DACA / TPS Immigration Justice Take Action Toolkits

Toolkit for Faithful Fall Advocacy: Citizenship for Essential Workers, Farmworkers, and People with DACA and TPS

by |Published

Share this toolkit with your networks: bit.ly/2021Citizenship
@interfaithimm • Facebook • interfaithimmigration.org

#Faith4Citizenship   #Citizenship4All   #WeAreHome   #ImmigrantsAreEssential

The House Judiciary Committee just successfully marked up the pathway to citizenship legislative text of the Build Back Better Budget Reconciliation Bill! But what happens next depends on our continued, collective effort. Join us as we continue to urge the Biden administration and Congress to make sure an inclusive pathway to citizenship for immigrant essential workers; people with DACA, TPS, and DED; and their families remains in the final version of the bill. Inclusive relief—which recognizes the dignity of all—should be prioritized, and proposals should not exclude our immigrant neighbors based on prior interactions with our nation’s racist criminal legal system.

5 Ways to Continue Taking Action for Citizenship

  1. Connect with key elected officials on social media
  2. Call your members of Congress
  3. Meet with your members of Congress
  4. Share and amplify stories of support
  5. Host a faith event

1. Connect with Key Elected Officials on Social Media

Tweet at officials using the handles below. You can tag them in the Tweet itself or in a photo or graphic you attach to the Tweet.

  • @SpeakerPelosi
  • @LeaderHoyer
  • @SenSchumer
  • @SenatorDurbin
  • @SenSanders
  • @RepJayapal
  • @RepJerryNadler
  • @WhipClyburn
  • @SenateDems
  • @HouseDemocrats
  • @USProgressives
  • @HispanicCaucus
  • @TheBlackCaucus
  • @EdLaborCmte
  • @HouseJudiciary

Share these sample posts along with these graphics:

  • As a person of faith, I thank you for seeking justice for our immigrant neighbors by including a path to citizenship in the budget resolution @LeaderHoyer, @WhipClyburn, @RepJerryNadler, and @HouseDemocrats. Now let’s get this done in reconciliation! #WeAreHome #Faith4Citizenship
  • Thank you for supporting a path to citizenship for our neighbors with DACA and TPS, farmworkers, and other essential workers in the budget resolution, @SpeakerPelosi! Now let’s work together to make sure we get this done in reconciliation. #WeAreHome #Faith4Citizenship
  • As a person of faith, I applaud @HouseJudiciary’s mark-up and passage of the immigration legislative text in the #BuildBackBetter Reconciliation Bill, which includes a path to citizenship for people with DACA and TPS, farmworkers, and other essential workers. #Faith4Citizenship
  • I urge Congress to move forward with the Reconciliation Bill—which includes a path to citizenship—and ensure that NO amendments are added that would exclude immigrants based on their prior interactions with our nation’s racist criminal legal system. @SenateDems @HouseDemocrats 
  • Congress must move forward with the Reconciliation Bill while ensuring that NO amendments are added that would threaten the dignity of immigrants through criminalization, racist exclusions, or border militarization. @SenateDems @HouseDemocrats @TheBlackCaucus #Faith4Citizenship
  • As a person of faith concerned with the well-being of all, I ask @SenateDems + @HouseDemocrats to support a clean path to citizenship in the reconciliation package—rejecting any amendments that would criminalize, exclude, or harm our immigrant siblings. #Faith4Citizenship
  • The time is NOW for Congress to pass a path to citizenship—a move that will boost the economy while positively impacting our neighborhoods, congregations, and communities! @SenateDems @HouseDemocrats @HispanicCaucus @TheBlackCaucus #WeAreHome #Faith4Citizenship
  • We must #LeaveNoMigrantBehind in the Reconciliation Bill! Criminal barriers + burdensome requirements disproportionately exclude Black migrants—harming our communities and providing a pathway to deportation, not citizenship. @SenateDems @HouseDemocrats @TheBlackCaucus 
  • Our communities have waited decades for immigration reform and deserve inclusive policies. I join other people of faith in calling on Congress to #LeaveNoMigrantBehind with criminal exclusions in the Reconciliation Bill! @SenateDems @HouseDemocrats #WeAreHome #Faith4Citizenship
  • To do justice for our immigrant communities, the Reconciliation Bill must be amended to remove criminal exclusions and additional funds for border enforcement and surveillance. I call on @SenateDems + @HouseDemocrats to #LeaveNoMigrantBehind! #WeAreHome #Faith4Citizenship

P.S. Tweet at Senators leading up to and during the Senate’s vote-a-rama by using the sample Tweets quoting faith leaders from various states—included in this document!

