Thread: Get-togethers aimed at uniting immigrants

Get-togethers aimed at uniting immigrants
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
BY ALEX ZDAN


TRENTON -- For immigrants, it could be a way out of the shadows.

A new coalition brings together community organizations, religious congregations, city schools and the police department in a drive to educate and unite the local immi grant community.

The first event will be this Monday evening at Washington Elementary School on Emory Avenue, the inauguration of planned monthly gatherings for immigrants to connect with each other and learn their rights.

"We want to really release them from, in a sense, oppression," the Rev. Julio Guzman of the Living Hope Church said.

Organizers who met in the conference room of the Trenton Police East Precinct yesterday evening agreed that undocumented immi grants, often confronted with the fear of being deported and uncer tainty about what precisely their rights are, face challenges native- born citizens do not.

City resident Carlos Avila said the fear can lead immigrants to keep quiet and submit to unjust conditions, paying too much for too little housing space because they do not know their rights as a tenant.

"I think my father, my parents went through that and I don't want anyone else to go through the same thing," Avila said.

Maria Juega, president of the Latin American Legal Defense Fund, said restrictions placed on illegal immigrants in obtaining driver's licenses can push those who need to drive for work farther underground.

"Because immigrants are severely curtailed from accessing driver's licenses in this state, this has opened up a whole market of questionable IDs," Juega said.

City police Detective Luis Me dina shed some light on immi grants' legal rights.

If a serious crime has been committed -- a robbery, burglary, ag gravated assault, motor vehicle ac cident with injuries -- Medina said directives from the state attorney general require officers to ask about immigration status.

"Other than that, we're not sup posed to ask," he said.

According to Juega, one in five city residents is an immigrant. As the overall population of Trenton has declined, the immigrant population has soared. She compares a 2 percent drop in total city inhabitants between 2000 and 2006 to a 30 percent rise in the immigrant community.

Organizers hope the community get-togethers can make a positive difference.

"These are the kind of events that build community and take away fear," Avila said.

http://www.nj.com

Contact Alex Zdan at azdan@nj times.com or (609) 989-5702.

TRENTON -- For immigrants, it could be a way out of the shadows.

Do they tink People are not going to call the law on this kind of a meeting!!!
I know I will be !!!
As soon as the offices open up !!!

I wonder when they are going to open up community meetings for other types of criminals? This is an outrage. Trenton's legal population is dropping because illegals are forcing them out! New Jersey is a sanctuary state at this point we need to turn it around!

Originally Posted by Cliffdid

I wonder when they are going to open up community meetings for other types of criminals? This is an outrage. Trenton's legal population is dropping because illegals are forcing them out! New Jersey is a sanctuary state at this point we need to turn it around!

We need to get together on this cliffdid

Why are illegals able to meet at Washington Elementary School?

So now taxpayers have to provide them a place to meet in addition to all the other freebies?

Somebody should report this to ICE.

They aren't in the shadows!!!!!! They are out in our streets, they are in Washington trying to get our laws changed.....they are not oppressed, they are lawbreakers!

Go home and make your own country better, we cannot afford you and you should not think we are obligated to care for you either!

Juega is the self-proclaimed Pres. of the Latin American Legal Defense fund supported by the United Way charities and with public taxpayer money in NJ. She opposes and protests any restrictions on illegal aliens incoluding illegal alien criminals. She opposed Morristown's crackdown after a violent, brutal rape of an Englishwoman doing an internship in that town. The rapists were all illegal aliens from Honduras, and Ecuador. She vehemently opposes any policies to enforce laws, report criminals to ICE and uses taxpayer funds to conduct her "protests", form her pro-open borders, pro-illegal alien "coalitions" to demand that NJ spend even more than the 2.3 billion dollars in taxpayer funds in benefits/serices,e tc. for illegal aliens in NJ.

Now, she's working with groups across the Delaware River in PA to convince PA residents that they are w/o compassion if they too, don't empty their pocket books like NJ taxpayers to aid/abet/assist illegal aliens in PA.

Somebody in charge gave our country's soverignty, our way of life, our rights and our hard earned money to a foreign leader of a third world. We will remember you always Mr. Bush.