NEWS

The Annual Meeting of the Community of Friends in Action was held on December 4, 2014, at the Presbyterian Church in Leonia. A potluck dinner was followed by a brief business meeting, during which the following officers were elected for 2015: Carolyn Sobering, Chair; Roni Coloma, Co-Chair; Donna Maxwell, Treasurer; and Guillermo Calan and Betty DeMarco, Co-Secretaries. A financial report was presented, and the budget for 2015 was approved.

Joselino Chocoj and the Brothers Grimac, who had provided entertainment for the Fall Fiesta, returned with a musical program, including Joselino’s excellent song “12 Million,” in which he recounts the experiences of the many immigrants who are living here without documents. “You don’t want us, but you need us,” the song reminds us. (See the post on this web site for the full text of the song.) On a lighter note they closed the evening with a lively rendition of “Feliz Navidad,” joined by many of the participants.

Sally Pillay, Director of First Friends NJ and NY, gave the group information on the President’s recent Executive Resolution on immigration, which will make a path to legal residence in the U.S. possible for as many as 4 million who are currently undocumented. Many people in our communities will be affected by the Resolution, and CoFiA is planning to hold informational seminars in the coming months.

CoFiA provides a hot lunch once a week between November and April, at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Broad Avenue at Homestead Street, Palisades Park. Staff organizer Elias Garcia arranges educational opportunities on many subjects of interest to the workers, as well as films and videos that are both entertaining and informative. The lunch programs also are a good place to let workers know about OSHA training opportunities.

At holiday times, however, volunteers and guests are happy just to have time together in a warm friendly place, and share a hearty meal of hot tamales from our neighbor restaurant, La Esquina Chapina.

Text and photos by Betty DeMarco

THE LEONIA BICYCLES–A COFIA STORY
Longtime Leonia resident, Sol Arbeiter, while cleaning his garage recently, found some well used bikes, in various states of disrepair, that he’d stored for 25 years. He posted his find on Leonia Talks, the town blog, where Keith Danish read it and responded. Keith and his wife are avid cyclists who map trails throughout NYC and NJ for riders. Keith checked out the bikes, found they were worth saving, and hauled them over to Cosmic Wheel, a cycle shop owned and operated by John Russo on Main Street Ridgefield Park, for refurbishing.
There the bikes were repaired gratis, with Keith Danish donating his own money for the substantial cost of the parts. Restored to full working order and looking brand new, they were driven back to Keith’s garage to await the new owners.
On December 3, Ellie Spiegel, a founding member of COFIA NJ (Community of Friends in Action), drove to North Bergen to pick up a Guatemalan immigrant and key member of COFIA, who was the first to be selected as a bike recipient. They returned to the Danish’s garage where he tested all the bikes and selected the one which best suited him. Keith made all the necessary adjustments, and Betty DeMarco translated for the group. A very happy biker was driven home again with his new bike.
More recently another bike was donated to another longtime member and co-secretary of COFIA, for all the work he has done for this group. On December 15 another refurbished bike was awarded to one of the many day laborers at a drawing at the weekly winter Monday lunch at the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church on Broad Avenue in Palisades Park. Mr. Danish was happy to deliver the bike and present it to the winner. He explained NJ state requirements about helmets and general safety advice. Effie Giraldo translated.

On Thursday, December 11, 2014, the family of Jose Estrada Lopez had a big celebration. Mr. Lopez was released after spending nearly a year in immigration detention. All his appeals had been turned down and the family was near desperation.

In a sudden turn, Immigration and Customs Enforcement let him go. Estrada Lopez’attorney, Eric Mark, explained that the decision was the direct result of President Obama’s new deferral policy, which he issued as an Executive Action because Congress has refused to consider a bill for immigration policy reform.

Even though the program and applications for it won’t be ready for another 90 to 180 days, ICE has already begun releasing people who will be affected by it. Jose Estrada Lopez is one of the lucky ones.

Many thanks to Monsy Alvarado, a columnist for the RECORD, who has followed the family’s story for months. CoFiA and members of various Guatemalan groups have supported Estrada Lopez’wife, Gloria Chocoj, while she struggled to support their three children and follow every possibility that might lead to his release.

For the full story see “Release brings holiday joy to Fairview family,”THE RECORD, Friday, December 12, 2014.

