The Chicago Religous Leadership Network on Latin America is a proud supporter of the #NoCopAcademy campaign!

Schools for kids, not cops.

We are committed to working towards a faithful vision of sanctuary for all. We believe in investing in communities and divesting from the system of policing in Chicago that criminalizes immigrant communities & communities of color. As Mayor Rahm Emanuel seeks to spend $95 million dollars to build a new police academy, we join the fight to make sure that money reaches our community organizations, programs, schools, hospitals, affordable housing, and more. We are united by our diverse faiths which call us to demand community care and safety for all! #NoCopAcademy

“Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants to spend $95 million to build a Police & Fire training center in West Garfield Park.  The city’s quiet unveiling suggests they are trying to avoid public scrutiny of this latest spending scheme, but we will not be robbed of our resources quietly.  We refuse any expansion of policing in Chicago, and demand accountability for decades of violence.  We will fight for funding for our communities, and support each other in building genuine community safety in the face of escalating attacks.” —


#NoCopAcademy

Spread the word! Download, print, fold and share a mini zine (



english



/



español



) to learn more.



Tell your Alderperson to vote NO



on the approval of the Land Acquisition at 4301 W. Chicago when it​ ​comes​ ​for​ ​a​ ​vote.

To connect with CRLN on this campaign please contact our Immigration Organizer at

crodriguez@crln.org

.

(Español aquí)

Honduras is the most dangerous country in the world in which to be an environmental activist and one of the most dangerous to be a journalist, union member, or member of a social movement opposed to the current Honduran administration’s policies. Members of the military and police have been implicated in violence against, including assassinations, of members of these groups. 97% of crimes committed in Honduras are left unsolved, with no consequences for the perpetrators.

In this context, we thank you for your signatures supporting the Berta Cáceres Human Rights in Honduras Act (H.R. 5474). They helped


CRLN convince 7 out of 10


Democratic Illinois U.S. Representatives to co-sponsor this important legislation introduced by Rep. Hank Johnson. By the end of 2016, the bill, which would suspend U.S. security aid to Honduras pending compliance with international human rights standards, garnered a total of 52 co-sponsors nationwide.

Because the 114th Congressional session ended January 3 and any legislation that did not come to the House and Senate for a vote ended with it, H.R. 5474 will need to be reintroduced in the 115th Congressional session that runs from now through the end of 2018. Rep. Hank Johnson plans to reintroduce this bill.

As soon as that happens, CRLN will contact U.S. Representatives from Illinois to ask those who signed on (Schakowsky, Gutierrez, Davis, Rush, Quigley, Lipinski) to do so again. We will contact those of you in their districts to contact them, identify yourselves as CRLN members, thank them for their co-sponsorship last year, and ask support them to sign on again.

For those of you in districts whose Representatives did not co-sponsor, we will construct new arguments for why they should co-sponsor and will contact you at the appropriate time for signatures again to show support in your district for this bill. In addition, we have a fresh opportunity to speak with Representatives elected in November (Brad Schneider in the10th District, who replaces Bob Dold; and Raja Krishnamoorthi, who replaces Tammy Duckworth—now one of Illinois’ U.S. Senators—in the 8th District).

It is vitally important to people whose lives are under threat in Honduras that the U.S. stop providing weapons and training to the forces under the authority of the current Honduran President, Juan Orlando Hernandez, whose party illegally used and deprived the public of funds designated for the health care system to support his last election and who has just orchestrated a change to the constitution to allow himself to run again for President in 2017. Under his administration, military and police forces have been unleashed to do violene against those who oppose the corruption and anti-democratic maneuvers of many of those currently in power.

If you would like to take part in a delegation to Honduras to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Berta Caceres’ death and visit other groups struggling to defend their land and human rights, click

here

for more information.

Holding signs say “#Si a la Vida,” “#No a la Mineria,” “JODVID,” and “Topacio Vive,” students in Susana Martinez’ class at DePaul University pose for a photo with Alex Escobar of JODVID (Organized Youth in Defense of Life) after hearing him speak about the group’s work to close Tahoe Resources Escobal Silver Mine as part of the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA)’s Fall Speaking Tour. Click

here

to sign NISGUA’s petition to Nevada Senator Dean Heller, who has lobbied the State Department to support the mine.

