Alianza Americas

National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC)

Formation	2004
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Membership	75 organizations, approx.
Website	http://www.nalacc.org/

The National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC) is a network of approximately 75 community-based organizations led by Latin American and Caribbean immigrants. NALACC member organizations are working to improve quality of life in their communities, both in the United States and in countries of origin. NALACC seeks to build transnational leadership capacity and increase immigrant civic participation, so that immigrants can advocate effectively for public policies that address the root causes of migration, as well as addressing the challenges faced by immigrants in the United States. To date, this latter work has focused on efforts to reform US immigration policies to make them more humane and effective.

Over time, NALACC aspires to become a nationally and internationally known voice of organized Latino and Caribbean immigrant communities in the U.S. In particular, NALACC hopes to become an entity recognized for its ability to articulate the challenges faced by transnational immigrant communities, as well as viable solutions to those challenges.

What is the “Keep our Families Together” campaign?

The “Keep our Families Together” campaign is an effort to raise the public’s consciousness as to the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform. The campaign also seeks to increase immigrant civic participation and to consolidate NALACC at the local and national levels as a representative voice for Latin American and Caribbean immigrant organizations.

More than just an educational tool, the campaign is a key vehicle used by NALACC to advance migrants’ rights, as well as educate migrant communities and the general public about the kind of policy incomes that are desirable for Latino and Caribbean communities in the United States.

The campaign promotes a wide and visionary change to the way in which the United Status approaches the issue of migration. The Campaign goals and demands are the following.

Why this campaign is important? Because current immigration laws force many families to live apart from one another. The waiting lists to receive a family immigrant visa can stretch as long as 12 years in some cases. In many instances, parents run the risk of being deported, even though their children are United States citizens. Parents who have worked hard for many years, raised a family and left their lives behind still have no legal mechanism to become legal permanent residents.

Immigrants just like all human beings, dream of a better life for their families. Being able to live and grow together is a cornerstone for building healthy families and communities. Fighting for the rights of children to live with their parents is a noble effort and is the human face of this campaign.

Campaign Goals: what changes do we want?

The campaign will help us educate Congress and the Administration about our proposals for comprehensive immigration reform. NALACC developed its Keep Our Families Campaign and political platform with the goal in mind to bring about a broad and visionary change in US immigration laws that would include:

A program that would allow those who are currently forced to live in the shadows of the legal migration system to become permanent residents. Reduction of waiting periods for immigration visas to no more than six months. A national integration initiative to help immigrants become full participants in the political, social and economic fabric of the United States. Policies that manage future migration flows into the United States in a way that is legal, secure, and respects human rights.

Resources

One of the primary objectives of NALACC is to promote the sharing of information and analysis, through the dissemination of NALACC’s materials as well as other sources of information and research.

FOR IMMIGRANT ORGANIZATIONS

• LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND CAPACITY-BUILDING: Curriculum and lesson plans for leadership development training.
• INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITY: Information and reports about migrant initiatives to improve the quality of life in our communities.
• SERVICES FOR IMMIGRANTS.
• SOURCES OF INFORMATION:
  • Documents and publications.
  • Statistics.
  • Links.
  • NALACC Materials.
  • Informational pamphlets.

External links

• Official website of NALCC : www.nalcc.org