.

  • Only lawyers and representatives accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) can provide advice, assistance and representation on immigration matters.
  • Anyone providing immigration services must also comply with strict rules governing contracts and advertising.

Tips on how immigrants can protect themselves from immigration services fraud:

  1. Call a qualified provider – you can get a free referral by calling the New York State New Americans Hotline at 1-800-566-7636.
  2. Make sure to get a contract, and don’t sign it until it has been explained to you.
  3. Pay with a check or money order. Don’t pay cash.
  4. Always get a receipt.
  5. Get and maintain copies of all forms and documents sent on your behalf.
  6. Don’t sign blank forms or documents that you don’t understand.
  7. Get a second opinion.

For more information about immigration issues or to seek a referral for assistance from a local community-based organization,call the free multi-lingual New York State New Americans Hotline at 1-800-566-7636. Anyone can also call the Hotline if they suspect they are or have been a victim of immigration services fraud.  

This consumer alert is brought to you by:

Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office
Manhattan District Attorney’s Office
Queens District Attorney’s Office
New York City Council
New York City Public Advocate
New York State Office for New Americans
Office of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
American Immigration Lawyers Association – NY
Catholic Charities Community Services
Immigrant Justice Corps
Legal Aid Society of New York
Make the Road New York
New Immigrant Community Empowerment
New York Immigration Coalition
New York Legal Assistance Group

# # #

The New York Immigration Coalition is an umbrella policy and advocacy organization for nearly 200 groups in New York State that work with immigrants and refugees.The NYIC aims to achieve a fairer and more just society that values the contributions of immigrants and extends opportunity to all by promoting immigrants’ full civic participation, fostering their leadership, and providing a unified voice and a vehicle for collective action for New York’s diverse immigrant communities.

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DACA & DAPA Trainings – Be Sure You’re Ready to Help!

Registration is now open!

A judge in Texas may have delayed the implementation of Administrative Relief, but he hasn’t stopped it! We need to continue preparing our communities so that when the court injunction is lifted, as many people can be ready to apply for expanded DACA or DAPA as possible.

The time is now to learn how to be fully prepared – to engage in outreach, respond to questions, and to learn how to pre-screen for eligibility and prepare cases for legal review. Since community groups are the trusted first point of contact for many immigrant New Yorkers, it is our aim to empower you with the tools and trainings needed to make sure you are ready for Administrative Relief.

To that end, we have developed a series of trainings for community partners. We encourage you to select a training that best suits your organization’s capacity and ability to work on Administrative Relief (specifically expanded DACA and DAPA):

Community Ambassador Training (3 hour training):
This is the ideal training for partners looking for a basic understanding of what President Obama’s November Executive Actions means and for instruction on how to educate our immigrant communities through public education, workshops and referrals. This training will teach groups how to answer basic questions on Administrative Relief, offer informational workshops, and help direct community members to local Community Navigators and legal service providers. We will discuss the difference between administrative relief and immigration reform, the substance of DACA and DAPA, and ways to prepare today.

Examples of participating organizations may be small CBOs that may not want to participate as full Community Navigators, or may be large social service agencies not set-up to provide immigration services but that interact with immigrants daily.

Upcoming Ambassador Trainings:

  • Rockland County: April 17th from 2pm to 5pm at the Rockland County BOCES Conference Center (65 Parrott Rd., Bldg. 10, West Nyack, NY)
  • New York City, Brooklyn: April 21st from 9am to 12pm at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Main Branch, (10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY)
  • New York City, Manhattan: May 5th from 9am to 12pm – Location TBD
  • Westchester County: May 8th from 10am to 1pm at the White Plains Public Library (100 Martine Ave, White Plains, NY)
  • Suffolk County: Tentatively May 22nd in Central Islip.
  • Nassau County: Tentatively June 12th in Garden City.

Community Navigator Training (full day training):

This is the ideal training for partners seeking to engage more deeply by conducting pre-screenings and referrals as well as by assisting in case preparation and document collection. This workshop will cover the basic track’s content but will also include an in-depth exploration of what role “community navigators” or non-attorneys can play in administrative relief preparation, the benefits of seeking BIA recognition and accreditation, and what requirements we expect for expanded DACA and DAPA. Groups will leave able to conduct basic eligibility pre-screenings, make direct referrals to legal providers, and help community members collect documents to submit with their application.