We can never know the impact one human being can have on the actions of others. The story of JODVID begins in response to the 2014 murder of 16-year-old Topacio Reynoso, a young artist and activist who, with her parents, participated in a community protest to resist the operation of Tahoe Resources Escobal Silver Mine located east of San Rafael las Flores in Santa Rosa Department, Guatemala. Topacio was shot while getting into a car after the demonstration with her father, who was also severely injured; the murder has never been investigated. Her father was the victim of an assassination attempt again the next year.

In response, her friends joined together to continue Topacio’s environmental work and resistance to the Escobal mine through the youth organization, JODVID. They utilize her artwork in their environmental education sessions in their communities and in their protests against the mine. She inspires them to spread their work to other communities in Guatemala, doing workshops and conferences to inform people about the environmental consequences of mining and deforestation, and motivating others to resist the location of mines in their communities.

The Escobal mine is the third largest silver mine in the world. It was constructed right in the middle of fertile farmland and land for grazing cattle. While many in Guatemala struggle to bring in enough income from small-scale farming to subsist, the communities surrounding the mine had  sustainable farms. They are now threatened with water shortages, because the mine diverts enormous quantities of water for its mining processes. Alex described springs and underground streams turning to dust and rock. Also, the mine contaminates water by the process used to separate the metallic ore from the rock, and it is released into streams. Cattle and people downstream have become sick from drinking from this source.

Alex enumerated the ways in which the local community has tried to stop the mine and the ways the mine company has retaliated against them. Community leaders organized referenda to determine whether people wanted the mine in their community–98% voted no. The community of Casillas constructed a peaceful road block to prevent mining company vehicles or gasoline trucks supplying the mine’s generators from going to the mine site, allowing all other traffic to pass through. The mine needs generators to operate, because no community will give them access to municipal electricity, another indication of opposition to the mine. The mine company has criminalized the protesters by saying false things about them in the press, by calling the Guatemalan National Police to violently disperse the protesters with guns and batons. Nevertheless, people keep up the protests and road blocks.

The mine did not consult with the local Xinca indigenous community before beginning its construction; therefore, CALAS (Center for Environmental and Social Legal Action) brought a lawsuit against it. The Guatemalan Supreme Court ruled against the mine and ordered it to suspend operations last summer, but then reversed its decision in September. It lifted the suspension on mining for the time being and ordered the Ministry of Energy and Mines to conduct a consultation with the Xinca communitiy within a certain geographical distance of the mine, ignoring the results of the many community referenda that had already taken place. Depending on the result of the consultation ordered by the Supreme Court, one side or the other is likely to appeal the case to the Constitutional Court, the highest court in the Guatemalan judicial system.

While in Chicago, Alex spoke to 3 classrooms of students at DePaul University, to a meeting open to students and the public at North Park University in the Albany Park neighborhood, and at a public event at University Church in Hyde Park. Jerome McDonnell, host of WBEZ’s “Worldview” program, interviewed him, and the program will air sometime in the next couple of weeks.  We’ll keep CRLN members informed about the date.

In the meantime, please add your name to NISGUA’s

petition

to Senator Dean Heller of Nevada, asking him to publicly rescind his letter lobbying the State Department on behalf of the mine and act against further human rights abuses committed against communities opposing the mine.

CRLN partnered with NISGUA to bring Alex and NISGUA staff person and translator Becky Kaump to Chicago.

A community of faith and conscience filled the space at the Willye B. White Fieldhouse in Rogers Park.

Rev. Marilyn Pagán-Banks, Rev. Booker Vance, and Rev. Teresa Smallwood opened up this event with a warm welcome, in prayer, and providing context.

OCAD (Organized Communities Against Deportations) and CRLN presented deportation defense as an important issue with a call to action for faith communities and elected officials. Rev. Alli Baker (Wellington Church, an immigrant welcoming congregation) framed the issue for the event, while OCAD and CRLN members gave public witness to the struggle of keeping the city and our communities accountable to being true “sanctuaries” in all its definitions. This includes the need for the elimination of an arbitrary gang database kept by the city that criminalizes communities of color, particularly Black communities, and allows for ICE and CPD collaboration in immigration cases.

