Greater Cleveland Immigrant Support Network

Arabic Classes offered by GCISN!

admin — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 06:30:50 +0000

Arabic classes for Winter/Spring 2013 will be held on Thursdays:

Group 1 (Intermediate) – 5:30-6:55p.m.

Group 2 (Beginners) – 7:00-8:30p.m.

Location: Catholic Worker Storefront – 4241 Lorain Ave, Cleveland

If you are interested in continuing or/and know someone who would like to join,

Please email Mark rodney.mark@gmail.com or call 216-400-6983.

Mark is asking for $10 per lesson.

ESL & Spanish Classes Winter/Spring Session Starting Feb 4

admin — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:22:58 +0000

The ESL (English as a Second Language) and Spanish Classes will be starting their winter/spring session on February 4th, 2013

If you’ve want to learn English or brush-up on your Spanish skills, join the Greater Cleveland Immigrant Support Network for our language classes. Both ESL and Spanish classes are free and no sign up or registration is required. All are welcome to drop in on the classes!

For the new session, the class times will be:

ESL: Mondays 7pm-8:30pm

Spanish: Mondays 7pm-8:30pm*

*Please note that for the winter/spring sessions, ESL classes will now be on Mondays (instead of Tuesdays).

Location of the Classes:

Catholic Worker Storefront

4241 Lorain Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113

For more information please call us at:

216-282-0722

Join us for the GCISN Fundraiser Dinner!

admin — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 05:36:47 +0000

Greater Cleveland Immigrant Support Network Invites you to our Annual Fundraiser Dinner

Let’s celebrate our 9th anniversary!

Where?: Storefront| 4241 Lorain Ave| Cleveland OH 44113

When?: Saturday, December 1st, 2012 ~ 7-9PM

What?: Celebrate GCISN’s 9^th Anniversary

Cost?: Suggested donation $15 (everyone is welcome)

We will provide a light supper

Enjoy a talk about Arab communities and their fight for justice

Questions?: Call 216.798.9177 or

Email: elisa@immigantsupportnetwork.org

Walking together with the victims of the War on Drugs

admin — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 03:59:35 +0000

Cleveland Welcomes the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity: A bi-national initiative
You are invited to welcome the 110-person caravan, and to join the community forum on the “Drug War” violence in the U.S. and in Central America.
North Presbyterian Church
4001 Superior Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44103
September 5, 2012, 7:30 PM – 9 PM

The War on Drugs has produced painful consequences in both Mexico and the United States, leaving a trail

of death, pain and corruption in its path. Growing violence in Mexico – over 70,000 deaths. 10,000

disappearances since 2006 – and the mass incarceration of non-violent criminals in the US – with only 5% of the world’s population, the US has 25% of the world’s imprisoned population – are testament to the

ways in which the War on Drugs is eating away at the social fabric of both the US and Mexico.

United States’ regional security policy has led to a chain reaction resulting in widespread violence, human

rights violations and serious deterioration of the rule of law. The relationship between the Mexican and

U.S. governments has fueled this war strategy, and has had devastating consequences on the most

vulnerable people – migrants, indigenous populations, youth, women and other marginalized groups. We

see the vicious cycle of drug consumption, weapons’ purchase and a financial system deeply involved in

money laundering stemming from these polices. And we lament that our own governments have revictimized and criminalized those who seek justice and dignity.

Sponsored by the Greater Cleveland Immigrant Support Network, North Church, Denison Avenue United Church of Christ, and the Congregation of St. Joseph’s.

The bi-national Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity is traveling from California to Washington D.C. http://www.globalexchange.org/mexico/siciliatour

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/5/11/stop_the_drug_war_mexican_poet

Question or to volunteer please contact don@immigrantsupportnetwork.org, 440-263-5205 https://www.facebook.com/events/308698335895914/?context=create

“We Own the DREAM” Campaign

admin — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 01:37:53 +0000

DREAMers, along with legal and community organizations, recently launched the “We Own the DREAM” campaign to offer trustworthy information, direct help with the application process, and access to free or low-cost qualified attorneys to eligible immigrant youth.

Text “OwnIt” to 877877 or for Spanish, text “Únete” to 877877 for more information.

Free Classes for U.S. Citizenship Test: Tuesday Aug 21 and 28

admin — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 02:53:53 +0000

The Greater Cleveland Immigrant Support Network will provide free classes to prepare for the U.S. Citizenship Test on Tuesday, August 21st and 28th, 2012.

The free classes will be conducted at the Denison Avenue United Church of Christ, 9900 Denison Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44102

Class time: 7:00PM-8:30 PM
Instructor: Zaeem Lone

Register by contacting don@immigrantsupportnetwork.org or 440.263.5205

Immigrant Rights March – May 5, 2012 ~ 2 p.m. Public Square

admin — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 22:32:56 +0000

May 5, 2012

Please join our annual Immigrant March in support and solidarity with Cleveland’s immigrants.

Since Market Square is still under construction, our march will be held downtown this year.

Saturday May, 5, 2012 ~ 2P.M.

Public Square

SW quadrant

in front of Tower City

Racism, War, Failed Economics, and IMMIGRATION

admin — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 19:41:21 +0000

September 28, 2010, the Immigrant Support Network hosted an event called: Racism, War, Failed Economics, and IMMIGRATION: Why should I care? Immigration is the hot topic of the year: The New Arizona Law, Islamophobia in New York and elsewhere, undocumented workers, failed border enforcement, the Dream Act, etc. However, all too often the discussion fails to describe how our system as a whole is broken and how all these aspects are intertwined. Our talk “Racism, War, Failed Economics and Immigration” will take a holistic approach of trying to systemically identify cause and effect relationships that have structurally contributed to our current Immigration dilemma.

The two guest speakers who shared their knowledge on these issues were Eloy Garcia, a member of the Christian Peacemakers Teams (CPT) and Elizabeth Zunica, a recent John Carroll graduate. Elizabeth spent her summer on the U.S. – Mexican border working for “No More Death” shared her personal experience about border dynamics and gross-roots movements in opposition to SB 1070.

Eloy García is a member of the Colombia CPT project. He is a Chicano activist Attorney, US Army Veteran, Catholic lay missionary, and SOA “86” prisoner of Conscience from New Mexico. Eloy has most recently worked in Bolivia in the push for the nationalization of the country’s petroleum industry, in the northwestern United States organizing for immigration reform, and in the deserts of Arizona working on immigration detention issues.

For the folks who couldn’t make it to our talk or who would like to listen to it again, we put an edited recorded version of it on our website. Please click this link to access our broadcast.

Roundup of thousands of Arabs/Asian/Muslims yielded no terror convictions

admin — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:23:45 +0000

The National Security Entry/Exit Registration System (NSEERS) has been widely criticized by the 9/11 Commission, congressional leaders, Muslim and Arab-community leaders, and independent experts, as ineffective in producing terrorism-related convictions; cost dearly in foreign relation terms, misdirected counterterrorism resources; and deeply alienated important immigrant communities in the U.S. whose cooperation is critical in countering terrorism of 83,519 registrants, 13,799 received notices to appear, 2,870 were detained, and 143 were found to be involved in criminal activity not related to terrorism.

Immigrants Pay Taxes

admin — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:20:14 +0000

Undocumented immigrants pay taxes. Between one half and three quarters of undocumented immigrants pay state and federal taxes. They also contribute to Medicare and provide as much as 7 billion dollars a year to the Social Security Fund. Further still, undocumented workers pay sales taxes where applicable and property taxes – directly if they own and indirectly if they rent.

(Source: Immigration Policy Center, “Undocumented Immigrants as Taxpayers,” November 2007)