There are a number of specific areas and situations where you need to protect yourself and know your rights!
If you have a direct interaction with Immigration Control & Enforcement. This is not just important to folks with documentation status issues, they are stopping and detaining others, especially those in the BIPOC community.
If you have children and have a risk of being detained, there is some planning and paperwork you should do. Who will pick up your kids from school? what forms do you need to provide to the school to allow others to pick up your kids? Who will have guardianship if something happens to you? If you work in a School, Kindergarten, Preschool or Daycare can you mention this to those that may need to know?
There is also special training for Bystander training, what can you do if you witness a situation between enforcement and a community member without getting yourself in trouble or making the situation worse for the individual?
If you would like to work with others to respond when there is an incident around a community member being targeted. There are folks in NH working on this, the best group to reach out to is Granite State Organizing Project (GSOP). Groups are organized in different communities in NH. In addition to this work GSOP facilitates the Immigrant Solidarity Network, that meets monthly and holds a vigil at the Local Ice office at the Norris Cotton Federal Building, 275 Chestnut St, Manchester, NH 03101, on the First Tuesday of each month at 9 am, join us to support immigrants, this is a common time that community members are asked to come in for ICE appointments. The intent is to show support and provide information to appointment attendees. This is followed by the monthly Immigrant Solidarity Network meeting.
There are two types of Bystander Training: – Organized response or Witness Bystander training. – For the average person.
There is also training for Schools, Churches, Hospitals and other employers, These trainings are unique to each area. The organizations should be planning and communicating with their members, attendees or employees to explain what they should do in response to Federal Law Enforcement coming to their locations. Where are Federal Law Enforcement officers allowed to go? Etc.
There can also be training for individuals who’s employer doesn’t offer these trainings so that people know what they can and can’t do. One area that comes up is what is a “Private Area” for any of these locations vs. Public Areas.
For all of these trainings and for other questions contact Granite State Organizing Project. (603) 668-8250 gsopstaff@granitestateorganizing.org
also you can contact info@aclu-nh.org for legal and other questions.
NHPR’s Qué Hay de Nuevo team spoke with Enrique Mesa, an immigration attorney based in Manchester with over 10 years of experience, about what people need to know to face this situation.
Mesa said people he’s spoken with are nervous about immigration right now – even those who have been in this country for a long time without any problems.
“People are so worried about what’s happening with this administration that this is really a very frustrating time,” he said in Spanish.
He added that new measures from the Trump administration mainly affect undocumented people. Because of this, immigrants who have permanent residency or are citizens have protections.
Meg Moran is the Removal Defense Project and Immigrant Justice Project director at New Hampshire Legal Assistance. She represents noncitizens in all aspects of the immigration process, particularly people facing imminent removal from the U.S. Her clients include people who have suffered violations of their human rights, including torture, persecution, and other crimes, and are seeking safety in the United in applications for humanitarian-based relief against removal. Meg provides full representation for detained and non-detained clients, defending clients against deportation in immigration removal proceedings, in their affirmative applications before USCIS, and for their stay of removal requests, motions to reopen, and appeals.
Welcoming NH, with generous funding from the NH AARP has 100 $15 vouchers for people taking digital Literacy or Cyber Security classes across the state. If you or a client like to take one of these training s and are in need of assistance for transportation, email dholt@miracoalition.org. This is for individuals over 50 and we just ask to provide a link or information on the class you are taking including the date the voucher is needed.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced a Federal Register notice (FRN) providing updated procedures for submitting a Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, accompanied by a permanent labor certification, application for Schedule A designation, or national interest waiver (NIW) request.
On June 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) implemented a new system for permanent labor certifications, called the Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG), and revised the Application for Permanent Employment Certification (Form ETA-9089) for use within the FLAG system. The revised Form ETA-9089 collects more detailed information about the job opportunity, including specific worksite locations, telecommuting options, and the foreign worker’s qualifications. Employers who file Form ETA-9089 through the FLAG system and who receive a labor certification approval generally receive a 2-page Final Determination from DOL electronically.
The instructions to Form ETA-9089 state that only a signed Final Determination must be submitted with the Form I-140 petition as evidence of a permanent labor certification approval. This limited requirement is because, as a part of this process change, USCIS receives most of the information about the permanent labor certification directly from DOL under a data sharing agreement.
USCIS is announcing through this FRN that employers whose labor certifications were processed in the FLAG system must include a printed copy of the electronic Final Determination with their Form I-140, and that USCIS will consider this printed copy as an original, approved labor certification. The Final Determination must be completed and electronically signed by DOL, and must be signed by the foreign worker, employer, and the employer’s attorney or agent, if applicable. In addition, the FRN states that Form I-140 petitions for Schedule A occupations must contain a completed, uncertified Form ETA-9089, including all applicable appendices, a signed Final Determination, and a valid prevailing wage determination tracking number in Section E, Item 1 of the Form ETA-9089. Finally, the FRN states that a Form I-140 petition with an NIW request must contain a copy of the Form ETA-9089, Appendix A, and a signed Final Determination.
Since June 1, 2023, USCIS has been adjudicating Form I-140 petitions filed with permanent labor certification Final Determinations, Schedule A applications, and NIW requests using the edition of the Form ETA-9089 and applicable appendices, developed for the FLAG system, so this FRN does not change any operations or processes. Instead, this FRN is meant to make the public aware of the new documentary requirements for permanent labor certification approvals, Schedule A applications, and NIW requests submitted with Form I-140 petitions following the implementation of the FLAG system.Find more information on the Petition Filing and Processing Procedures for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers and Checklist of Required Initial Evidence for Form I-140 webpages.
The Vermont Language Justice Project enables people who do not speak or read English to make informed decisions about their health and those of their families. We do this by providing public service videos and audio files in up to 19 languages spoken here in Vermont. This media is co-produced with trusted community members from Vermont’s refugee, migrant and immigrant communities. These messages are shared widely through YouTube, What’s App and local school district robo call systems. Check us out. Put them up on your websites. The script is in the description of each video. We will be adding to them frequently. Thank you. If you have any questions or just want to be in touch, please email us at vljp@cctv.org . Our website is vtlanguagejustice.org
