Iowa City has joined the city of Chicago’s legal fight against a controversial Trump administration immigration policy.
Immigration
Posted inCommunity/News, Features
Iowa City’s Sudanese community navigates Trump’s travel ban rhetoric
Hanadi Elshazali will always remember what it felt like to go to work on Nov. 9, 2016 — the day after the country elected Donald Trump as its 45th president. She’ll remember the chaotic silence as she entered her office at the Pheasant Ridge Neighborhood Center of Johnson County, the muffled whispers that made her […]
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Eastern Iowa Refugee Summit this week in Iowa City
The first annual Eastern Iowa Refugee Summit will begin Friday morning and go through Saturday afternoon with a series of discussions and events aimed at celebrating the various cultures refugees and immigrants bring to the area and introducing them to services in the community.
Posted inCommunity/News
En Español: Beyond Borders: Iowa organizations work to include Latinx communities
En mayo del 2015 cuatro personas llegaron a West Liberty con cámaras y micrófonos para filmar las clases bilingües en español y en inglés en la escuela primaria y entrevistar a algunos de los estudiantes y profesores. Estas escenas no aparecen en la versión final del documental Más allá de las fronteras: americanos mexicanos sin documentos de Micah Fink, que se presentó el 24 de abril en West Liberty. La Liga de Latinoamericanos Unidos de West Liberty (LULCA) y la Asociación de Educación de West Liberty (WLEA) se encargaron de organizar la proyección para mostrar su apoyo a estudiantes y familias latinas sin importar su estatus migratorio.
Posted inCommunity/News, Features
Iowa City school board moves to increase support for immigrant students and families
After hearing comments from Iowa City residents, the Iowa City Community School Board moved forward with an effort to support and protect immigrant students and families. Iowa City residents spoke out in favor of a resolution supporting immigrant students and families threatened by immigration enforcement during the community comment portion of the school board meeting […]
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Nearly 200 protested at Eastern Iowa Airport in solidarity with immigrants and refugees
Nearly 200 protesters gathered at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids on Sunday in the wake of an executive order issued Friday by President Donald Trump barring citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Sudan from entering the U.S. for 90 days. The order also denied entry to all refugees for 120 days, except those […]
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High school students urge community to unite against hate following election
Students from Iowa City’s City High School and West High School organized a march against hate Tuesday night. The students initially called for a march after multiple alleged incidents of hate based on race, religion, gender and sexuality had occurred on their campuses. The students said this past election cycle has emboldened hatred from their […]
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Immigrants, refugees in eastern Iowa navigate their way to the voting booth
Shouts and cheers in a mix of French and occasional English rang out on Coe College’s Clark Field in Cedar Rapids last month as soccer players from countries across Africa vied for a goal. The game celebrated the mixture of cultures immigrants bring to eastern Iowa, but the overarching goal was to raise awareness about […]
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Interview: Writer José Orduña on the U.S.’ inconsistent immigration policies, Trump rhetoric and the scapegoating of migrants
José Orduña reading Prairie Lights — Thursday, Apr. 21 at 7 p.m. In José Orduña’s recently published debut, The Weight of Shadows: A Memoir of Immigration, he explores his path through the naturalization process, from his early life as a “removable alien” in Chicago, to becoming a United States citizen during his time in Iowa […]
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Home in the heartland: Sudanese Americans in Iowa City hold on to their heritage while embracing new lives
From the busy street of Mormon Trek Boulevard in Iowa City, the Pheasant Ridge Apartment Complex looks like an assortment of dull brick and…
Posted inCommunity/News
Community members to gather on the Ped Mall in support of detained pastor
Community members and youth leaders will gather on the Ped Mall today at 4 p.m. in response to the recent detainment of several area residents by Immigration…
Posted inCommunity/News
Arrest of Iowa City pastor Max Villatoro spurs outrage, raises questions
At 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 3, Max Villatoro, pastor of a local Mennonite Church and father of four, was taken from his home and detained in the Linn County Jail…
