Linda Olson-Osterlund welcomes Andrea Williams, the Executive Director of Causa....Oregon's Immigrant Rights Organization founded in 1995 by farmworkers, Latinos, immigrants, and allies in order to defeat ballot measures that would have negatively impacted the lives of Latino families in Oregon. Causa works at the state and national levels to advance issues that impact the daily lives of Latino immigrant families. Some of these issues include immigration reform, driver licenses, access to higher education, economic justice, and health equity.
• Causa has played an important role advocating with Latino immigrants at the state Capitol. Through diverse coalitions, Causa defeated dozens of anti-immigrant bills, and has passed proactive new laws including Tuition Equity, the Safe Roads Act, Tuition Equity 2.0, Paid Sick Days, and increasing the Minimum Wage for all workers.
• For the last 10 years, Causa has advocated for immigration reform in a national coalition. We launched ambitious campaigns to raise visibility around the issue, educated our elected representatives, and trained immigrant families to tell their story to the media and the public. As a result, President Obama created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, providing temporary relief from deportation, a work permit, and in Oregon, a driver license, for eligible undocumented youth.
• Between 2013-14 Causa’s Citizenship Program assisted 182 Legal Permanent Residents in Cornelius, Hillsboro, Gresham, Salem, Woodburn, and Portland to complete their naturalization application at no cost to them. Causa served another 250 immigrants seeking citizenship by providing them with references to trusted attorney offices and education on the process and how to prepare. This saved immigrant families living in Oregon approximately $197,000 in legal fees and application fee waivers for low-income individuals.
• Since 2013, Causa assisted over 300 immigrant youth apply and get approved for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, temporarily protecting them from deportation, allowing them to get a work permit, and apply for a driver license. In 2014, Causa worked in collaboration with other nonprofit legal service providers to host a DACA renewal clinic, helping another 30 renew their status for another 2 years.
- KBOO