National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Where is home base (city/state/country)?  Home base of the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is in Oakland, CA, USA

A.     What is key constituency or audience?  The NNIRR works to inform the general public about key immigration issues as well as defend and expand the rights of all immigrants and refugees, regardless of immigration status.

B.     What are the agency’s main activities?  The main activities include documenting human rights violations, challenge legislation, advocate for the rights of immigrant workers, provide a forum for immigrant community organizers and highlight issues of immigrants rights in the mainstream and independent media.  In addition, the NNIRR builds the capacity of its member groups by providing tools to reframe the immigration debate, and to train immigrant organizers and grassroots groups.

C.     Mission statement? Key goals?  The NNIRR is a national organization composed of local coalitions and immigrant, refugee, community, religious, civil rights and labor organizations and activists who serve as a forum to share information and analysis, to educate communities and the general pubic, and to develop and coordinate plans of action on important immigrant and refugee issues.

D.     What are key im/migration issues of concern to this agency?  The key issues for the NNIRR is to seek the enfranchisement of all immigrant and refugee communities in the U.S. through organizing and advocating for their full labor, environmental, civil and human rights.

E.      What is the most common basis for statements issued, agency’s research, press releases, etc.?  The most common basis for the NNIRR statements, research, and press releases deal with  advocating all of human rights of immigrants and refugees.

F.      Is the agency noticeably pro or con immigration?  The NNIRR is pro immigration

G.     Any publications? (what types, titles)  They have a quarterly publishing of the Network News.

H.     Names of key spokespersons/officers  Some key officers are Catherine Tactaquin who is the nnirr director in Oakland, and Dan Kesselbrenner who represents the national immigration project of the national lawyer’s guild in Boston.

I.        Give at least one citation of this group in a news report. (use a citation index to research this)  Common Dreams Progressive Newswire released an article titled “Bush Administration’s Immigration reform pitches false hopes no concrete proposal for comprehensive legalization of undocumented immigrants families” which was released on Jan. 7, 2004. 

J.       Other issues of interest?  A important issue concerning the NNIRR are the national and international patterns of migration and they recognize the need to build international support and cooperation to strengthen the rights, welfare and safety of migrants and refugees.  Another key issue are the human rights of immigrant women because they are the most vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, and human rights violations in the United States.

K.    Web site? Give URL  The NNIRR’s website is www.nnirr.org