Immigration Resources: Other Organizations

• For Virginians, the most important resources is the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, which “empowers Virginians to create social justice for all advocating for systemic change. We envision a world where people of all faiths cooperate to create compassionate communities that are just, peaceful, equitable and sustainable.” The Diocese of Virginia is but one of many supporters and members of the center.
  More information can be found at www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org.
  You can track bills relating to immigration online.
  
• The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis in Richmond (http://www.thecommonwealthinstitute.org) has an excellent analysis on the tax contributions of undocumented immigrants in Virginia, whose contributions total in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The analysis can be accessed online.
• Unity in the Community is an organization of people of faith concerned about discrimination in Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park. Dexter Fox is the chairperson of the group, and can be reached at dlfox728(at)earthlink(dot)net or at 703-368-5225. Unity in the Community’s document, Words of Compassion: Supportive Statements on Immigration, is a collection of statements and reflections from faith-based and community organizations on immigrants and immigration policy in the United States. The document’s introduction is below. The entire document (160 pages) can be accessed online.
• The Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations (VACOLAO) is a coalition of non-profit organizations serving the immigrant community in Virginia. Its mission is “to serve as a working alliance among organizations in Virginia that serve or support the interest of the Latino community in order to empower the community and secure equal treatment, equal opportunity and equal representation for Latinos/Hispanics.”  It can be reached online.
  VACOLAO is hosting, along with the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, an Immigrant Advocacy Day on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011, in Richmond. For more information on this check the Web site or contact Edgar Aranda-Yanoc at 703-772-1555.
• Virginia Common Sense focuses on immigration issues and educating the public about immigration.
• Sojourners (www.sojo.net) is a progressive Christian commentary on faith, politics and culture seeing to build a movement of spirituality and social change. “Our mission is to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world.” Sojourners has several resources on immigration, including sermon preparation, studies guides and past articles on the theology of immigration.
• Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE) of Northern Virginia “is a broad-based, multi-racial, multi-faith, multi-issue, multi-county, strictly non-partisan citizens’ organization dedicated to making change on social justice issues – such as affordable housing, healthcare, immigration – affecting the lives of low- and middle-income residents in four Northern Virginia jurisdictions: Prince William, Fairfax, and Arlington counties as well as the City of Alexandria. Our membership includes more than 45 houses of worship.” VOICE can be found at http://www.voice-iaf.org/.
• Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, has resources for improving tolerance in a variety of settings. They offer specific resources on immigration as well, which can be accessed at www.tolerance.org.
• The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is the research and policy arm of the American Immigration Council. IPC's mission is to shape a rational conversation on immigration and immigrant integration. Through its research and analysis, IPC provides policymakers, the media, and the general public with accurate information about the role of immigrants and immigration policy on U.S. society. IPC reports and materials are widely disseminated and relied upon by press and policy makers. IPC staff regularly serves as experts to leaders on Capitol Hill, opinion-makers and the media. IPC, formed in 2003 is a non-partisan organization that neither supports nor opposes any political party or candidate for office. It can be found at www.immigrationpolicy.org.