Dozens of advocacy groups, many led by young immigrants to the United States, are springing up to put pressure on Congress to change America’s citizenship laws.
With both the White House and Republicans doing all they can to court increasingly powerful Hispanic voters, the new activists are adding bold and confrontational tactics to the strategies older nonprofits have tried for decades as they seek to help the nation’s 11 million undocumented workers.
The infusion of more activist groups and the changed political environment means “it’s a whole new ballgame for us,” says Clarissa Martínez-De-Castro, director of immigration and civic engagement at the National Council of La Raza, the nation’s largest advocacy group for Hispanics and a leader among veteran groups that have long worked to help immigrants. Read the Chronicle of Philanthropy