Examples of Participating organizations may be small to medium-sized CBOs looking to take a more active role in preparing communities for administrative relief, or organizations with limited legal capacity looking to play an expanded role in administrative relief that stresses community preparedness.

Upcoming Navigator Trainings:

  • New York City, Manhattan (& via livestream): April 1st from 9am to 5pm at New York Law School (185 W. Broadway, New York, NY)
  • Westchester County: May 19th from 9am to 5pm at Neighbors Link (27 Columbus Ave, Mount Kisco, NY)
  • Dutchess County: June 5th from 9am to 5pm at Catholic Charities Community Services Office for New Americans (218 Church St. Poughkeepsie, NY)
  • Suffolk County: Tentatively July 10th

We are currently planning our calendar for further trainings later this Spring, including more outside of New York City.

All trainings will include access to a Community Provider Toolkit, and ongoing technical assistance and training opportunities from the NYIC.

Visit www.Ready4Relief.org for future dates, locations, resources and additional information.

Beyond our partnerships for these trainings, all workshops and materials will be jointly conducted and released by the New York Immigrant Assistance Consortium, a partnership of immigrant-serving providers, community-based non-profits, state and local government agencies, and other stakeholders jointly convened by the New York State Office of New Americans and the New York Immigration Coalition. The aim of the Consortium is to ensure a coordinated strategy to reach, educate, and assist every New Yorker eligible for administrative relief. For more information about NYIAC and Administrative Relief please visitwww.Ready4Relief.org.

Should you have any questions, particularly around which training might be most ideal for your organization, please contact:Betsy Plum at [email protected] or (212) 627-2227, x240.

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White House Summit on AAPIs

White House Summit on AAPIs

The White House Summit on AAPIs is on Tuesday, May 12, 2015, in Washington, DC. The Summit will run from 9am-6pm at the George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium and Marvin Center.

Please join us for the White House Summit on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders on May 12, 2015 at The George Washington University in Washington, DC! Register today!

Held during Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, this Summit will be an unprecedented and historic all-day convening of senior federal officials and leaders from across the country. The day will include conversations with federal officials and AAPI leaders, artistic presentations by distinguished AAPI artists, and interactive sessions on diverse issues including economic growth, education, healthcare, civil rights, and immigration. The Summit will celebrate President Obama’s leadership, showcase Administration policies and programs that have supported the AAPI community over the past six years, and outline efforts for the next two years and decades to come.

As a participant, you will have the opportunity to Connect, Share, and Mobilize:

  1. Connect. Interact with federal and community leaders from across the country working on diverse issues to advance the AAPI community.
  2. Share. Discuss your own experiences, stories, and priorities with leaders and other participants.
  3. Mobilize. Gain tools to mobilize your communities to expand opportunity for AAPIs everywhere.

Your participation in the Summit will be vital as we continue our work together to improve the quality of life for AAPIs.

The Summit is free of charge and open to the public.

Questions? Email [email protected]. Click here for more information on the Summit.

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This past Annual Dinner, we were privileged to award three inspirational honorees: Jenny R. Yang, An-Ping Hsieh, and Preet Bharara. We invite you to view the video playlist of the friends and colleagues that were kind enough to share the stories, successes, and journeys.

Jenny R. Yang
Chair, United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Women’s Leadership Award

An-Ping Hsieh
Vice President & General Counsel, Hubbell Incorporated
Corporate Counsel Leadership Award

Preet Bharara
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
Public Service Leadership Award

Thanks to all those who attended the Annual Dinner in person and celebrated the strides that AABANY has made in getting a seat at the table, meeting amazing trailblazers such as the ones honored, and changing the game. Special thanks to all those featured, videographer Peter Chin, Lotas Productions, and the Annual Dinner Video Committee, chaired by Marianne Chow: Diane Gujarati, Naf Kwun, Amy Ngai, Ligee Gu, and Irene Tan. 

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)