ISAAC Guidebook

After some edits and revisions, the first edition of the 2008 ISAAC Guidebook is available on our Web site www.isaacproject.com.

This guide will walk you and your church through the BIA recognition and accreditation process.

ISAAC Online Immigration Training

If you are a member of or are affiliated with a Baptist General Convention of Texas church, association, entity or ministry, ISAAC may be able to help you get some online immigration training as you prepare to become a BIA accredited representative for a recognized organization.  Here is how it works:

Step 1
If you or your church is interested in this type of ministry, please download and read the ISAAC Guidebook for Starting an Immigration Ministry. Located online at: www.isaacproject.org
 
Step 2
After you have reviewed it, call or send an e-mail to Richard Munoz, director of ISAAC at:        
Richard.Munoz@bgct.com.

Please include your name, contact information, the name of your church, and your affiliation with the church, in the e-mail.

Step 3
Once a connection with the BGCT has been validated, and a short application to join the ISAAC Network is completed, we can set up your online training account.  There are small monthly fees to join the ISAAC Network. These are detailed in the application. You can download the application package at: www.isaacproject.org

Step 4
Once the application process is completed and approved, you will be e-mailed a username and password that is unique to you and tracks your training. You will also be e-mailed a suggested curriculum. Once you receive these items, you can begin online training.

The online training will not be the only training you need as you prepare to become a BIA Accredited representative but it is a great start! If you have any questions, please contact me at Richard.Munoz@bgct.com. 

United States Immigration Laws (Part 3) - 1900-1920

This is the third of a series of articles on U.S. Immigration Laws. The first and second articles are found in the January and February 2008 issues of this newsletter. You can get a copy of those and other issues at www.isaacproject.org.

1900-1917:  U.S. and World Events:

According to the 1900 U.S. Census, there were approximately 76,000,000 people in the United States. In 1901, President McKinley was shot and later died from his wounds.  Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him and was president when the United States acquired the Panama Canal in 1902.

In 1908, Henry Ford introduced the Model 'T' and it sold for $850.00. In 1912, Arizona and New Mexico became part of the United States of America.  In 1914, the War to End All Wars (World War I) began. By the time it ended in 1917, 20 million people lost their lives. 

Immigration Issues in the 1900s:

During this time period, several countries enforced their laws and obligations on their citizens, even if they had immigrated to the United States. For example, some U.S. citizens and immigrants were forced into military service when they visited their home countries.

To avoid a myriad of these types of issues, the United States entered into several treaties with foreign nations which codified the circumstances when an immigrant obtained, abandoned or renounced his new citizenship.  A good discussion is here and here.

Recall, in the last issue, Chinese immigrants were barred from immigrating to the United States under the Chinese Immigration Act. In 1907, the Japanese government also voluntarily limited Japanese immigration to the United States, in the so-called "Gentlemen's Agreement." That same year, Congress passed the Expatriation Act, which stripped U.S. citizenship from any woman who married a foreign national.

The Dillingham Commission:

There was growing political angst about immigration in the United States and the Dillingham Commission was formed to study its effects. See it here. 

For a good run down of immigration law to that point, click here.

The long-lasting effects of this commission's recommendations were summed as follows:

The Dillingham Commission, which began its work in 1907, had concluded by 1911 that immigration from southern and eastern Europe posed a serious threat to American society and culture and should therefore be greatly reduced. The commission's overall findings provided the rationale for the politically and economically inspired immigration restriction acts of the 1920s, including the Emergency Quota Act of 1921, which favored immigration from northern and western Europe by restricting the annual number of immigrants from any given country to 3 percent of the total number of people from that country living in the United States in 1910. To read more click here.

In 1917, the U.S. Congress enacted the first widely restrictive immigration law. The 1917 Act implemented a literacy test, increased the tax paid by new immigrants upon arrival, and allowed immigration officials to exercise more discretion in making decisions over whom to exclude. Finally, the Act excluded from entry anyone born in a geographically defined "Asiatic Barred Zone" except for Japanese and Filipinos (they were covered in separate agreements).

Next month: U.S. Immigration Laws 1920-1949.

First ISAAC Training
September 16, 2008- BGCT Offices, Dallas, Texas
More to details next issue!

CLINIC Training:

Citizenship: Acquisition, Derivation & Naturalization
San Jose, CA - March 27, 2008

Immigration Remedies for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Abuse & Other Crimes.
San Jose, CA - April 3-4, 2008

Immigration Program Management Training
Houston, Texas - April 7-9 2008

Introduction to Immigration Law/Survey of Immigration Law
Kearneysville, W. VA - April 9-10, 2008

State Bar of Texas Immigration Law 2008 (video)
Dallas, Texas - April 3-4, 2008
MCLE Credit: 14.75 hrs (includes 2 hrs ethics) - MCLE No: 900034734

For more information click here.

"Never stop praying, especially for others."  Ephesians 6:18a (CEV). 

We get many calls from individuals that need prayer regarding their immigration situation.  Please pray for these people and that the Lord's will be done. 

·    Bryan, New Mexico. Appealing an immigration court decision that denied his spouse and child entry into the United States.
·    Virgilio, Texas. Pastor in appeals process to re-enter the United States.
·    William, Texas. In immigration detention.
·    Luis, Texas.  Pastor in Texas, wife and daughter seeking to come to the United States.

If you or anyone you know would like to be added to this prayer list, or if you have immigration news that you would like to share, please contact me at Richard.Munoz@bgct.com.

New citizen voters make impact

Immigration "Hot spots" and crime inversely related

280,000 undocumented immigrants deported in 2007

University of La Verne in Ontario, California opens its Justice and Immigration Clinic

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others or ask them to sign up at www.isaacproject.org. Also, if you have some immigration news you would like to share, please contact me at Richard.Munoz@bgct.com.