In the United States, many immigrant groups have historically suffered from political and economic marginalization. Moreover, in the post- September 11th setting, immigrant communities have suffered numerous legal and societal setbacks. US immigration policy has become increasingly restrictive; its enforcement has grown stricter; and an increasing number of US citizens face the deportation of nuclear family members. In addition, many of today’s immigrant groups encounter difficulty in achieving social acceptance and societal integration. Diverse immigrant communities lack the skills needed to effectively navigate through the American political and policy-advocacy system. They also lack skills in negotiation, multi-ethnic organizing, and consensus-building. Therefore, there is a strong need for capacity building, issue organizing, and skills training among immigrant populations.

Partners for Democratic Change (Partners) and its partners, the Coalition of African, Asian, European, and Latino Immigrants of Illinois (CAAELII) and the Advocacy Institute, collaborated to create a comprehensive program to address these needs. The program included facilitation and cooperative advocacy trainings and the creation of an immigrant-serving program (CIVITAS) that offers direct services and organizes for change. It also facilitated dialogue with community members that resulted in needs-based projects. The program methodology was unique due to its emphasis on the integration of cooperative advocacy, a problem solving technique that stresses cooperation over confrontation, into immigrant advocacy work.

CIVITAS, Partners, and the Advocacy Institute trained a cadre of local immigrant leaders to convene dialogues in their communities and design and implement projects using cooperative advocacy tools. The leaders were chosen from five partner agencies: the Arab American Action Network (AAAN); the Cambodian Association of Illinois (CAI); Centro Romero; Centro Sin Fronteras; and the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center (KRCC). The projects were designed to target priority issues such as reforming immigration laws, strengthening communities, youth outreach, and improving civic education among immigrants and new citizens, particularly with respect to the electoral process and civil rights.

Due to the capacity building and skills training of local immigrant leaders, the impact of the CAAELII program has been far-reaching. Since education is a powerful tool in building sustainable advocacy networks on the grassroots level, the leaders focused much of their attention on improving civic education among immigrant communities. CIVITAS collaborated with teachers of citizenship classes to strengthen the curriculum. The improved curriculum sought to build capacity by incorporating more information on individual rights, voting responsibilities, and how to participate as an active citizen in a democracy. Additionally, some of the partner agencies took the initiative in educating their communities, if the need was present. For example, CAI provided trainings on the voting process prior to the November 2004 elections. It also began offering regular classes on the home buying process, an area of concern for many Cambodian immigrants.

Immigration law reform efforts have been sharply boosted by increased advocacy efforts targeted at maintaining family cohesion. Centro Sin Fronteras organized 26 families that faced deportations of family members into a committee that submitted an application for a presidential pardon. The group made three trips to Washington DC to educate US policy-makers about their cause and was granted an audience at the Department of Homeland Security. They also organized a march for immigrant family unity in Chicago which drew over 60,000 people. At the end of the grant period, they had successfully re-unified two of the families, with other cases pending. Ultimately, Centro Sin Fronteras plans to advocate for reform immigration laws that will make it easier for nuclear families to remain intact. Another agency, Centro Romero, used advocacy to construct a strong grassroots movement behind immigration reform efforts. Specifically, the agency employed a community organizer for relationship and consensus-building among non-profit, religious, and community groups.

In order to improve social acceptance and integration among immigrant communities, CAAELII has also sought to meet specific cultural needs and provide services to train the next generation of immigrant leaders. For example, CAI sponsored events to support the healing process of the Cambodian community still struggling with the trauma of genocide. It has fostered dialogues with community and spiritual leaders as well as developed a weekly program to teach youth about their heritage to help them relate to their older relatives. Additionally, both the KRCC and AAAN agencies implemented summer youth programs where young people participated in community mapping and raising awareness about issues their communities face. They also provided valuable input and conducted workshops on issues relating to racial profiling, jobs for youth, media bias, educational inequality, and college opportunities.

By facilitating civic education, advocacy efforts, and increased social integration, CAAELII is working to empower immigrant groups to impact immigration policy, understand their rights, and be more responsive to their communities’ needs. The program has proven so successful that it is expanding to eight new organizations and two new states. This program was made possible by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Rockefeller Foundation.