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My Mother is from Mexico
My mother is from Mexico. That’s the response to the inevitable question posed by anyone who gets to know me.
The question comes in different packages depending on the person asking. “How did you learn Spanish?” “Where are you from?” “What are you?” “Why do you have a Mexican flag hanging from your rear-view mirror?”
Growing up I would test out different answers to gauge people’s reaction. “I’m Mexican.” “I’m Mexican-American.” “I’m half Mexican.” “I’m Latina.”
But across the board, the reaction was normally either surprise or confusion.
Keynote Speech for the Welcoming Michigan Statewide Convening & MCIRR Summit
[Maria Ibarra-Frayre shared the poem, The Right Way, prior to this presentation]
Good afternoon, and thank you for inviting me to speak at the Welcoming Michigan Statewide Convening and Michigan Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights summit. It is an honor to be invited to speak in front of a group of so many inspirational advocates, scholars, social workers, researchers, teachers, organizers, and yes, even lawyers.
Embracing Family Unity and Resilience
I was born in 1985 in “Mesa Grande”, a refugee camp in Honduras. I was born there because, during the Civil War in El Salvador (1980-1992), my family had to flee from the state-led Armed Forces in 1981. We repatriated to our home country of El Salvador in 1988 with the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This was four years before the end of the Civil War in 1992.
Front Door Project to Increase Capacity of Immigration Legal Services
For Immediate Release
Contact: Alyson Robbins
arobbins@lsscm.org, 734.794.9563
DETROIT, MI (June 14, 2018) – The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) recently received funding from The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and The Kresge Foundation to expand free legal services for immigrants across Michigan. Through the “Front Door” project, MIRC and its partners aim to connect every individual with immigration legal needs in the Detroit Metro area to a trained, legal professional.
Michigan Immigrant Rights Center receives $50,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Welcoming Michigan, an initiative of Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, has received a grant of $50,000 from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan to expand its immigrant integration efforts.
Supreme Court Decision in DAPA Case
On June 23, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in U.S. v. Texas, which began when Texas and 25 other states (including Michigan) challenged the implementation of President Obama's 2014 DAPA and expanded DACA programs. The district court in Texas issued a nationwide injunction against the programs, and the federal government appealed.
The Challenge of Undoing Unwelcoming
When we have allies who understand immigrants and refugees as a means to an economic end rather than equal partners in seeking shared prosperity, we can get disastrous results.
Press Release--Legal Services For Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Expanded Thanks To Grand Rapids Community Foundation Grant
March 6, 2015, Grand Rapids, Mich. - Grand Rapids Community Foundation today announce a $50,000 grant to Michigan Immigrant Rights Center to provide legal representation for unaccompanied children with sponsoring families who are seeking asylum or other legal relief in Grand Rapids area.
Access to health care for low-income U.S. citizen children of international students
A change in Michigan Department of Human Services eligibility rules means that low-income U.S. citizen children whose parents have student visas or some other types of temporary legal immigration status can now qualify for Medicaid. Those who have been denied in the past can reapply.