Every year the Community of Friends in Action, the Leonia Public Library, and the Rotary Club of the Palisades sponsor a collection of warm outerwear at the library on Fort Lee Road. Jackets, coats, hats, warm gloves are much needed by the workers. Small and medium sizes, clean and in good condition, are in great demand. Just place them in the boxes at the library and we’ll get them to the people who need them.

Many thanks!

The Annual Meeting of the Community of Friends in Action, Inc., will be held on Thursday, December 4, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church in Leonia, 181 Fort Lee Road, Leonia. Potluck supper, brief business meeting, special music, and an important program.

Please call Carolyn (201-461-6731) or send email to cwsobering@verizon.net to let us know what you plan to bring.

FLYER-TWELFTH-REV-10-21-14-Immigration-Reform(2)

The National Council of Jewish Women Bergen County Section sponsored an extremely informative seminar entitled “Immigration Reform: An American Dilemma” on November 18 at Temple Emeth in Teaneck. Attended by approximately 300 people, the session included very well informed and articulate panelists.

The flyer said: All of us are descendants of immigrants…men, women and children who were once strangers in a strange land. Generation after generation of wanderers have shaped our national experience. Our strength as a nation has come from the diversity of our people….NCJW works for comprehensive, humane and equitable immigration and naturalization laws that facilitate and expedite legal status for more individuals.

The afternoon was opened by NJ Legislative Speaker Vincent Prieto, a Cuban immigrant, who spoke of his own experience. The panel was then moderated by Assemblywoman Valerie Vanieri Huttle, of the 37th district.

Panelist Michael Wildes, former mayor of Englewood and an immigration attorney, updated the audience on the current situation of migrants in this county. He asserted that “muster zones”–areas where day laborers wait for daily jobs–provide opportunities for employers to treat them as little more than slaves–throwaway cheap labor that they can underpay, overwork, or fail to pay, with impunity. He also said flatly that these laborers do not take jobs from U.S. citizens, and that unions are of little help because they are closely focused on politics.

Wildes cited New York Mayor DeBlasio’s recent move to provide municipal ID cards to workers as a major benefit.

“We are better because of their presence,” Wildes said of the migrants who live in the county. “We must shift our focus to the positive contributions they make, including to the Social Security fund to which they contribute $15 Billion but are only able to take out $1 Billion.”

In the Question and Answer session Wildes responded to an audience member who said, “Why can’t they get in line like the rest of us did,” by saying, “We need more humility before we ask such questions. Many of our Jewish ancestors got here the same way as current migrants–however they could. Before 1937 or 1938 it was illegal for Jews to come here–but they came anyway. Many of us are descendants of these illegal immigrants.”

Kudos to NCJWBCS for a wonderful afternoon.

The Friday, November 14, 2014, RECORD published a long article, “Deportation shield expected,”in which a member of CoFiA was quoted as saying, “I’m hopeful because it’s too depressing not to be.”

The article is by Monsy Alvarado, a staff writer, who publishes frequently on immigration issues. She quotes a White House official as saying that the president has not made a decision regarding the specific measures he will take to fix the nation’s immigration system. But according to the Associated Press, 5 million immigrants living the the country illegally could benefit from a series of executive actions that would shield immigrants from deportation.

Elias Garcia, who helps CoFiA and is also the treasurer of MIGUA, a national organization that helps Guatemalan immigrants living in the United States, said he hopes something will come of it but that he has heard the same rhetoric from elected officials before but nothing has come of it.

If the changes it is reported that Mr. Obama is considering do become a reality, it would be a great benefit to many of our friends who have been here for many years and have American-born children.

It is important for all of us to be on the lookout for people who want to exploit the rumors, especially lawyers and notarios who advise immigrants that they can help them get citizenship although there is no such possibility.

Every year CoFiA provides a free hot lunch on Mondays between November and March to whoever drops in. In addition to the food–almost all donated–workers have an opportunity to sit down and get warm, have some informal conversation with each other, our volunteers, and staff members Elias and Angelica. Elias arranges programs on topics that are important to helping the workers adapt to life in the U.S., which is often difficult, lonely, and discouraging. We also provide music and films to lighten the day.

We welcome all volunteers, especially people who are bilingual and can sit with the workers and hear their stories and their needs. Angelica receives more requests for assistance of all kinds than she can fill. Drop in one Monday and see what is happening!