Justice and Advocacy -- Lehigh County Conference of Churches

JUSTICE AND ADVOCACY
AN AFFILIATE WEBSITE OF
LEHIGH COUNTY CONFERENCE OF CHURCHES

"The views and policies expressed in these pages are not necessarily those of the Lehigh County Conference of Churches"

Community Forums
on Immigration

IMMIGRATION RESOURCES

Watch Hearings and Legislative Sessions On-Line at PCN-TV

LEHIGH VALLEY - PENNSYLVANIA

Immigration Reform

Welcome Neighbor

Advocacy

PA Legislation (2011-12)

PA Legislation (2013-14)

ORGANIZATIONS & AGENCIES

Faith-Based Resources
Immigration & Trade Policy
Other Organizations
Legal Sites
Government Agencies
Other Resources

IMMIGRATION ISSUES

Children & Youth

DREAM Act

Detention Centers

Economic Impact

Legislation - Pennsylvania

Legislation - U.S.

Mexican Perspective
U.S.-Mexico Border

New Sanctuary Movement

Refugee Resettlement

Stories & Movies

Undocumented Immigrants

Immigration and Public Policy

Pennsylvania Legislation

While many immigration-related bills were introduced in the 2011-2012 legislative session, most of the died without final action. (See 2011-12 Legislation for details.) So far, very few immigration-related bills have been introduced during the 2013-14 legislative session while Congress is considering national legislation. Also, some of the proposed legislation would have been subject to the 2012 Supreme Court decision that struck down similar legislation in Arizona.

Many of the bills that were introduced in Pennsylvania's 2011-12 session would affect not only undocumented immigrants, but also some legal permanent residents and U.S. citizens.

Resources on Legislative Issues

Background Commentary from Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition
(last updated June 2011)

The Case Against Restricting Access to Public Benefits,
The Case Against the E-Verify Employee Verification System (from PICC),
The Case Against Making Police Act as Immigration Agents,
The Case Against Abolishing Birthright Citizenship,
Immigrant Contributions - why Pennsylvania should welcome immigrants.
Sample Letters to Members of the Pennsylvania Legislature: [Senate Letter] [House Letter]

ACLU Pennsylvania Legislative Update - includes immigration-related bills.
Other "Talking Points" related to immigration-related legislation, from Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition, July 2010 workshop on legislation.
What is E-Verify? - aka, Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program (National Conference of State Legislatures)

Background: What's Behind Anti-Immigrant Legislation

Center for New Community - research and reports on the origin and consequences of anti-immigrant legislation in Pennsylvania and nation-wide.
Kris Kobach - the man behind anti-immigrant legislation (NPR)

Constructive Immigration Reform

Immigration is controlled by federal law, so that only the U.S. Government can implement comprehensive immigration reform; but there are some constructive things that states can do.

Reform Immigration for America - Resources for State and Local Elected Leaders for Immigration Reform (rather than enforcement-only legislation).

Pennsylvania Legislature

Pennsylvania General Assembly - comprehensive information about the legislature and legislation.
How does a bill become law in Pennsylvania?
Who are my elected representatives in Harrisburg?
Search by Your Home Address or list legislators by County.