Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America

The time is now for reform of our immigration laws!  Join religious leaders, families fighting deportations, and people of faith from many walks of life.  We will come together to pray, take action, and invite our elected leaders to do the same.  There will be an opportunity to sign on to our Covenant for a Compassionate, Comprehensive Immigration Reform, which Rep. Jan Schakowsky signed at our gathering last March.

Come and be a part of history as we lift our voices for justice, mercy, and our sacred obligation to welcome the stranger. 

Interfaith Prayer Day for Immigration Reform

Tuesday, May 28, 9:00am

Federal Plaza (230 S. Dearborn at Adams St., Chicago) 

To RSVP or to learn more, contact Marcela Hernandez (mhernandez[at]crln.org) or Rev. Sara Wohlleb (swohlleb[at]crln.org) or call 773-293-3680.

To see our Policy Principles for Immigration Reform, click here. 

 

 

Join interfaith and social justice leaders to meet Catholic priest, Padre Alejandro Solalinde, and his Caravan Opening the Doors to Hope. 

Solalinde is traveling the U.S. with a large group of victimized migrants turned activists who have experienced human rights abuses in Mexico. The stories are shocking: 70,000 Central American brothers and sisters disappearing over the last few years. All the wihle, Fr. Solalinde has been imprisoned and arrested for his work operating a network of shelters. The caravan seeks to share these stories and honor his bravery.

 

Come to hear the words from Mexico's 2012 Human Rights Award recipient and migrants who have survived through harrowing conditions. The caravan will connect Chicago's interfaith leaders with these heroes to the humanitarian crisis.

See Below and attached document for further details about event locations and contacts.

May 9th the Senate Judiciary Committee took up the first section of proposed amendments to S744, the bill for comprehensive immigration reform. Thank you to everyone who called, emailed, shared, posted and re-posted to support the call-in day.  We are pleased with the results: we WON on many amendments. The worst amendments were defeated, and no increases to the triggers passed. 

The next call-in day will be Tuesday, May 14, when the Judiciary Committee will take up the section on a Path to Citizenship.  Check back here for more details, or go to http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/.

If you are looking for information on the Uniting American Families Act or Sen. Leahy's amendment to allow the LGBT community the ability to sponsor permanent partners for immigration visas, please go to http://immigrationequalityactionfund.org/.  

CRLN has been in the streets raising the profile on the biggest Free Trade Agreement (FTA) no one's ever heard of: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

At the May Day celebration, we gathered over 120 signatures asking that Senator Durbin bring this agreement out of the shadows and into our democratic process. During Tuesday and Wednesday's Fair Trade Festival in Daley Plaza, we will join the Illinois Fair Trade Coalition in gathering signatures on our giant post card to be delivered to Durbin with that same demand for transparency in the TPP negotiations.

Not surprisingly, the majority of the people we've spoken with had never heard of the TPP-and maybe you haven't either. You may know about NAFTA and CAFTA and their devastating effects. But, even though the TPP has been in negotiations for several years, it's been one of the most secretive processes in our country's FTA history. To bust some myths or unknowns, here are some helpful starts to figure out what the TPP really is...

And to find out more about what you can do or to get involved raising consciousness in your community, contact Celeste Larkin at clarkin@crln.org or at 773-293-2964.

Now is the time for peace with justice! For over fifty years, Colombia has been engaged in an internal conflict that has left over five million displaced, thousands of victims of violence, and a country yearning for peace. Colombians have suffered through unspeakable violence, forced displacements, kidnappings, widespread massacres, threats against unionists and human rights activists, and the social exclusion of indigenous and Afro-descendant communities.

As part of the National Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia (DOPA) campaign, we are urging the Obama Administration's support of the peace process in Colombia and we gather with one message in mind: Now is the Time for Peace with Justice.

You Can Get Involved with Days of Prayer in Action for Colombia by:

Human Rights Accompaniment

Across the Americas

Celebrating the Past &

Providing for the Future

McCormick Theological Seminary

5460 S. University Avenue Chicago, IL 60615

June 11, 2013 at 6:00 pm

 

Join us for an evening of celebration, reflection, and dialogue on the practice of accompaniment in Latin America's conflictive zones as well as with the marginalized immigrant communities in the USA. We will honor three people with extraordinary commitment to working for justice by walking with those who are marginalized and threatened. They will share their unique stories with us and engage in dialogue about the joys and challenges of this crucial ministry.

Honorees:

Marco Saavedra

Reverend Denise Griebler

Reverend Daniel Rodriguez-Díaz

Read full bios HERE.

This event is co-sponsored by the McCormick Theological Seminary and the Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America.

Join us! Buy your tickets here! or contact Marcela Hernandez at mhernandez@crln.org or 773-293-2964. You can also download the attached ticket order form and mail to CRLN with your payment. Volunteers are needed and attend for free. To volunteer please contact Celeste Larkin at clarkin@crln.org or 773-293-2964.

Building Bridges to Community: Join Us!Please join us for a unique opportunity to learn firsthand about and connect with the immigrant community in Chicago.  This year the fees are reduced and the format more flexible!  Sign up for one or both days:

• On Fri., June 20 we will travel around Chicago to hear directly from government agents, grassroots organizers, and undocumented immigrants. 

• On Sat., June 21 we will offer a training, "How to Be an Immigrant Welcoming Congregation," including practical information and ideas for congregations looking to reach out to and support those affected by the immigration crisis, and up-to-the-minute strategy for immigration reform.  Scholarships are available! 

For more information, click here!

CRLN's 2013 DC Delegation takes over the Hill!CRLN took a delegation of 21 members to Washington DC to participate in Ecumenical Advocacy Days and a group of 11 members to be part of the National Immigration Day of Action, April 10th. Below is a report back that details the work of both groups and what we were able to accomplish on the hill!

The Genocide Case against Efraín Ríos Montt has been stalled, and is at risk of being annulled. Please act now to make a historic stand in solidarity with the Ixil people and all Guatemalans who seek justice today for a better tomorrow! Click here to send your message!

 

Over the last month, over 100 Ixil Mayan survivors of genocide have risked their lives to testify against former Guatemalan Head of State Efraín Ríos Montt and his Chief of Intelligence, José Rodríguez Sánchez for crimes against humanity committed in the 1980s. Victim after victim took the stand and recounted stories of horrific brutality including bloody massacres, torture, rape, displacement, and wholesale destruction for the simple "crime" of being Mayan.