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We are building a movement towards #Citizenship4All!

By August 1, 2019August 15th, 2019No Comments

What do we mean by #Citizenship4All?

We live in a divided country where our government foments a culture of fear and discrimination against immigrants, people of color, women, LGBTQ+ community members, and the low-income. Even worse, these politicians pit communities against each other. Our recent experience in organizing and advocating for the Dream Act clearly revealed that the Trump administration and members of Congress are willing to hold our young people’s futures hostage to cut family unification and diversity visas and allocate more resources towards a border wall and enforcement. We cannot stand for this any longer. NAKASEC & Affiliates believe that this discriminatory and xenophobic agenda must be met and defeated with a bold campaign that brings together diverse communities and envisions full citizenship for all–one that every member of society can embrace. 

We believe that all people deserve full citizenship. Citizenship means more than a piece of paper; it also includes taking responsibility for serving the community and fighting for rights and social, economic and racial justice for all. We envision an America where everyone can flourish, live to their full potential and be treated as valuable members of society. As communities of immigrants, people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people and those with disabilities, with or without “papers”, we have historically and consistently faced the denial of our full equality in this land. Full citizenship means having full equality; access to all of the rights and responsibilities of being American, which includes the human rights to quality food, housing, education, health care, jobs, communications, transportation and participating in our democracy. 

Overview For immigrants in particular, including those who are undocumented, visa holders, temporary protected status recipients, legal permanent residents or intercountry adoptees, we also need access to U.S. citizenship to come out of the shadows, not live in constant fear of deportation, and fully become a part of this vibrant nation. As such, our Citizenship For All campaign includes the following components: 

  • Path to Citizenship For All: Every immigrant, from the undocumented to lawful permanent resident, requires U.S. citizenship for full participation. 
  • Citizenship For All Adoptees: Despite being adopted by U.S. citizen parents as children, an estimated 35,000 intercountry adoptees do not have citizenship. All adoptees, regardless of backgrounds, deserve citizenship. 
  • Family Reunification: Families are part of what makes the United States a wonderful and diverse country, and are critical in supporting and sustaining the social and economic health. Family immigration must continue to allow them to remain together and have the opportunity to reunify in a timely manner.
  • No More Deportations: Deportations are inhumane- period. Deportations tear families apart and contribute to our communities’ trauma in ways that hurt us all. 

Strategy: We will lead with faith in people and movement building towards a long-term vision. By providing necessary services, mass education, continuous dialogue between diverse communities, organizing, advocacy, and civic participation, the Citizenship For All Campaign will engage and unite thousands of people across the country, building movement and a prosperous United States that is socially, economically and culturally healthy. We will do this by: 

  • Directly sharing experiences and common values, and learning about different issues that affect diverse communities. 
  • Providing needed services such as Know Your Rights, immigration legal services, voter registration, and supporting those in deportation proceedings. 
  • Conducting ongoing education about our history, issues, civic engagement, and community organizing. 
  • Developing new and existing community leaders who will be educators, organizers and advocates for this campaign
  • Building an engaged and connected base through individual and group conversations and multi-ethnic coalitions. 
  • Advocating for policy changes and growing an informed voter base, leading towards meaningful civic participation.
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