Centro de los Derechos del Migrante

The Annual Meeting of the National Migrant Defense Committee (Comité de Defensa del Migrante) Is our favorite time of the year! We're taking a look at the year's lessons learned and planning for the year ahead!

We're thrilled to have been a part of the National Immigration Inclusion Conference hosted by National Partnership for New Americans in Houston, Texas this past weekend, attended by over 1,500 activists and advocates. Our Founder and Executive Director Rachel Micah-Jones and CDM's Director of Litigation Julia Solórzano participated in panels focused on coalition building and deferred action, a game-changing immigration protection for migrant and immigrant workers facing abusive working conditions. They also had the opportunity to talk with other speakers and attendees about our work on language access and to disseminate materials we've developed on this important issue. It was a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones and strengthen the partnerships that will be crucial in the years ahed. A huge thanks to National Partnership for New Americans for the invitation and to all the organizations who collaborated in making the Conference a success: African Communities Together, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), International Rescue Committee, National LGBTQ Task Force, MPower Change, National Network for Arab American Communities, SEIU, UnidosUS (@WeAreUnidosUS), UNITE HERE, Asian Texans for Justice, Emgage, @hilsc, Jolt Initiative, OCA Greater Houston, @saavetxef, Tahirih Justice Center, Texas Immigration Law Council, Texas Organizing Project, Woori Juntos, YMCA of the USA

We're so close!! Your gift can help us reach our #GivingTuesday fundraising goal. Here’s why your gift is so important: 1) Your gift has a far-reaching impact. CDM’s work transcends national boundaries. Our unique transnational approach allows us to reach and support workers seeking justice in the United States, no matter their location. 2) Your gift keeps CDM nimble. Unrestricted donations that are not tied to specific programs, like the ones from individual donors, keep us agile and able to respond quickly to new challenges. 3) Your gift helps build a just world where migrant workers’ rights are respected and where laws and policies reflect their voices. This year, CDM celebrated its 19th anniversary. Your past gifts have been life-changing. By giving today, you can continue to build worker power, advocate for fair labor migration policies and remove borders as barriers to justice. cdmigrante.org/donate

Join CDM in the fight for justice! Here’s how your #GivingTuesday gift can help: 1) Your gift ensures migrant workers have access to justice! CDM is one of very few organizations that can offer legal assistance to migrant workers because we are not funded by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). LSC-funded organizations are barred from offering legal assistance to migrant guestworkers, with few exceptions. 2) Your gift helps migrant workers get the assistance they need when they need it most! Our staff operates a hotline that provides workers with information about their rights and how to defend them. Throughout the years we’ve supported thousands of migrant workers to identify fraudulent job offers, learn more about their rights and understand the paths to justice. 3) Your gift supports an ever-growing digital community of migrant workers! Our Contratados .org website receives around 500k unique visitors every year. Through this platform, migrant workers can learn about their rights and share information and experiences working with specific recruiters, recruitment agencies and employers. And now giving to CDM is easier than ever! Starting this year we’re using Givebutter for online donations which is making donating a lot easier for our supporters. Check out all the different ways you can give on our website: www.cdmigrante.org/donate.

A huge thank you to Farmworker Justice and National Legal Aid & Defender Association for inviting CDM to speak in several panels at this year's #NationalFarmworkerLawConference. It was a great opportunity to talk about our work advancing migrant justice, with migrant workers. We're proud of CDM's Shane Crary Ross, Carmen M., Henna Kaur Kaushal, and Abigail Kerfoot for sharing their insightful commentary and analysis on various highly relevant issues such as regulatory changes affecting H-2A workers, challenges in transnational litigation, and the misuse of underregulated visa categories in animal agriculture.

CDM is #hiring. Spread the word!

We're thrilled to announce that Julia Solórzano joined our team as Director of Litigation. We are honored to have her as part of the CDM family and we look forward to seeing her in action defending the rights of migrant workers and advancing migrant justice! Join us in giving her a warm welcome! https://lnkd.in/ecsz-q2g

This #DomesticViolence Awareness Month, the Southeast Region will host an webinar on Oct. 22 at noon EST to raise awareness of gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work. #GBVH Register: https://lnkd.in/e7DcnepH This webinar will discuss: 🔹worker rights 🔹workplace protections 🔹how employers can better support employees facing violence or harassment in their work environment or at home EEOC, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)'s Office of Family Violence Prevention Services, Centro de los Derechos del Migrante

The au pair visa program is nothing more than a temporary work visa program masquerading as "cultural exchange". Through our work, we've heard story after story of au pairs who were overworked and underpaid and even assaulted while participating in the program. We need to recognize this program for what is its -- an under-regulated work program-- and strengthen labor protections for all au pairs. Thank you to CDM's Teresa Maribel Lopez for speaking out against the abuse au pairs face in the J-1 visa program. 📰 via El Pais https://lnkd.in/gxVmjZza

Because work visas are tied to employers, migrant workers in abusive workplaces face an impossible choice: continue to work in dangerous conditions or speak out and risk losing their job, visa, and work authorization in the US. Deferred action is helping workers feel safer in standing up for their rights Shoutout to Lucy Thames CDM's Outreach Project Manager for sharing her insight and to Lisa Held and Civil Eats for this thought-provoking piece. https://lnkd.in/e7BCC9wd