White House Advisor Speaks on President’s Executive Action

With Felicia Escobar, President Obama's top immigration advisor, as a featured speaker, The Community Foundation held a Convening on March 9 to explore the impact on our local community of recent Presidential actions. With more than 175 individuals in attendance at Fair Haven Middle School, Foundation president and CEO Will Ginsberg and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro kicked off the event, and community leaders from Junta for Progressive Action, Unidad Latina en Accion, and CT Students for a DREAM discussed how undocumented immigrants and the community as a whole will benefit from President Obama's actions.

Couldn't attend the event? Read the articles below:

CT Latino News
Obama Expert Tell Undocumented Prepare for Implementation of Executive Action

New Haven Register:
Greater New Haven Residents Air Immigration Concern to Obama Advisor

Monday, March 9th

4:00 - 7:00 pm

Fair Haven K-8 School

164 Grand Avenue, New Haven

Registration is required by Friday, March 6^th.

President Obama's Executive Action of November 2014 will offer the opportunity for undocumented immigrants to stay in the country temporarily, provided they have been living in the U.S. for more than five years, have children who are U.S. citizens, and meet other requirements. It will deploy more resources to the southern border of the U.S. and prioritize deportation for criminals and undocumented immigrants who crossed the border recently. The Executive Action will also streamline the legal immigration process by expanding work authorization for high-skilled workers already in line for a green card.

Ms. Escobar develops the President's strategy for building a 21st-century immigration system. This work involves coordinating efforts across the Executive branch to strengthen the current system and working toward the passage of meaningful, comprehensive immigration reform legislation. She previously served on U.S. Senator Ken Salazar's legislative team, working with him to develop his legislative agenda on a host of issues including labor, civil rights, judicial nominations, and immigration. She advised Sen. Salazar during the comprehensive immigration reform debates of 2006 and 2007 in which Sen. Salazar was a key member of the bipartisan group pressing for reform.

Prior to this, Ms. Escobar was Associate Director of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee. In this role, she helped cultivate relationships between Democratic Leader Tom Daschle and key stakeholder groups, including Latino, immigration, and education advocacy groups. Ms. Escobar started her career as a State Policy Analyst working for the National Council of La Raza. She represented NCLR and its network of affiliates in the Texas State Legislature, testifying before legislative committees to advocate for education, immigrant access to benefits, and hate crimes legislation. She is a native of San Antonio, TX.

Ms. Escobar received an undergraduate degree from Yale University, a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and her J.D. from UCLA School of Law.