As we continue to hold Mayor Emmanuel, Governor Rauner, ICE and all agencies accountable for criminalizing Black and Brown folks, raiding immigrant communities, and allowing our communities to be broken apart, we called (and continue to call) upon communities of faith to take action with us


.

As Martin Luther King said, “Let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter, but beautiful struggle for a new world.”

First, we call on faith communities and congregations to provide space within their spaces of worship for healing, educating, and organizing. Like many places of worship did in the 1970s and 1980s, open up your space for our undocumented siblings, brothers, and sisters fighting their deportations or for other directly-affected communities fighting other kinds of cases.

Second, we call on everyone here today to live our faith and values by organizing sanctuary spaces within your own community. We call on everyone to create sanctuary communities by opening your doors and hitting the streets. Sanctuary is a commitment to enacting our own visions of community care and safety. We reject divisive language that says some people are more deserving of love and protection than others.

To stay up to date on more ways to support current campaigns please follow CRLN, OCAD, and all our community partners on Facebook.

For more information please contact Cinthya Rodriguez, Immigration Organizer for CRLN at


crodriguez@crln.org


.

El 15 de enero, CRLN se unió a SOUL, A Just Harvest, Faith in Place, Lucha por 15, Women Gathering for Justice y el Workers Center for Racial Justice para una celebración y un llamado a la acción en honor a la vida de Martin Luther King Jr y su enfoque en acciónes directa para realizar cambios sociales.

Una comunidad de fe y conciencia llenó el espacio de Willye B. White Fieldhouse en la vecindad de Rogers Park.

Rev. Marilyn Pagán-Banks, Rev. Booker Vance y la Rev. Teresa Smallwood abrieron este evento con una cálida bienvenida, con oración y dando contexto.

OCAD (Comunidades Organizadas en Contra de las Deportaciones) y CRLN presentaron la defensa en contra de las deportaciónes como un tema importante y con un llamado a la acción para las comunidades de fe y los funcionarios publicos. Rev. Alli Baker (Iglesia de Wellington, una congregación que le da la bienvenida a los  inmigrantes) enmarcó el tema para el evento, mientras que miembros de OCAD y CRLN dieron testimonio público sobra la lucha para mantener tanto a la ciudad como nuestras comunidades responsables de ser verdaderos “santuarios” en todas sus definiciones. Esto incluye la necesidad de eliminar una base de datos de pandillas de la ciudad que criminaliza a comunidades de color, particularmente comunidades negras, y permite la colaboración entre ICE y CPD en casos de inmigración.

A medida que continuamos sosteniendo al alcalde Emmanuel, al gobernador Rauner, al ICE ya todas las agencias responsables de criminalizar a las comunidades negras y latinas, de asaltar a comunidades inmigrantes y de permitir que nuestras comunidades se rompan, llamamos a las comunidades de fe a tomar acción con nosotros.

Como dijo Martin Luther King: “Rededicémonos a la larga y amarga pero hermosa lucha por un mundo nuevo”.

Primero, pedimos a las comunidades de fe y congregaciones que provean espacio dentro de sus espacios de culto para sanar, educar y organizar. Como muchas congregaciones hicieron en los años 70 y los años 80, abran su espacio para nuestros hermanxs, hermanos y hermanas indocumentados que luchan en contra de sus deportaciones o para otras comunidades directamente afectadas que luchan contra otros tipos de casos.

En segundo lugar, invitamos a todos aquí hoy a vivir nuestra fe y valores al organizar espacios santuarios dentro de nuestras propias comunidades. Llamamos a todos a crear comunidades de santuario, abriendo sus puertas y saliendo a las calles. Sanctuario es un compromiso para promulgar nuestras propias visiones de cuidado y seguridad comunitaria. Rechazamos el lenguaje divisivo que dice que algunas personas son más merecedoras de amor y protección que otras.

