Organization’s Objective
Between March and May 2006, more than four million immigrants and their allies in over 120 cities marched and spoke out for the rights and dignity of their communities. The energy and activism these mobilizations produced caught many by surprise, and had a significant impact on the public and policy debate. In the aftermath of these unprecedented mobilizations across the country, a diverse alliance of community organizations, immigrant rights organizations, ethnically-based organizations, ethnic media outlets and unions have identified increased civic participation by immigrants as a logical next step to further the goals of those who marched.
Many of our organizations have conducted ambitious, non-partisan civic participation programs in immigrant communities in the past, and this activity provides a basis of experience and expertise on which to build. Our organizations have roots in immigrant communities and we bring a unique set of assets ? notably, the ability to mobilize ?trusted messengers? in immigrant communities.
As of August 2007, the fourteen member organizations of the We Are America Alliance are:
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)
Center for Community Change (CCC)
Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA)
Democracia U.S.A.
Gamaliel
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA)
Mi Familia Vota Education Fund
Mobilize the Immigrant Vote (MIV)
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)
National Capitol Immigration Coalition (NCIC)
National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC)
New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC)
The following data identifies immigrant constituencies that are poised to become full participants in our democracy, if steps are taken now to engage these communities in civic life.
· 5.1 million unregistered naturalized citizens
· 6 million infrequent immigrant voters
· 9.4 million legal permanent residents currently eligible to become citizens
· Nearly 3 million additional immigrants will soon be eligible to become citizens after having been in the country long enough since immigration
· 3 million US-born children of immigrants are not registered or will become eligible to register in time to vote in November 2008
