iAmerica.org Website Launched as Primary Resource for Immigrant Families on President's Administrative Action

Eligible Immigrants Can Learn about and Apply for Relief in Seven Languages

WASHINGTON, D.C.--As President Obama prepares to take administrative action on immigration, a coalition of legal, civil rights and worker organizations, along with a growing list of Latino media partners such as Univision and Entrevision, has launched the iAmerica.org portal for immigrant families to learn about the action, find out whether they qualify, and safely make their way through the application process.

Reporters and editors: A media call introducing the website was held Thursday afternoon; audio can be found at http://action.seiu.org/page/-/iAmerica.m4a.

"This is an incredible moment--millions of hardworking immigrants can look forward to a time when they can stop living in fear that a mother, father or child could be taken away," said Rocio Saenz, Executive Vice President of SEIU. "We are launching iAmerica.org so that immigrant families can have safe, trusted place to get information."

The groups hope to avoid the problems that arose after the president announced Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), when "notarios" and others sought to take advantage of immigrants.

"We are delighted to partner with SEIU on iAmerica.org and to make available our national directory of nearly 1,000 nonprofit immigration legal service programs and offices to ensure that all immigrants have access to quality, affordable legal services through this platform," said Matthew Burnett, director of the Immigration Advocates Network. "Our 7,000 members and the entire immigrant rights field stand ready to educate, empower, and serve immigrants in the wake of this monumental announcement."

iAmerica.org went live online today, and will:

• Protect the immigrant community from fraud by "notarios" and others hoping to use this opportunity to prey on desperate people;


• Create a trusted and secure space where immigrants and their families can learn about the president's action;


• Connect them with tools to see if they qualify for relief and to low-cost legal services;
and

• Encourage the whole community to join the fight for permanent reform.

Organizations partnering with iAmerica include SEIU, Mi Familia Vota, NALEO, Immigration Advocates Network, the Center for Popular Democracy, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, the National Immigration Law Center and a growing list of Latino media outlets, including Univision, Entrevision and TV Azteca.

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