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A New Cycle of Know Your Rights – ESOL Classes Begins!
On Monday, September 26, 2011 NICE will begin a new cycle of Know Your Rights – ESOL classes in partnership with Immigrant Movement International/ Movimiento Inmigrante Internacional. These classes do not only teach students English, it also teaches them about their rights as workers, immigrants, and members of the community. For more information contact Adriana Escandon at 718.205.8796 or by email at adriana.nynice@gmail.com.
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E-Verify Teach-In a Success
As part of the National Day of Action against E-Verify, on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 NICE held a teach-in to increase the levels of knowledge and awareness about the program. The teach-in served as a forum for community members and elected officials to share their concerns and questions about the negative effects that the program would have in our communities.
Although currently E-Verify is not a mandatory program, legislation introduced in June threatens to make E-Verify mandatory for all employers in the U.S. E-Verify has the potential to dramatically worsen the conditions for working-immigrants, but it will bring negative consequences for all workers, including the ability of workers to negotiate as a group for what they want. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), if E-Verify is implemented without the opportunity to provide work permits to workers without authorization, the program would increase the number of employers and workers in the black market — which would reduce federal revenue by US$17.3 billion over ten years.
The Teach-In was organized by NICE and sponsored by a number of Queens organizations including: New York Civic Participation Project (NYCPP), Queens Community House, and Voces Latinas.
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NICE holds ESOL classes in Corona
NICE is making further connections with newly arrived immigrants living in Corona by offering our ESOL Summer classes in partnership with Immigrant Movement International/ Movimiento Inmigrante Internacional this summer. We are at full capacity with close to 60 students taking classes!
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Immigrant Consumer Justice Campaign (ICJC) makes Headway Locally
NICE is on research mode! After extensive trainings on participatory research, NICE member leaders are taking to the streets each week and gathering data to investigate the practices of local Employment Agencies and Immigration Service Providers, lawyers and notaries providing immigration services.
As part of this reseach, NICE is holding focus groups for immigrants that have been victims of fraud through these kinds of services to share their stories. These stories will help us shape our research campaign.
Focus groups are coming very soon, please check out our outreach flier and send to your networks: Here in English and in Spanish!
We can also help community members file claims with the Department of Consumer Affairs and/or the Attorney General’s office, where they might recuperate some of the money lost through fraud or bad quality services.
NICE delivered testimonies at a hearing of the NYC Council’s Committees on Immigration and Consumer Affairs on the experiences of community members accessing Employment Agencies.
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NICE partners with OSHA for Worker’s Safety Training
On May 27th and June 3rd, NICE partnered with OSHA to offer the OSHA 10 Hour Occupational Safety and Health Construction Course in Spanish. During the two day training, 14 participants learned about protecting themselves from falls, operating scaffolds and ladders, operating power tools and electrical equipment and other general safety issues within construction work. With this certificate, they are now able to look for work with more ease as they will be able to present this certification to employers.
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Victory: NICE Applauds New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for Suspending S-Comm!
Andres Garcia, NICE Worker's Rights Organizer/Advocate speaks out at S-Comm rally this past May 18th
NICE is pleased to announce that Governor Cuomo announced yesterday that he is suspending New York’s participation in the Secure Communities (S-Comm) program! As part of the New York State Working Group Against Deportation, NICE has been advocating for the repeal of S-Comm, a program that went into effect in May 2010 in New York State. Under this program, local police precincts are able to check the fingerprint records of detainees against the a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) database, opening the doors for any undocumented individual to be put in deportation proceedings just for being stopped by police on the street. This is a major victory for New York and a huge step in the right direction for the rest of the country! We want to thank all of you that came to the S-Comm forum, signed the petition and helped us put pressure on the governor to suspend S-Comm.
Read NICE’s opinion piece applauding Governor Cuomo’s actions published in today’s El Diario/La Prensa here. You can also find Governor Cuomo’s press release here.
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NICE Performance in collaboration with The Foundry Theatre ”Look at the Horizon/Mira al Horizonte” A Big Hit!
NICE members share monologues about their struggles and experiences as immigrant workers.
On Sunday, May 8th, New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) in collaboration with the Foundry Theater delivered two theater performances at the Queens Museum of Art to more then 75 guests! “Mira al Horizonte/Look at the Horizon,” is a play about the lives of recently arrived immigrant workers in New York City. It concludes with a powerful message and feeling of hope: Together, immigrant workers can affect change in their lives and emerge stronger then before!
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NICE Goes to Day of Advocacy in Albany and City Hall
On April 5th, NICE members participated at City Advocacy Day, making legislative visits to Queens Councilmembers Daniel Dromm, Julissa Ferreras and Peter Koo. Members advocated against proposed budget cuts and collaborations between ICE and the NYC Department of Corrections, sharing their own experiences of accessing immigrant services and of confronting police harassment.
On March 1st, NICE members and staff participated in the New York Immigration Coalition’s Day of Advocacy in Albany and met with elected officials to advocate for immigrant consumer justice and access to healthcare. They urged their state representatives to support increased regulation on fraudelent immigrant service providers and emphasized the need for affordable healthcare.
NICE rented a bus to leave to Washington DC to participate in the Campaign Keep our Families Together, along with partner organizations from Queens 43 community members the western part of Queens left to Washington DC. It was a one day long event. We had four legislative visits scheduled, with Reps, Anthony Weiner, Joseph Crowley, Gary Ackerman, and Sent. Kristen Gillibrand. At the visits members gave testimonies of why it is urgent to pass an immigration reform. This was also to create momentum for the introduction of a progressive bill by Rep. Luis Gutierrez possibly by November. After the visits we rally along with thousands more, in front of the Capitol.