Adhikaar’s Newsletter: July to October

IMMIGRATION: OUR FIGHT FOR GREEN CARDS CONTINUES!

Service:

Adhikaar is the only organization and worker center in the country that mobilizes  Nepali-speaking immigrants who are often low-income workers. We understand that advocacy alone is not enough and we recognize a need to address the material needs of our community members while building member-led campaigns and advocacy initiatives.

One example is the case accompaniment support we provide to our trafficking survivors. They often face multiple barriers in renewing or getting a hold of their passports as they are often brought to the countries by Diplomats and high officials of the country who retain their official documents. But on October, we were able to successfully renew a passport for one of our labor trafficking survivors, as well as assisted a family with a USCIS inquiry regarding a family petition filed 4-5 years ago. They were finally able to receive their visa interview date in Nepal.

Advocacy: 

In the last quarter, our immigration team has been busy organizing and advocating for TPS redesignation. Our staff member, Anil is a Nepali TPS holder and attended a White House meeting with other TPS holders. Anil highlighted the plight of Nepali TPS holders like himself and stressed the urgency for President Biden to redesignate Nepal for TPS.

Along with the meetings with the White House, our staff also joined U.S. Senator Gillibrand’s town hall in Queens, New York to raise awareness of the importance of TPS redesignation for Nepal. 

On November 10th, after months of advocacy by Adhikaar’s immigration/TPS member leaders, Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP), and other partner organizations. The Biden administration extended TPS to June 30, 2024, for Nepal, along with other countries impacted by the Ramos/Bhattarai lawsuit. 

Organizing:

At Adhikaar, we held bi-weekly national members meeting with 40+ members from across the country. We also organized a few emergency meetings to address the USCIS Policy Update (regarding TPS Travel Document) and updates with the Ramos/Bhattarai lawsuit. In these sessions, we provided essential updates to our members and discussed our campaign and advocacy strategies.

To further our advocacy and organizing efforts, our members attended two TPS strategy training and workshops organized through our coalition Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP) with TPS holders from other countries on target and power analysis, direct action, mobilization, and facilitation/decision-making.

Attention Nepali TPS holder: Download the latest updated Federal Registry Notice to apply for travel documents, health insurance, and State ID in HERE.

Stay tuned for the next part of the newsletter on the Domestic Worker program.