Immigrants in Action :: Short Stories Immigration Equality Papers

Immigrants in Action Members of the Comit de Inmigrantes en Accin Santa Teresa (the St. theresa Committee of Immigrants in Action) look solemn this evening. It is Friday, 500 PM, in the basement of St. Theresas Church. The basement boasts a distinctly cafeteria-like atmosphere fluorescent lights, linoleum floors, folding chairs, bare w exclusivelys, and immense institutional ducks. Appropriate, a church service volunteer novelr informs me, as the style also functions as a soup kitchen for homeless and low-income families. Outside, red late afternoon sunlight diffuses through the air and low-bellied cars cruise the streets, bursting with hip-hop beats. besides neither the music nor the sun can penetrate the brick church walls. inwardly it is quiet, except for the buzzing of blue-white lights. The sparseness of the large space makes the Comit look small. There are decennium members present this evening, huddled roughly one table near the entrance. They straggle in during the first half hour of the meeting, gesticulate hellos, hanging jackets, pulling up chairs. Juan Garca, the Comit leader, has positioned himself at the head of the table. Beside his chair rests a bulging black briefcase and spread out before him are folders, binders, pamphlets, papers, all in neat stacks. The words Puerto Rico promenade merrily crossways his T-shirt, the e and the r interrupted by the ever-present gold locket that hangs around his neck. It is splayed open, as usual, la Virgen Maria holily presiding over the Comit. Garca started the Comit in 1999, with the obtain of St. Theresas, a Catholic church on the West side of Providence, Rhode Island. The church secured him a paid position as an organizador comunitario - a community organizer. The Comits more or less immediate mission is simply stated to assure permanent abode for the 6-9 million some-odd undocumented immigrants in the United States. Garca, himself a documented Guatemalan immigrant, collaborates with th e Latin American community in Providence and the surrounding areas to rising slope awareness about the most recent immigration policies and proposals and to encourage the population to organizarse. Organize themselves. As the Comit is part of the National Coalition for Dignity and Amnesty, a nation-wide network of similar groups, Garca also keeps tabs on events and advancements in new(prenominal) parts of the country.The size of the Comit is forever fluctuating at the moment, it includes about ten members, documented and undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America.