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The CoFiA Saturday Group (“delegados”) met on Saturday night, May 19, at the Grand Shilla Bakery on Broad Avenue. We were pleased to welcome Elias Garcia, a long-time member and volunteer with CoFiA, who has agreed to work with this group. The current focus is the “Let’s Drive New Jersey” campaign, which is being sponsored by New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, Cosecha, and other groups.

The group signed postcards to be sent to New Jersey legislators, as well as a petition to be taken to Trenton, urging the adoption of a bill currently before the legislature that would allow anyone living in New Jersey to have licenses to drive. This is a very important issue not only for immigrants but for other people in the state who are currently prevented from having licenses because of age, disability, or other factors. CoFiA is working with NJAIJ and other groups to promote the legislation.

CoFiA is happy to welcome Elias Garcia, a long-time friend and volunteer with CoFiA, to speak to our Saturday night group (“delegados”) this Saturday, May 19, 2018, at 7:00 p.m.

The meeting will be at Grand Shillah Bakery and Deli on Broad Avenue, just north of the Municipal Parking Lot, in Palisades Park. All are welcome. Refreshments will be provided.

CoFiA is so happy to be able to report that we had an outstanding response to our spring fund-raising appeal. At a time when the immigrant community is under increasingly vicious attack, it is heart-warming to receive exceptionally generous grants from individuals and organizations supporting our message “You are welcome here!”

An especially note-worthy gift of $1500 came from the congregants at the Presbyterian Church of Leonia. The congregation, currently under the leadership of Pastor Dr. Leah Fowler, has been a faithful supporter for many years, not only with financial assistance but in providing free space for our meetings throughout the year. Many, many thanks!

The Leonia Public Library and CoFiA are presenting the film, ABRAZOS, by Guatemalan film maker Luis Argueta, on Thrsday, May 17, at 7:00 p.m. at the library. Free and open to the public.

The calls to CoFiA for help with wage theft issues continue. On May 11, 2018, our Wage Theft committee chair accompanied two women who had been defrauded by a Bayonne-based janitorial service  to a hearing at the Department of Labor in Trenton.

As is often the case the employer did not appear, so the women won default judgments. The only other plaintiff in the room at the hearing was also claiming against this employer, and the referee said she had many other cases against the company.

This  situation  came to our attention late last year. Our Social Services Coordinator took the information, and the committee contacted the employer who promised to pay–but didn’t.  The committee then began working with the women to establish the actual dates worked and not paid–a long process but one which they were eager to complete successfully. So when they arrived at the hearing their stories were well documented, and the referee made the award without question since the employer did not show up.

This business is clearly very badly managed, but if there is money available, the Department of Labor and the Superior Court will do everything they can to help recover it.  But without the help of CoFiA, the plaintiffs would have had nowhere to turn to find out how to plead. A lot of work for our committee. Many thanks!

Other news–the Wage Theft Committee collected an additional $200 for one of our friends.  This makes $1600 collected on his claim, with only $140 to go!  This may be a record!

The CoFiA group “delegados,” which has been meeting on Saturday nights at the Olivo Restaurant on Columbia Avenue in Palisades Park, is moving to a different location.As of May 19, the group will meet at the Grand Shillah Bakery and Cafe, at 234 Broad Ave., Palisades Park. The meeting will start with refreshments promptly at 7:00 p.m.

In addition to getting to know each other better, the group will be discussing the new “Licenses for All” campaign which is working to get legal drivers licenses for all residents of New Jersey. CoFiA chair Margaret White, Social Services coordinator Angelica Martinez, and member Norm Smith will be present to provide information and answer questions about the campaign and other CoFiA initiatives. In Spanish and English.

Refreshments will be served. All welcome.

The Community of Friends in Action and the Leonia Public Library are sponsoring a showing of a film, “Abrazos,”  by Guatemalan filmmaker, Luis Argueta,  on Thursday, May 17, at 7 p.m. at the library, 227 Fort Lee Road, Leonia, NJ. In addition to CoFiA and the Library, the screening will also be sponsored by The Bergen County Immigration Strategy Group, New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, Leonia Action Alliance, Union Guatemaltecos de Morristown, and Grupo Cajola of Morristown.

