This one-day Immigration Navigator training is ideal for staff and volunteers of organizations that serve immigrants and who are interested in building their capacity to support immigrants through the complex immigration legal system and defend their rights in this harsh political climate.  It will take place in at Trinity Church’s Marfield Room, 317 Delaware Ave, Saturday 4/1 from 9:30-5:30pm. Click here to sign up.

After the completion of this training, participants will have the information and tools to provide immigrant community members with a “Know-Your-Right” training and enable them to assert their rights in the health and education systems, in their interactions with their landlords and with law enforcement (Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE), Customs Border Protection (CBP), and local police). After the training, the participants will have the necessary information and tools to share with community members about combating hate crime. The participants will also be equipped with information and tools to help community members in forming a family safety plan in the event of immigration detention or arrest.

The training includes the following topics: (1) an overview of the demographics of the immigrant communities in US and NYS; (2) a review of the immigration policies in the Obama Administration and a discussion of possible ones in the Trump Administration; (3) basic immigration history; (4) a basic overview of immigration law; (5) an explanation of the Community Navigator model; (6) best practices in avoiding unauthorized practice of law and combating immigration fraud; (7) discussion of basic rights in the US, regardless of immigration status; (8) designing a family safety plan and gathering documents in the event of interactions with law enforcement (ICE, CBP, and local police); (9) fighting hate crime; and, (10) effective outreach & planning strategies.

Staff members, including but not limited to legal assistants, volunteers, and community members who would like to help their fellow community members would all benefit from this training. This training is not designed for attorneys and will not focus on law. Attorneys however may benefit from learning about the Community Navigator model and working with community members to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.

After the trainings, participants are encouraged to keep in touch with New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) to receive additional Navigator trainings on other related topics, such as naturalization, workers’ rights, etc. To become a fully trained community navigator, participants will also be provided information and encouraged to work with organizational members of NYIC to engage in and/or coordinate events in which they can provide services to immigrants and get experience navigating community members.

This training is free of charge and open to the community.  The only current requirement for participation in this training is the participant’s commitment to adhere to the Statement of Principles after training.