Para estar al día sobre más formas de apoyar las campañas actuales, por favor, siga a CRLN, OCAD y todos nuestros socios de la comunidad en Facebook.

Para más información, comuníquese con Cinthya Rodriguez, organizadora de inmigración de CRLN en


crodriguez@crln.org


.

Save the date for

ICIRR’s Annual Immigration Summit

on

March 4

^th

from 9am-12pm

under the theme of

“The Road to Making a Welcoming Illinois.”

Join community leaders and member organizations as we hold elected officials

, including Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Representative Elizabeth Hernandez, Representative Scott Drury, and Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer accountable to creating a more welcoming Illinois for immigrants and refugees!

The day will include popular education workshops, networking to build power and more at: The Road to a Welcoming Illinois, ICIRR Summit 2017!

Where:

1901 W Carroll Ave, Chicago, IL 60612-2401

RSVP HERE

(Photo credit// credito de la foto:


Mijente


.)

(Español abajo)

CRLN continues to fight for

meaningful

and

ongoing

practices of sanctuary at all levels, from our congregations and neighborhoods to schools and city government. Taking the lead from BYP100 and Mijente nationally, we are working with other Black, Latinx, and im/migrant community organizations in Chicago to

expand sanctuary

.

Together, we call for real sanctuary that provides protections for ALL communities directly impacted by attacks under the current administration.

While Chicago is publicly a “sanctuary city,” we believe that the current Welcoming Cities Ordinance does not go far enough to provide sanctuary for all residents.

Chicago has a history of over-policing, racial profiling, and criminalization, which has led to Chicago residents being put in deportation proceedings and in the prison system, even when the police do not directly cooperate with ICE.

As Janae E. Bonsu, National Public Policy Chair for the Black Youth Project stated at last month’s press conference to #ExpanSanctuary:

“Sanctuary – as the city of Chicago had defined it – doesn’t go far enough. Until the mayor and city council shows a real commitment to ending the criminalization of Black and Latinx people in policy and practice, sanctuary will remain an empty word to our people.”

Instead, we imagine a city where communities of color and undocumented communities do not face violence from either the police or immigration agents.

We imagine a city that directly challenges the larger systems of criminalization, mass incarceration, deportations and detention.

Join us in calling for the city of Chicago to strengthen the ‘Welcoming Cities Ordinance’ AND to vote in favor of the ‘


Recommendations to Fraternal Order of Police Contract Resolution


.’

To learn more about this campaign, to get involved, or to reach out to your alderperson in support of these policies, please contact the CRLN Immigration Organizer at


crodriguez@crln.org


.

Alerta de políticas publics: #ExpandSanctuary en la ciudad de Chicago

CRLN continúa luchando por prácticas significativas de santuario en todos los niveles, desde nuestras congregaciones y vecindarios hasta las escuelas y el gobierno de la ciudad. Tomando la iniciativa de BYP100 y Mijente a nivel nacional, estamos trabajando con otras organizaciones comunitarias, AfroAmericanas y negras, Latinx, y migrantes en Chicago para expandir el concepto de santuario.

Juntxs, pedimos practicas de santuario reales que proporcionen protecciones para TODAS las comunidades directamente afectadas por los ataques de la actual administración. Mientras que Chicago es públicamente una “ciudad santuario”, creemos que la actual ‘Welcoming Cities Ordinance’ (Ordenanza de Ciudades de Acogida) no va lo suficientemente lejos como para proporcionar un santuario para todos los residentes. Chicago tiene un historial de policiamiento excesivo, discriminación racial y criminalización, lo que ha llevado a los residentes de Chicago a ser sometidxs a procedimientos de deportación y al sistema penitenciario, incluso cuando la policía no coopera directamente con ICE.

Como dijo Janae E. Bonsu, Presidenta Nacional de Políticas Públicas para BYP100 en la conferencia de prensa del mes pasado para #ExpandSanctuary:

“Santuario – como la ciudad de Chicago lo ha definido – no va lo suficientemente lejos. Hasta que el alcalde y el ayuntamiento demuestren un compromiso real para poner fin a la criminalización de la gente negra y latina en la política y la práctica, el santuario seguirá siendo una palabra vacía para nuestra gente.”