2. Call Your Members of Congress

Call Your Reps Anytime
Make phone calls this week to your Senators and Representatives to urge them to pass clean pathways to citizenship without increased funding for immigration enforcement or border security. Make your phone calls using this action alert provided by our partners at Sojourner’s.

Join Faith on the Phones
Every Wednesday and Friday from 2-3pm ET, join the NAKASEC and other partners in making phone calls to members of Congress to advocate for citizenship for all in the reconciliation process. The Friday sessions, called “Friday Faith on the Phones,” are co-hosted by the IIC and focus on mobilizing faith communities to advocate for citizenship. A quick training will be provided—just come ready with a phone and internet access. Register here and share this link to encourage others to join: bit.ly/weekly-phonedog

Invite your network to added by sharing the following posts on social media along with this graphic:

  • Faith on the Phones is back! Join @intefaithimm + @nakasec every Friday from 2-3pm ET to make calls to Congress to advocate for #Citizenship4All. A quick training will be provided! Register here: bit.ly/weekly-phonedog #Faith4Citizenship
  • This is the year for citizenship! Join me/us at Faith on the Phones to make calls to Congress advocating for the pathway to citizenship that our communities need and deserve. Learn more + register here: bit.ly/weekly-phonedog @interfaithimm @nakasec #WeAreHome #Faith4Citizenship

3. Meet With Your Members of Congress

Legislative Meetings
As a constituent you are able to schedule meetings with your Senators and Representatives during summer recess to share your stories and to urge Congress to take action to build a pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

Here are our key asks for our representatives:

  • Will you support a path to citizenship in the reconciliation bill for DACA recipients, TPS holders, farmworkers and other essential workers?
    • If yes: Will you take that position publicly in a social media statement or otherwise at this critical moment?
      There is plenty of precedent for immigration reform to happen in the reconciliation process.
  • As the parliamentarian considers the different policy configurations, we’ve received commitments from several immigration champions in the Senate to work with the parliamentarian until they find a configuration that works. Can we also count on your support to help push alternative solutions until we win permanent protections for our community?

In this document folder, created by the IIC, you will find:

In this document, provided by the We are Home Campaign, you will find:

  • Sample legislative meeting request email
  • Tips for Meetings
  • Helpful talking points for your meetings

Town Hall Meetings
Town halls and local events are an opportunity to lift our concerns to members of Congress and within our communities. Our goal is to have a group of diverse constituents attend each town hall, ask questions, and remind members of Congress to support a pathway to citizenship in the reconciliation process. There are many Member-sponsored town hall dates and locations taking place. Visit www.townhallprojects.com to find more details.

Sample Question: “Immigrant communities saw increased targeting under the Trump administration through the ending of various programs that protected against detention and deportation. The majority of [insert your community here] support a path to citizenship. Will you support immigration policies that provide a road to citizenship, protect workers, and keep families together?”

Feel free to craft your own question using examples from your own life or community, or from information about the legislator. In this document provided by the We Are Home Campaign, you will find tips for participating successfully in a town hall meeting.

4. Share Stories and Letters in Support of a Path to Citizenship

ENGAGE MEDIA

Write Letters to the Editor (LTEs) for your Local Newspaper
A Letter to the Editor has the power to influence decision makers because they are seen as representing the opinions of a group of constituents. Click here or see below for a step-by-step guide and sample LTEs. If you need help getting started or want a second pair of eyes to review, please contact us at media (at) interfaithimmigration (dot) org.

