Activities

Community Rapid Response to Raids

As a response to the increase in the number raids by U.S. immigration authorities in the Washington-Baltimore region, NCIC has facilitated regional planning processes designed to implement a rapid response protocol in the event of raids in the region. As result, Maryland, Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia have each established separate but coordinated planning teams and have completed a rapid response protocol that seeks to accomplish the following goals:

• Educate all aspects of the immigrant community about the issues related to ICE raids.

• Establish coordination mechanism that will address the immigrant communityís needs with regards to ICE raids.

• Prevent or minimize the amount of undocumented immigrants detained and deported.

• Document any forms of abuse and violations of civil and human rights.

• Ensure the physical and emotional safety of children whose parents have been detained.

• Whenever possible, provide detainees with assistance to secure pro-bono or legal counsel and explore potential legal options to prevent deportation.

• Provide community support to families and relatives of detainees impact emotionally or financially by the detention or deportation.

• Advocate on behalf of detainees and families.

• Utilize the media to increase community awareness about the potential abuses and effects of raids on the greater community.

Advocacy
NCIC mobilizes immigrants from the region and their supporters to influence the ongoing public debate in support of federal comprehensive immigration reform. Since 2002, NCIC has conducted rallies, massive marches, press conferences and other education activities designed to educate policy makers and the general public on the need for federal comprehensive immigration reform.

More recently, NCIC has actively supported the efforts of its members, including Mexicanos Sin Fronteras (www.mexicanossinfronteras.org), Tenants and Workers United (www.tenantasandworkers.org) and the Virginia Justice Center (www.justice4all.org), against local and state initiatives which curtail the rights of undocumented workers. These include the controversial anti-immigrant resolutions and ordinances in Prince William County and Herndon, Virginia. Statewide, NCIC monitors the actions and proceedings of the Virginia State Legislature.

NCIC also works closely with national organizations such as the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, SEIU, the Center for Community Change's Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), the National Immigration Forum, the National Council of La Raza, UNITE-HERE and others. The geographic proximity to the nation's policy making bodies and national headquarters of organizations working in support of comprehensive immigration reform provides NCIC an excellent opportunity to contribute to the local and national debate about immigration reform.

Targeted Outreach to Non-Latino Immigrant Organizations and Communities.
NCIC is committed to identifying and incorporating new immigrant voices - Asians, Africans, Middle Eastern, Eastern Europeans, etc. - in its membership and leadership structures. To this end, NCIC invests time and resources in developing and/or strengthening relationships with a variety of groups. An underlying assumption of this outreach strategy is that the Coalition will be stronger to the degree that its leadership and membership reflect the current demographics of the immigrant community in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Training in Advocacy and Organizing
This activity responds to a current challenge facing the immigration reform movement: the need for and development of the organizational capacity among the Washington Metropolitan Area's immigrant communities. NCIC is fully aware that more recent immigrant groups historically have lacked the funding, organizational experience and capacity to engage on an equal footing with more established immigrant communities. One of the goals of the training efforts is to identify an organization's development needs and to secure necessary resources for organizing training and other capacity-building activities, as defined and requested by the leaders themselves.

Strategic Communications
Strategic communications plays a critical role in the strengthening of both the immigration movement and the NCIC's ability to effectively disseminate its messages. As such, NCIC seeks to keep the community informed of its activities and events that impact the life of immigrants in the region. To accomplish these ends, NCIC conducts periodic training sessions aimed at those Coalition members willing to learn or improve their communication skills. Additionally, NCIC partners with national and local organizations when disseminating media messages.

Capacity Building and Organizational Development
In early 2007, NCIC adopted its bylaws, elected a founding Board of Directors and hired staff to advance the work of the organization. NCIC is incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia and is seeking tax-exempt status. The need for organizational capacity building becomes more evident as NCIC seeks to increase the organizing and organizational capacity of its members.

For more information on these activities please contact NCIC.

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