National Immigrant Rights
Research & Advocacy
Organizations
Presented By,
Steven Bae
Alison Dang
Barbara Escobar
Kevin Jay
Advocacy Organizations in the
Making
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Bracero Program (1943)
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Response to U.S. labor needs
Opened doors for massive immigration
Used in favor for agricultural employer’s advantage
Agricultural employers became dependent on immigration labor
(documented and undocumented)
◦ Thus, it is a violation of worker rights
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Immigration Reform and Control Act (1986)
◦ Employer sanctions
◦ Granted permanent residency to immigrants if they resided in the
U.S. for 5 years
◦ Special Agricultural Workers
◦ In the end it failed because it lacked resources, it failed to enforce it
and employers took advantage of cheap labor
Advocacy Organizations and their Goals
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American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
◦ Wants to undermine national ID system
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Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
(CHIRLA)
◦ Pushes for legalization reform
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National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
◦ Pushes for modification of employment opportunities
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Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
(AALDEF)
◦ Pushes for permanent residency, social services
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National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
◦ Wants to pass the Dream Act
◦ Against homeland security and Bureau of Immigration &
Customs Enforcement
Relationships Between Advocacy
Organizations and Coalition Buildup
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Advocacy groups focus on broad issues
• Naturalization, legalization and entitlement to rights
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Draws strengths from local and state
communities
Federal government turned the immigration issue
over to state government
• Garnered Support for federal bills, but was mainly
unsuccessful
• DREAM Act
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Guest Workers Programs/National ID’s
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Guest Worker Program
◦ Introduced by the Bush administration
◦ Acknowledged the necessity of the migrant
workforce
◦ Requires strong employer efforts
◦ Advocacy intervention
Advocacy intervention
National Worker ID Cards
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Photograph and fingerprint requirement- harder to falsify
Prospective speculations
Split opinions among advocacy organizations
Currently Congress has not passed a true guest worker
program nor National Worker ID Card
Dream Act of 2007 and Advocacy Response
Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors
Act
 Eligibility
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Minimum of 3 years in U.S. high school
Good moral character
Under the age of 30
Have resided in U.S. for 5 years prior to enactment of bill
Meeting this requirements will entitle them to temporary
residency for max. of 6 years
Advocacy Response
CHIRLA & NILC supports it
• Strong support because it is a milestone for a path to legalization
• Expands Plyler v. Doe
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