  1. Look up your local newspaper online to find its submission guidelines for letters to the editor. Some will have you email them the letter, others will require you to submit it via an online form. [Google your newspaper name plus “LTE submission” if you can’t find it.]
  2. Draft the letter. Keep it short and simple, no more than 250-300 words. Use the sample letters below and modify them to suit your voice and perspective, or write a new one. The samples below are short, so that you can customize as you see fit. For more ideas, see this letter from the IIC.
  3. Submit the letter. Follow the guidelines for your specific paper. Include your full legal name, daytime phone number, and mailing address. They will use this for verification and to contact you if they decide to print your letter.
  4. Send us a copy! Email media@interfaithimmigration.org when you submit your letter, and also when it is published! We will post your letters on our social media accounts.
AMPLIFY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Inspire Others to Take Action for Citizenship
Share these sample posts along with these graphics to encourage others to take action:

  • As a person of faith, I believe that essential workers, people with DACA or TPS + their families deserve a pathway to citizenship! Join me in urging @POTUS + Congress to swiftly pursue justice for our neighbors: bit.ly/2021Citizenship #ImmigrantsAreEssential #Faith4Citizenship
  • 131,000 people with #TPS + 200,000 people with #DACA serve on the frontlines of the pandemic. They, along with all immigrant essential workers, deserve a pathway to citizenship now! Take action: bit.ly/2021Citizenship #WeAreHome #Faith4Citizenship
  • Our immigrant family members, neighbors, coworkers + friends deserve a pathway to citizenship. The Biden administration + Congress can AND must make this happen. Here’s how you can help: bit.ly/2021Citizenship #ImmigrantsAreEssential #Faith4Citizenship
  • For Dr. Tamar Wasoian, U.S. citizenship would mean getting her “wings back.” She has lived here for 13 years yet is still deemed “temporary” due to her legal status: bit.ly/PCUSAtps. Advocate for a pathway to citizenship for people like her: bit.ly/2021Citizenship

Highlight Faith Voices for Citizenship

  • This spring, 915 individuals and 195 faith-based organizations from over 40 states and Washington, DC signed a letter to the Biden administration and Congress advocating for citizenship for essential workers and other immigrants. Share the News on Social Media using the following sample posts:
    • TWITTER – This spring, 915 people of faith and 195 faith-based organizations sent a letter to @POTUS and Congress that unequivocally states what we know to be true: #ImmigrantsAreEssential and deserve pathways to citizenship now! http://bit.ly/P2CIICMay2021 #Faith4Citizenship @interfaithimm
    • FACEBOOK – This spring, 915 other people of faith and 195 faith-based organizations from across the country sent a letter to the Biden administration and Congress. In one moral voice they unequivocally stated what we know to be true: #ImmigrantsAreEssential and deserve pathways to citizenship now! Read the letter here: http://bit.ly/P2CIICMay2021 #Faith4Citizenship
  • Share the stories of immigrant community members using this toolkit.
  • This summer, IIC faith leaders from seventeen states across the country called on their Senators to pass a pathway to citizenship for immigrants. They are continuing to demand legislative action that would help stabilize the lives of immigrants whose homes and lives are rooted in the U.S.

    Tweet at these state’s Senators leading up to and during the Senate’s vote-a-rama by using the sample Tweets included in this document, or writing your own and linking to the press releases: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. EXAMPLES:

    • .@SenBobCasey @SenToomey In the upcoming vote-a-rama, Pennsylvanians demand passage of a CLEAN path to citizenship with no harmful immigration amendments! https://bit.ly/PennsylvaniaP2CIIC #CitizenshipNow #WeAreHome
    • .@SenateDems @SenSchumer In the upcoming vote-a-rama, people of faith across the country demand passage of a CLEAN path to citizenship with no harmful immigration amendments! https://bit.ly/NationalP2CIIC #CitizenshipNow #WeAreHome

5. Host a Faith Event

Organize a public witness event to educate your community about the importance of advocating for a pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants. Use these resources to get started: