Immigration Game

Press release (for immediate release).
Immigration Game Poster.

In February 2007, New York University's College Republican Club hosted a game called "Find the Illegal Immigrant," which invited student players to act as immigration officers and try to find a student in a park who was wearing a sign designating them as an "illegal immigrant." According to the New York Times, the game "drew more protesters than players," and created media buzz just as immigration issues were circulating in Congressional debate. Some considered the game to be simplistic and demeaning, which neither promoted dialogue nor unity. Equally disturbing, the game was held in Washington Square Park, which until now, has had a long tradition of liberal thought, protest and civil disobedience.

In response, Attorney Ferzana Hashmi and the Hashmi Law Firm, P.L.C. fashioned an immigration game in response to the NYU game: "Find a Legal Way to Immigrate," which seeks to inform and educate the public by simulating the real-life situations that result from broken immigration laws. Players will draw cards that will be actual scenarios that immigrants face on a routine basis. All scenarios will be based on current laws and the resulting challenges for immigrants. From there, the players must navigate the life-size game board in an attempt to immigrate legally. The "winners" of the Hashmi Law Firm, P.L.C.'s game will be the first nuclear family to reunite in the United States in under 10 years.

Rather than portray a point of view, our goal is to depict the whole process with all of the decisions involved, so observers may see the thought process behind decisions immigrants are forced to make. We hope that the game will be an educational experience for our observers and that they can acquire some perspective and understanding of this significant issue. The game will be played at the Hashmi Law Firm, P.L.C.'s one year anniversary celebration barbeque on Saturday, July 21, 2007 from 2pm-8pm. The general public is invited.

The focus of the "Find a Legal Way to Immigrate" game is on family-based immigration. As Congress considered downgrading family relationships in its cure-all point system in June 2007 to an even lower priority level, Attorney Hashmi and other immigrant advocates felt that the public needed more education on what the current constraints in immigration laws are for families before the immigration laws were made even stricter for families trying to reunite in a legal manner. If the amnesty for illegal immigrants of more than 20 years ago was a mistake in being too lax, then the harshness of current conservative immigration reform proposals will be a lesson in being too strict, but not before the immigrants pay an even dearer price in their quest for the American Dream.

More to follow.

Film Festival Project

With the help of student interns, student clubs/organizations, educational institutions, corporate sponsors, interested not-for-profit organizations, activists, religious organizations, government leaders and volunteers, Ferzana Hashmi and the Hashmi Law Firm, P.L.C. will organize a film festival in Central Iowa in late 2007/early 2008, to provide an opportunity for diverse audiences to learn about international issues, the immigration reform debate and the immigrant experience through the viewing of films and the participation in panel discussions with "experts."

Education on immigration is imperative in Iowa. Of note, the immigration reform debate has been identified1 as an important issue for the November 2008 presidential election, particularly for Iowans. At a minimum, voters in Iowa must be educated about immigration before they vote, given the important role2 the state of Iowa plays in determining the slate of candidates presented to the entire nation. Certainly, with Marshalltown, Iowa as one of the sites across six sites to be hit by the largest immigration raid in U.S. history3 in December 2006, there is a pressing need for Iowa to learn more about this subject, irrespective of the independent importance of the immigration debate to the nation. Finally, with the dependence of Iowa's economy on agriculture and a steady supply of manual labor, the aging of Iowa's population, the variances in birth rates between Iowans and Immigrants and the flight of Iowa's young to other states, Iowa's future is inextricably intertwined with immigrants.4 As an artistic medium, film is a very effective tool to showcase a variety of viewpoints and perspectives.5 Given the divisiveness of the immigration debate, film is a particularly powerful medium capable of re-injecting the "human" element and perhaps, common ground into the debate. While the undertaking is huge, the importance of the Film Festival Project is undeniable.

As a first generation immigrant of Pakistani and Tanzanian heritage, naturalized U.S. citizen, world traveler, educator, immigration attorney and artist, Ms. Hashmi will lend her expertise on a pro-bono basis to bring the Film Festival Project to fruition, in the hopes that the Film Festival Project will become an annual event. Ideally, the interest and support generated from the first occurrence of the film festival will result in the founding of a separate not-for-profit organization to lead the film festival into the future. Even if this proves to be difficult, there is certainly a vital need for education on immigration in the short-term that will be met by even one occurrence of the Film Festival Project.

References


Farhana Hossain, Ben Werschkul, and Sarah Wheaton. "The Presidential Candidates on Immigration." Election Guide 2008. July 2007. The New York Times Company. 3 Jul 2007 .
"First in the Nation, Second to None." Iowa First Caucus. July 2007. Iowa Democratic Party. 3 Jul 2007 .
"Human Right Violations in the Largest Immigration Raid in U.S. History continue unchecked." Dec 2006. The Safe Zone Foundation. 3 Jul 2007 .
The Associated Press, "Iowa recruits immigrants to boost population." CNN.com. 4 Sep 2000. Cable News Network. 3 Jul 2007 .
"Film." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Jul 2007, 20:23 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 3 Jul 2007 .




The determination of the need for legal services and the choice of a lawyer are extremely important decisions and should not be based solely upon advertisements, certification, specialization or self-proclaimed expertise. A description or indication of limitation of practice does not mean that any agency or board has certified such lawyers as specialist or expert in an indicated field of law practice nor does it mean that such lawyer is necessarily any more expert or competent than any other lawyer. All potential clients are urged to make their own independent investigation and evaluation of any lawyer being considered. These disclosures are required by the Supreme Court of Iowa. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. Transmission of this information is not intended to create, and receipt by you does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Readers must not act upon any information without first seeking advice from a qualified attorney. Please refer to the complete terms of use. Copyright (C) 2006-2008, Hashmi Law Firm, P.L.C., All rights reserved.


http://www.hashmilawfirm.com/projects.shtml