En Español
 

                  CAUSA is a statewide, grassroots coalition of over sixty Latino,
            African American, Asian American, Native American, gay/lesbian,
            labor, religious, student, health, human service, business and education
            organizations.  Our mission is to promote immigrants/rights and well
            being, and to counter the growing anti immigrant agenda in Oregon.
                 The coalition was founded in the fall of 1995 as CAUSA and
            focused on defeating four anti-immigrant ballot initiatives, which were
            being prepared for circulation to Oregon voters.  These initiatives were
            patterned after California's Proposition 187 and sought to deny
            benefits, driving privileges and public education to undocumented
            persons while enlisting police, public officials and educators as
            immigration agents.  The sponsors failed to qualify any of the
            initiatives for the November 1996 ballot, in part due to CAUSA '96's
            efforts to educate the public about the real premises and probable
            impacts of the proposed initiatives.
                  During 1997 and part of 1998, CAUSA conducted more than 50
            meetings in 33 cities and towns throughout the state.  These meetings
            were convened in order to raise awareness in immigrant communities
            about civil and human rights, as well as to organize community
            self-defense initiatives against heightened raids by the Immigration and
            Naturalization Service (INS). We have played an active role in
            developing several local networks, each comprised of a dozen or more
            participating organizations.  CAUSA has had further success in
            obtaining resolutions from the City of Salem and Marion County
            which limit local agency and police collaboration with the INS.
                  In light of continuing local attacks on immigrants' rights and the
            escalation of anti-immigrant activity at the national level (including
            federal immigration and welfare legislation), CAUSA has broadened its
            vision to include long-term programs that 1) build immigrant
            leadership, 2) increase civic participation and awareness of civil rights
            among immigrants, 3) expand collaboration/coordination among
            organizations directly serving immigrants and allied organizations, 4)
            counter nativism and scapegoating by raising public awareness of
            immigrants in Oregon and 6) respond to legislative attacks against
            immigrants' rights and benefits.
                 We deliberated another important victory in March of 1998 when
            the groups who had sponsored the Proposition 187-style initiative two
            years earlier abandoned their renewed effort to gather signatures for
            two initiatives they had submitted once again.  Later that year, we
            joined with farm worker unions and advocates across the nation to
            defeat proposals in Congress for a new Bracero program through H-2A
            guest worker legislation.  CAUSA mobilized popular opposition against
            co-sponsoring the US Senators Gordon Smith R-OR) and Ron
            Wyden (D-OR) through 19 actions in two months.  The guestworker bill
            was slashed in October, largely thanks to our unified national
            resistance.  Currently, CAUSA is organizing against any attempts this
                  Congressional session to push new Bracero legislation while we
            continue our efforts to build a strong and effective movement for
            immigrants' rights in our state and region.