En cambio, imaginamos una ciudad donde las comunidades de color y las comunidades indocumentadas no se enfrentan a la violencia ni de la policía ni de los agentes de inmigración. Imaginamos una ciudad que desafía directamente a los sistemas más amplios de criminalización, encarcelamiento masivo, deportaciones y detención. Únase a nosotros llamando a la ciudad de Chicago para fortalecer la ‘Welcoming Cities Ordinance’ Y votar en favor de las Recomendaciones a la Resolución de Contratos de la Orden Fraternal de Policía (‘


Recommendations to Fraternal Order of Police Contract Resolution


’).

Para obtener más información sobre esta campaña, para involucrarse o para comunicarse con su consejo local en apoyo de estas políticas, comuníquese con la organizadora de inmigración de CRLN en

crodriguez@crln.org

.

Ocho miembros del personal, junta de directores y miembrxs de CRLN viajaron a Washington, D.C. del 21 al 24 de abril para la conferencia anual de

Ecunemical Advocacy Days

y días de lobby para participar en la sección de América Latina: Claudia Lucero, Sharon Hunter-Smith, Linda Eastwood, Ann Legg, Dawn Condill , Frank Schneider, Ed Osowski y Lora Burge. El tema para el  2017, “Confrontando el Caos, Forjando la Comunidad: Desafiando el Racismo, el Materialismo y el Militarismo”, encaja bien con la declaración de la misión de CRLN, actualizada en 2016:

La Red de Líderes Religiosos de Chicago para Latinoamérica (CRLN) construye alianzas entre movimientos sociales y comunidades organizadas en EE.UU. y entre los pueblos de las Américas. Trabajamos juntos por medio de la educación popular, la organización de base comunitaria, la promoción de políticas públicas, y la demostración no violenta pero energética para desmilitarizar nuestras sociedades, crear alternativas a la economía neoliberal y desmantelar la política de inmigración de EE.UU, y otras formas de violencia institucional y de Estado. Estamos unidxs por nuestras fes liberadoras e inspiradxs por el poder de la gente para organizar y encontrar aliadxs para trabajar por economías sostenibles, relaciones justas y la dignidad humana.

Los talleres nos informaron sobre los desafíos para lograr una paz real y duradera en Colombia después de la aprobación de los Acuerdos de Paz con el mayor grupo guerrillero, la FARC; Nos informaron sobre las causas fundamentales y las necesidades de protección de los migrantes y los solicitantes de asilo que llegan a los Estados Unidos desde América Central; Y sobre el estado de las relaciones actuales entre los Estados Unidos y Cuba. La directora del CRLN, Claudia Lucero, y Mary Campbell, miembro de CRLN, de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América (ELCA), conformaron 2/3 del panel en el taller centroamericano de migración.

Resaltando el mensaje de un solo orador, el colombiano

Luis Gerardo Acero Barrios

es víctima del conflicto colombiano. Nació en las montañas en 1950, debido al temor al conflicto por parte de sus padres, ya que no estaban alineados ni con grupos paramilitares de derecha ni con bandas criminales de izquierdas. Durante su vida, repetidamente ha tenido que esconderse de uno u otro de estos grupos ilegalmente armados y ha sido desplazado varias veces de su tierra. Él nos dice lo que piensa que debe suceder para que el Proceso de Paz tenga éxito:

1. Los Estados Unidos apoyaron las negociaciones del gobierno colombiano con la FARC. También es necesario apoyar el proceso paralelo de paz con el ELN, el segundo grupo guerrillero más grande de Colombia.
2. Apoyo internacional para la aplicación de los Acuerdos de Paz.
3. El gobierno colombiano necesita desmantelar a los grupos paramilitares. A medida que miembros de la FARC se alejaban del territorio que controlaban, los grupos paramilitares se instalaron e impusieron sus propias reglas. Ellos han matado a 51 líderes de movimiento social hasta ahora este año.
4. Purificación de las instituciones gubernamentales de la corrupción y la influencia paramilitar.
5. Presencia de sistemas gubernamentales de salud, educación y aplicación de la ley en las zonas rurales. Todos estos servicios en su mayoría existen en las ciudades y no en el campo.

