Dane County Immigration Issues
The public is invited to join us for this forum in-person or via Zoom. Please register, even if you expect to attend in-person.
Federal and state policy regarding immigration are rapidly changing and impacting our communities across Wisconsin. This forum will explore the basics of immigration, the economic impact of our immigrant community, and the legal issues imposed by immigrant status across Dane County and how that impacts on the rule of law for the rest of us. Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Founding Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera and Voces de la Frontera Action, will provide an overview of the immigration process in the U.S., define the different statuses that are obtained by immigrants, and describe the presence of immigrants in Dane County. This forum will also consider the role of immigrant work in Dane County from an economic perspective, and discuss how recent policy changes and executive action will influence our local economy with the aid of Armando Ibarra, UW–Madison Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in the School for Workers and Chican@ and Latin@ Studies. The forum will finish with the help of Aissa Olivarez, Managing Attorney for the Community Immigration Law Center (CILC), who will detail immigrant law, rights, and protections.
Beyond attending, here’s what you can do:
Learn the basics from our immigration basics handout.
Like, share, and repost our social media posts of the Dane County Immigration Issues forum on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.
Post our flyer on local community events board at locations such as coffee shops, libraries, grocery stores, and faith organizations.
Want to discuss what you hear at the forum? Attend our post-forum discussion, September 11, 7 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. We’ll use Zoom and small-group meeting rooms to encourage robust discussion. A registration link for the post-forum discussion will be coming.
Speakers:
Immigration Basics:
Christine Neumann-Ortiz is the founding Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera and Voces de la Frontera Action, and is recognized as a national leader in the immigrant rights movement. She serves on the board of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), a national coalition comprising 47 grassroots organizations in 35 states, working together to fight for immigrant rights at the local, state, and federal levels. In August 2020, Neumann-Ortiz was recognized by USA Today as one of the ten “Women of the Century” in Wisconsin. She was also awarded the 2020 National Education Association (NEA) César Chávez Acción y Compromiso Human and Civil Rights Award. She was named by The Huffington Post in its list of “50 Young Progressive Activists Who Are Changing America,” and she has received many other awards, including the Community Change Champion Award for Community Organizing and Leadership from The Center for Community Change and the Equal Justice Medal from the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee.
Through her leadership, Voces de la Frontera has grown from a small, grassroots worker center to a state and national leader in the immigrant rights movement. In 2016, The Nation magazine awarded Voces the “Most Valuable Strategy” award in honor of the February 18th statewide general strike, which took place on Day without Latinos & Immigrants, and defeated a state anti-sanctuary bill. In 2012, The Nation named Voces the “Most Valuable Grassroots Organization” in the country. In 2009, the Wisconsin State Assembly recognized Voces for its role in achieving passage of in-state tuition rights for immigrant students as part of the 2009-2011 state budget.
Immigration and the Economy:
Armando Ibarra is the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in the School for Workers’ Department of Labor Education at UW–Madison, where he holds a joint appointment in Chican@ and Latin@ Studies. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from UC Irvine, and joined the UW in January 2011. His research and fields of specialization are Political Economy, working communities of Latin American descent in the U.S., social movements, community development, international labor migration, community-based participatory applied, and action research. Prof. Ibarra is an acclaimed public intellectual who has garnered much attention for his work from peers and professional associations. His research is published in traditional peer-reviewed journals and books, as well as applied and action research reports, and popular news media.
Immigrant Rights:
Aissa Olivarez is the Managing Attorney at the Community Immigration Law Center (CILC). She is also a junior partner at Eastbridge Law Group, LLP, located in Madison, Wisconsin. Aissa has represented many clients in removal proceedings, bond proceedings, and appeals. She regularly advises clients of their rights, and has presented on immigrant rights topics previously. Prior to joining CILC, Aissa was a Staff Attorney at the Pro Bono Asylum Representation Children’s Project (ProBAR), where she represented unaccompanied minor children who were placed in removal proceedings by the Department of Homeland Security in Harlingen, Texas. During law school, Aissa participated in the Immigrant Justice Clinic and the Defenders Project at the University of Wisconsin Law School. In September 2018, Aissa was awarded the Belle Case LaFollette Award by the Wisconsin Law Foundation for her work with underserved communities. In May 2016 she graduated from UW Law School, where she was an active leader in the Student Bar Association and served as president of the Latinx Law Student Association. During her tenure at UW, she received accolades including the Barbara B. Crabb Prize, the LLSA Comunidad Award, the Ray and Ethel Brown Award, the Public Interest Scholar Award, as well as the Children’s Justice Project Fellowship. She is most recently the recipient of the 2019 Ilda C. Thomas Award from Centro Hispano. She was named one of Wisconsin's Most Influential Latinos in 2021.
Moderator:
Gail Bliss has been a member of the League of Women Voters of Dane County for almost twenty years. She has been Fundraising Chair, has been Voter Service Chair, and Secretary. She has conducted “Know Your Candidates” interviews for Madison City Channel and moderated candidate forums in McFarland and Waunakee. Gail organizes volunteers for the voter information table at the Dane County Farmers' Market. She also works with various programs for people experiencing homelessness. She was on the committee that organized the LWVDC program that featured the investigative reporters who produced the 2016 Wisconsin State Journal series about homelessness. In addition, she is an active volunteer with Open Doors for Refugees.