Outreach

Project co-director participates in Faith and Immigration panel

On January 18, 2008, project co-director Manuel Vasquez participated in a panel entitled "Sanctuary! The Faith Community's Role in Immigration and Economic Justice.” The panel, which was organized by Hands On Atlanta as part of the Dr. Martin Luther King annual summit, also included Rev. Alexia Salvatierra of the “Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice” (CLUE), based in Los Angeles.

Palm Beach Post editorial defends El Sol Center against protesters

A Palm Beach Post editorial of Dec. 16, 2007 criticized protesters who picketed Jupiter’s
El Sol Neighborhood Resource Center, opened in 2005 to meet the needs of immigrant workers.

Since the opening of the center, the editorial said, “Workers and employers have a place to meet, and the center has provided English classes and services to hundreds of immigrants – most of them illegal. Jupiter residents have seen their gutsy, creative government deal with a problem that Washington created and still won’t face.”

“Last Saturday,” the editorial continued, “about 20 protesters picketed El Sol and harassed people who were trying to use it. Police arrested a man who came to hire workers; he got into a shoving match with a protester from Pompano Beach who was filming him with a video camera….”

In conclusion, the editorial said: “With El Sol “Jupiter gave South Florida a model for dealing with the illegal immigration problem honestly and practically. If outsiders want to contribute to the search for solutions, they are welcome. Otherwise, they should take their video cameras and go home.”

(Note: following is text of editorial)

Immigrant labor center earns praise, not protest

Palm Beach Post Editorial
By Dan Moffett, staff writer
Sunday, December 16, 2007

It took uncommon courage for public officials and community do-gooders to come together in Jupiter and create a day labor center for immigrants. Apparently, it will take even more courage to keep the center going, because some cowards want to close it down.

El Sol, Jupiter's Neighborhood Resource Center opened 15 months ago in response to complaints about immigrants soliciting day jobs on busy Jupiter streets. Against all odds, the center has succeeded. Workers and employers have a place to meet, and the center has provided English classes and services to hundreds of immigrants - most of them illegal. Jupiter residents have seen their gutsy, creative government deal with a problem that Washington created and still won't face.

Given that success, it probably was inevitable that El Sol would find itself in the cross hairs of the xenophobic demagogues who can't get enough of Tom Tancredo and CNN's Lou Dobbs. Last Saturday, about 20 protesters picketed El Sol and harassed people who were trying to use it. Police arrested a man who came to hire workers; he got into a shoving match with a protester from Pompano Beach who was filming him with a video camera.

Pompano Beach must have no problems, if its residents can drive an hour north to butt in where they aren't welcome. A small group of Minutemen wannabes from Broward County is posting videos from El Sol on a Web site. If the intimidation sounds familiar, it's because these are the same tactics anti-abortion protesters use to harass women and doctors at clinics.

Sadly, intimidation can work. The employer who got into the shoving match says he won't be coming back to El Sol: "I don't need the harassment." Right-wing radio and TV talk shows are feeding the anti-immigrant fervor and fomenting violence. Crimes against Guatemalans continue. In Lake Worth last week, gunmen shot a Guatemalan landscaper in a botched robbery attempt. Without a connection to the community, immigrant workers remain vulnerable.

The protesters at El Sol have more in common with the federal government than they want to realize. Both are ignoring the reality of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already here, almost all of whom contribute mightily to the economy. The protesters and the feds share hypocrisy and denial. One assumes that neither federal lawmakers nor Pompano Beach zealots want their children to work menial jobs for minimum wage and no benefits. If immigrants don't fill those jobs, who will?
With El Sol, Jupiter gave South Florida a model for dealing with the illegal immigration problem honestly and practically. If outsiders want to contribute to the search for solutions, they are welcome. Otherwise, they should take their video cameras and go home.

Development workshop held for Guatemalan immigrants in two Florida counties

“Guatemalans in Partnership for Development” was the title of a workshop held July 28-29, 2007 at The Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlanta University in Jupiter, Florida. The workshop was presented by the American Jewish Committee in collaboration with The Wilkes Honors College, the Center for International Migration and Integration, the Guatemalan Consulate in Miami and the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.

“The objective of the workshop,” explained Dr. Timothy Steigenga, Ford “Latin American Immigrants” project co-principal investigator, “was to provide local Guatemalan immigrant leaders with some of the tools they need to more effectively meet their goals of encouraging economic opportunities and long-term development in their communities of origin.”