Hasta que el gobierno establezca presencia en las zonas rurales, las comunidades colombianas se han unido con organizaciones sociales para resistir el desplazamiento de los paramilitares y tratar de crear la paz con justicia social. Cuando son atacados, la denuncia internacional de la violencia paramilitar y los llamados al gobierno colombiano para desmantelar grupos armados ilegales son muy útiles.

La delegación de CRLN también participó en una Vigilia de Oración en el Pentágono; Escuchó a  oradores sobre los principios del proceso de resolución del presupuesto, la seguridad alimentaria mundial, la superación de la inversión de los Estados Unidos en la cultura blanca y el impacto mundial del militarismo estadounidense; La delegación participó igualmente en los servicios de culto animados con poderosa predicación.

En D.C. , visitamos 9 oficinas del Congreso para reunirnos con el personal de la Política Exterior (7  de la Cámara de Representantes y 2 oficinas del Senado) y dejamos carpetas con artículos de fondo y cartas que describen algunas de las peticiones legislativas de CRLN para esta sesión del Congreso:

1) Legislación que suspenda la ayuda militar y policial a Honduras (HR1299); 2) Proporcionar fondos en el proceso de Asignaciones de Ayuda Extranjera para implementar los Acuerdos de Paz de Colombia, e impulsar al gobierno colombiano a desmantelar a los paramilitares; 3) Promover legislación para poner fin al bloqueo y restricciones de viajes a Cuba. También dejamos carpetas con estas solicitudes en otras 5 oficinas que no pudieron reunirse con nosotrxs.

¡Una semana después de nuestro regreso a Chicago, 2 representantes más de Illinois firmaron la legislación HR1299! Estamos manteniéndonos en contacto con las otras oficinas y nos pondremos en contacto con usted si usted vive en uno de esos distritos con maneras de apoyar este esfuerzo.

(Español Aqui)


CRLN is a proud supporter of the IL TRUST Act and the Campaign for a Welcoming Illinois!

The


TRUST Act


recently passed the Illinois Senate with a vote of 31 to 21. The TRUST Act will help keep federal immigration enforcement separate from local law enforcement, will enact safe zones in communities, will help immigrant crime victims seek legal assistance, and prevent Illinois from participating in any sort of discriminatory registry.

➢ Bar law enforcement agencies in Illinois from complying with any ICE detainers or warrants that are not supported by a court-issued warrant

➢ Limit arrests based solely on immigration-related information included in federal databases

➢ Bar 287(g) agreements to deputize local police to execute immigration enforcement and limit other cooperation and information sharing with immigration enforcement (without a courtissued criminal warrant) ➢ Bar the use of private prisons to house immigration detainees

➢ Forbid use of immigration-related threats or verbal abuse by law enforcement agents

➢ Set deadlines and standards for law enforcement agencies to respond to requests for certifications needed to process U visa applications

➢ Establish an Illinois TRUST Act Compliance Board to train law enforcement agencies regarding this law and identify and research further issues regarding the impact of detainers

➢ Provide a private right of action for anyone to sue any agency that violates this Act

➢ Amend the Illinois Criminal Procedure Code to clarify provisions that probation officers and judges have used to ask about immigration status

➢ Allow certain individuals (including immigrants) to reopen prior criminal cases based on inadequate counsel or successful completion of probation. For immigrants, this provision could help them avoid deportation.

TAKE ACTION!

1. Make a call to your Representative and ask them to support the TRUST Act when it comes up for a vote!

How to contact your Representative:

1.       Go to


http://www.elections.il.gov/districtlocator/addressfinder.aspx

2.       Enter your address and click “Find Address”

3.       Click “Confirm Address”

4.       Find “Representative District__”

5.       Call their Office(s)

6.       Please email me to let us know that you called or left a message.

2. Join us and other ICIRR members as we travel to Springfield to advocate for the TRUST Act. The Illinois TRUST Act needs to pass out of the house by May 31st. We need your support! E-mail


crodriguez@crln.org


if you’re willing to go to Springfield on May 30th!