Nashville Immigrant Rights Groups Prepare for Executive Order
President Barack Obama has not yet announced his executive order on immigration, but already Nashville immigrant advocacy groups are preparing for the changes.
The president announced that he would take unilateral action before the end of the year to improve the nation’s immigration system. His announcement came just days after Republicans took control of the U.S. Senate and made gains to their majority in the House of Representatives.
Republicans criticized the timing of the president’s announcement as a signal that he will be unwilling to work with the new Congress on important issues. Senator Rob Portman on MSNBC’s Morning Joe said he expects lawsuits against the action.
Although details of the executive order are still unknown, immigration advocates believe that it will be similar to the 2012 order known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Nashville’s Immigrant Community
In Nashville, immigrants account for the majority of the population grown from 2000-2012. Groups like Catholic Charities of Tennessee provide resources like counseling, documentation assistance, and rights awareness.
Donna Gann, the Coordinator of the Immigration Support Services with Catholic Charities says she expects an increase in their work with the immigrant community in Nashville as a result of President Obama’s executive order. Initially, they must inform the community of what exactly the executive order will do.
“They trust our organization because we’ve been in this service for so many years.” Said Gann. “They trust us to tell them what they need to do.” In the wake of broad changes, groups like Catholic Charities provide a vital service to the community.
Listen below for more on how advocacy groups prepare for change in immigration law:
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