“Many organizations working with immigrants have realized the potential for “Diaspora-Homeland Partnerships” to promote local and regional development in sending countries,” Steigenga continued. “This workshop was geared to Guatemalan leaders in Palm Beach and Martin Counties, to share insights from the Jewish experience in Diaspora-Homeland partnerships and to provide information about existing programs and models aimed at sustainable development in Guatemala. This approach focuses on topics like collective remittances for community projects, clinics, cooperatives, educational opportunities and entrepreneurship.”

“Latino Immigrants” co-principal investigator holds workshop in Guatemala

Project co-principal investigator Dr. Timothy Steigenga traveled to Jacaltenango, Guatemala to meet with town authorities, representatives of coffee and financial cooperatives, and the families of immigrants living and working in South Florida. On June, 19, 2006 Dr. Steigenga held a community workshop and presented findings from the Latino Immigrants Project research in Jupiter and Immokalee. More than 100 people attended the 3 – hour forum, during which Dr. Steigenga fielded questions about pending immigration legislation, the current political climate on immigration issues, the difficulties of immigrant life in Jupiter and Immokalee, and the current status of Corn-Maya and Jupiter’s new El Sol Neighborhood Resource Center.

Film Describing Hardships of Indocumentados exhibited in Gainesville, Florida

The film “Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary” was exhibited in Gainesville Florida, Sept. 16, 2006 at the Hippodrome Cinema as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. The film was introduced by Dr. Philip J. Williams, “Latino Immigrants” project co-director. The documentary, entitled in Spanish: “Mojado: El Documental Indocumentado,” tells the horrifying stories of the hardships Central American undocumented immigrants face during their journey through Mexico on their way to the U.S. The exhibition was sponsored by the local Latina Women’s League in Celebration of Hispanic Heritage month. It was cosponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida, the Hippodrome State Theater and local businesses.

Palm Beach Post Editorial Lauds Effectiveness of Jupiter’s Immigrant-Worker Labor Center

The effectiveness Town of Jupiter's pioneering immigrant-worker labor center was lauded by the Palm Beach Post in an editorial Sept. 16, 2006. The town-purchased center, named “El Sol” (“The Sun” in Spanish), opened in September.

“El Sol has made significant progress in the short time since it opened” said the editorial. “With fliers, refrigerator magnets and word of mouth, organizers have recruited more employers to use the center and have closed the gap between jobs and workers. Residents and business owners throughout Palm Beach County are hiring immigrants to do work of all descriptions – from mowing lawns to painting houses to moving furniture.”

The Editorial noted that “The workers who have come to the center have shown a willingness to assimilate and play by the town’s rules. The center’s English classes have been full. By making them part of the community, Jupiter has given immigrants reason to care about what happens to the place they’re living in. El Sol has the chance to be the model for Lake Worth, West Palm Beach and cities throughout South Florida that realize the corrosive effects of ignoring a problem that won’t go away.”

Before the center opened, immigrant workers, mostly Guatemalan and Mexican, had been gathering daily on one of the Town’s principal streets, hoping to be picked up by employers.
Click here for the text of the editorial.

Workshop on Brazilians in Broward County

On February 5, 2006, the research team working with Brazilian immigrants in Broward County, which includes Dr. Manuel A. Vásquez, Dr. José Cláudio Souza Alves, Prof. Lúcia Ribeiro, and Ms. Keyla Thamsten, discussed the study's findings with 20 community leaders. The workshop, which took place at the Boca Raton campus of Florida Atlantic University, also allowed leaders representing Catholic, Protestant, and secular grassroots of organizations in Pompano Beach and Deerfield Beach to exchange ideas and experiences with two noted Brazilians activists in the U.S.: Mr. Fausto Mendes da Rocha, Executive Director of the Brazilian Immigrant Center, Allston, MA, and Ms. Heloisa Maria Galvao, director of the Brazilian Women’s Group, Allston MA. Carlos Baia from Pompano Beach Mayor’s Office joined the conversation, opening channels of communication with local government. As a result of this meeting, a list server has emerged to keep Brazilians in South Florida abreast of news of community interest.