“Abrazos,” (“Hugs”) tells the heartwarming story of a group of U.S. citizen children who are sons and daughters of undocumented immigrants. They travel from Minnesota to Guatemala to meet their grandparents, and in some instance their siblings, for the first time. There are at least 4.5 million such citizen children in the U.S., including some who are sons and daughters of CoFiA members in our area.

The film asks all viewers to consider why there is such a phenomenon in our country. Does our immigration policy, which creates such artificial distinctions in families, make sense? How can we create a more sensible and positive policy? Members of the audience will be invited to share their views and experiences.

Members of the sponsoring groups are invited to provide displays related to their immigration work. Grupo Cajola will bring woven goods created by Grupo Cajola in Cajola, Guatemala, which will be available for sale. Each group will be invited to briefly describe their work following the screening and the Q & A.

The screening is free and open to the public.

CoFiA is strongly supporting the statewide initiative to allow all New Jersey residents to apply for driver’s licenses, regardless of their immigration status. The following information is adapted from the newsletter of New Jersey Policy Perspective. If this happens New Jersey would become the 12th state to have this policy, joining Utah, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, Vermont, Colorado, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, New Mexico, Washington, plus the District of Columbia.

In total, about 466,000 New Jersey undocumented immigrants would be eligible, and it is anticipated that about 233,000 would receive a license within the first three years of implementation.

NJPP and other groups believe that the policy would make the state safer, because more people could be accountable for their driving record. When they are driving legally, people are less likely to flee the scene of an accident, and trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement would be strengthened.

Further, the policy would have a positive economic impact on the state; annual premium payments for auto insurance would increase; about $11.7 million would be received in license fees, plus ongoing additions for renewals; and the newly licensed drivers would buy and register more cars.

The benefits to families cannot be overstated–parents would be able to drive their children to school, and there would be fewer separations of families from deportation or detention.

Although some CoFiA events are winding down for the summer as the workers are back at work, there are some things that continue. Please join us for the following:

* STAFF MEETINGS — Staff and members get together every Tuesday morning at 11:00 a.m. at the Grand Shilla Bakery on Broad Avenue (just north of the Municipal Parking lot), in Palisades Park. General discussion of wage theft issues, driving license campaign, social service issues, and upcoming CoFiA events.

FILM SCREENING — Thursday, May 17, 2018, the film ABRAZOS will be shown at the Leonia Public Library at 7:00. Co-sponsored by the library, CoFiA, and several other immigrants rights organizations. Free.

SATURDAY GROUP/Delegados–Saturday, May 19, at 7:00 p.m. Meeting at Grand Shilla. In Spanish. Bienvenidos.

LEONIA DAY — Sunday, May 20, 2018. Volunteers needed to set up and staff table.

LAST ESL CLASS — Tuesday, May 22, 7 – 9 p.m., Palisades Park Public Library. Our English for Spanish speakers takes a break for the summer. See you in September!

In addition to CoFiA and the Leonia Public Library, several other groups have signed on as co-sponsors of the May 17, 2018 screening of the Luis Argueta film, ABRAZOS. Current co-sponsors include the Bergen County Immigration Strategy Group, the New Jersey Alliance for Immigration Justice, Leonia Action Alliance, Union Guatemaltecos de Morristown, and Grupo Cajola.

All sponsors are welcome to bring information about their organization to the screening, and to join in the conversation following the film. The film tells of the transformational journey of a group of U.S. Citizen Children, sons and daughters of undocumented immigrants, who travel from Minnesota to Guatemala to meet their grandparents and other relatives. There are many such citizen children in the U.S., including several who are children of CoFiA members.

Following the screening there will be a discussion hosted by CoFiA members and members of other co-sponsoring groups. We will also have the opportunity to share up-to-date information about what is happening in the immigrant community in our area, and invite interested people to step up and help out.

Refreshments will be provided by the Leonia Public Library. The screening is free and open to the public.