“Latino Immigrants” Project Holds Immigration-Issues Forum in Jupiter

The Ford “Latino Immigrants” project sponsored a day-long immigration-issues forum Feb. 4, 2006 at Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter. The forum was attended by some 150 persons from throughout Florida, including educators, government officials, social workers, journalists, and representatives of religious, community and immigrant organizations. Keynote speaker, Dr. Alex Stepick (Director, Immigration and Ethnicity Institute, Florida International University), kicked off the forum with a detailed overview of immigration patterns and trends in Florida. Amy Sugimori (National Employment Law Project), Greg Schell (Florida Legal Services) and Chris Newman (National Day Labor Organizing Network) followed with a discussion of legal issues and legislative initiatives potentially affecting immigrant communities. In the afternoon, our project faculty presented community profiles of Brazilian, Guatemalan, and Mexican immigrants in South Florida. The program ended with a two-hour roundtable and audience discussion focusing on immigrant community needs and successful models of organizing. Jerónimo Camposeco (Executive Director, Corn Maya, Inc.), Fausto Mendes da Rocha (Executive Director, Brazilian Immigrant Center, Allston, MA), and Romeo Ramírez (Coalition of Immokalee Workers) discussed their organizational histories and experiences in working with diverse immigrant communities.
Click here for photos.

Film “A Day without a Mexican” exhibited by “Latino Immigrant” researchers

“Latino Immigrants” project researchers served as commentators for public viewings of the film “Un Día sin Mexicanos”(“A Day without a Mexican”) in Gainesville and West Palm Beach. The film takes a satirical look at what might happen to California if its Hispanic population suddenly disappeared. In Gainesville, project co-director Dr. Philip Williams introduced the film Sept. 17, 2005 at the main library at a Latino Film Festival celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. The festival was sponsored by the Latina Women’s League, the UF Center for Latin American Studies and the Alachua County Library District. In West Palm Beach, the film was shown and discussed by a panel Oct. 20 at Palm Beach Community College. The panel included a county civil court judge and daughter of migrant workers, an attorney with the Migrant Farmworker Justice Project, and project co-principle investigator Dr. Tim Steigenga. The showing was sponsored by Palm Beach Community College, the Palm Beach County Chapter of the American Jewish Committee (PBCC-AJC), the Glades Initiative, the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, and Aspira of Palm Beach. “We wanted to start a conversation about immigration reform and the contributions that most immigrants make to the community’” said Yael Keren, associate director of the PBCC-AJC.

Jupiter Town Council approves immigrant labor center

The Jupiter Town Council decided April 4, 2005 to locate an immigrant-worker labor center on a property the town intends to purchase. The decision brought to an end years of debate on how the council should handle the problem of immigrant workers, mostly Guatemalan and Mexican, who congregate on Center Street, awaiting pickup by drive-buy employers.

“The council has had the courage to take the first positive step in integrating Jupiter’s immigrant community,” said Dr. Timothy J. Steigenga, associate professor of Political Science at Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University and a “Latino Immigrants” project co-principal investigator. Steigenga and other community leaders formed a “Coalition for the Neighborhood Resource Center,” which has been promoting the idea of a center focusing not only on labor-related services but also on providing other support programs like legal and social referral services and English classes. The council indicated that, at least for a start, the center would focus on labor-related services for Jupiter residents only. However center expansion to other services was left open as a possibility. The Council’s labor center decision was supported by Corn Maya, Catholic Charities, St. Peter’s Catholic Church and other community organizations.

Mayor Karen Golonka hoped that Jupiter would be able to partner with non-profit organizations, perhaps with the non-profits leasing the labor center space. The property to be purchased, now owned by a church, contains two buildings, one of which could house the labor center with room left over for town offices there and in the other building.

“Researchers Present Findings in Jupiter, FL.”

As part of the outreach portion of the Latino Immigrants in Florida: Lived Religion, Space, and Power project, Irene Palma and Jacobo Dardon of FLACSO-Guatemala (Latin American Faculty of the Social Sciences-Guatemala City) presented preliminary findings from the study in a public forum in the community center of Jupiter, Florida on November 8, 2004, from 7:30 – 10:00 p.m. Irene Palma offered a power-point presentation entitled, “The Maya in Palm Beach County.” Jacobo Dardon presented data from a separate household survey conducted in Buxup (a village near the city of Jacaltenango, Guatemala). Irene and Jacobo also offered a brief presentation on on-going agrarian conflicts in the town of La Esperanza (another prominent sending community for Guatemalans in Jupiter). The presentations were followed by 45 minutes of questions and comments from the more than fifty Guatemalan immigrants in attendance. At the end of the evening, two representatives of the Guatemalan consulate in Miami provided information on visas and their plans for a mobile consulate in Jupiter the weekend of Nov. 13 and 14. Representatives from the Guatemalan immigrant communities of Indiantown, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, and Jupiter attended the forum. A reporter from “La Palma,” the Spanish language version of the Palm Beach Post, covered the meeting.
Click here for forum photos.