Special Sessions
In addition to the issue area Tracks, NIIC features a number of Special Sessions which may touch on additional topics or address late-breaking developments / emergency response efforts. Like the NIIC Tracks, these sessions are organized by NIIC Stakeholders and vary from year to year. They take place during the Track Blocks; for the NIIC schedule day-by-day, see here.
A Changed Political Landscape: Implications for Funders and the Immigration Rights Field
The political landscape for moving pro-immigrant policies forward faces a very different future post-election. Come explore the implications for funding nationally and locally with funders and colleagues. Together, we will explore the way forward and funding for groups, coalitions, and the immigrant rights movement. We will address capacity building, movement building, and increasing funding for immigration and asylum. This panel will prioritize Q and A with the audience.
Moderator: Xiomara Corpeno, Program Officer, Four Freedoms Fund (she/her; they/them)
Speakers:
Sara Campos, Senior Program Officer, Grove Foundation (she/her)
Chhandasi Pandya Patel, Director of Inclusive Democracy, Four Freedoms Fund (she/her)
Marissa Tirona, President, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (she/her)
Beyond Bootstraps: Narrative Findings, Strategies and Action Plans
For over a decade, the immigrant rights movement has pioneered narrative change strategies to reshape public views on immigration—and our research reveals a huge, persuadable audience ready for transformation. Yet, these groundbreaking insights are distributed across reports and organizations. In this dynamic session, join leading voices from Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Equis, and the Butterfly Lab alongside new cutting-edge research from Harmony Labs and Define American. Discover how popular culture and strategic storytelling can sway public opinion and uncover opportunities to turn research into actionable change. We’ll connect the dots between media influence and research-driven narrative strategies, revealing how to captivate persuadable audiences and amplify our collective impact.
Moderator: Sarah E. Lowe, Director of Narrative Research + Evaluation, Define American, (she/her/hers)
Speakers:
Riki Conrey, Principal Scientist, Harmony Labs (she/her/hers)
Jelmarie Maldonado Rodriguez, Deputy Director of Narrative, Equis (she/her/ella)
Najah Springer, Communications Associate, Black Alliance for Just Immigration (she/her/hers)
Janelle Treibitz, Narrative Strategy Consultant & former Research Lead, Butterfly Lab (she/her/hers)
Digital Strategy 301: Rapid Response Fundraising
Interested in learning more about rapid response fundraising? Understand the importance of prioritizing rapid response moments and prepare to create a rapid response fundraising plan for your organization.
Speakers:
Shayda Sales, Movement, Issues & Charitable Organizations Outreach Associate, ActBlue (she/her)
The Evolution of Citizenship and the Promise of American Identity
What does it mean to be an American? How has the United States defined citizenship over time? The definition of U.S. citizenship has determined who belongs in this country and who does not. Panelists will explore the fight of Black Americans, Asian Americans, and Indigenous Americans to be recognized as citizens; the tension between expansionist U.S. territorial ambitions and recognition of the people of those territories as Americans; and the limitations of citizenship in a framework grounded in white supremacy. In this session, panelists situate the struggle for just migration in the broader racial and social justice movement as we seek the promise of equality and justice for all in our multiracial democracy.
Moderator: Ivy O. Suriyopas, Vice President of Programs, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (she/her)
Speakers:
Jannette Diep, Executive Director & DOJ-Accredited Representative, Boat People SOS Houston (she/her)
Amaha Kassa, Founder & Executive Director, African Communities Together (he/him)
Ashley Taylor, Partnerships & Strategic Initiatives Senior Associate, World Education Services Mariam Assefa Fund (she/her)
Expose and Counter: How Hate Impacts Immigrant Communities
Forces of hate, exclusion and oppression are organizing behind an anti-immigrant agenda. Extremist groups and hardliner politicians are pushing anti-immigrant policies and dragging hateful rhetoric into the mainstream, both at the national and local level. At the center of this is a convergence of anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ+ ideology, which has real effects on LGBTQ+ people, immigrant communities and people at the intersections of those lived experiences. This track will gather experts working in the immigration advocacy and countering hate space to provide a snapshot of the issues and offer ways to respond to anti-immigrant extremism and work toward upholding inclusive democracy that works for us all.
Moderator: Caleb Kieffer, Senior Research Analyst, Southern Poverty Law Center (he/him)
Speakers:
Freddy Cruz, Program Manager for Monitoring and Training, Western States Center (he/him)
Brian Nunez, Senior Policy Associate, Southern Poverty Law Center (he/him)
Yuna Oh, Research Associate, America’s Voice (she/her)
Rosario Palacios, Co-Founder/Executive Director, GA Familias Unidas (she/her; they/them)
Governing for Belonging: How We Can Keep Advancing the Vision
A government “of the people, by the people, for the people” is a core value in our democracy. Now, more than ever, we need to enable as many people as possible to participate in the democratic process. Join us to discuss what is needed of leaders inside and outside of government for the coming era to increase the government's commitment to supporting immigrant belonging? What insights can those working inside public institutions share about the opportunities and challenges to creating and growing the commitment to equitable policies and practices? How can government partners increase civic participation, immigrant leadership, and trust when democratic norms are under threat?
Hear from local and federal government office leaders and come ready to join with participants to discuss how we navigate this new era and the concrete steps we can take to move forward.
Moderator: Ramya Reddy, Federal Policy Manager, National Partnership for New Americans
Speakers:
Natalie El-Diery, Director of US Policy, World Education Services
Khalida Loyd, Director of Mayor's Office of Human Rights & Equity, City of New Orleans
Eva Milona, Director of Partnerships of Engagement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Rachel Peric, Executive Director, Welcoming America
Rocio Villalobos, Equity and Inclusion Program Manager, City of Austin Equity Office of Immigrant Affairs (invited)
How to Respond to Harassment and Practice Resilience
This training is a workshop that emphasizes building resilience and long-term healing for those who have experienced anti-Asian harassment. You’ll learn how your identities can shape your experiences of harassment and the impact that harassment has on you and your community. We’ll take a deep dive into how to build your resilience on an individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and societal front. You’ll leave with new tools on how to respond to harassment, whether your response is in the moment while that harassment is happening or long-term.
Speakers:
Eugene Lee,Advocacy & Programs Lead, OCA-Greater Houston (he/him)
Tam Lo, Advocacy & Programs Lead, OCA-Greater Houston (she/they)
Still A Nation of Refugees and Immigrants Post Elections
NIIC represents a wide spectrum of immigrant, refugee, and displaced diaspora issues. This session is informative and thought-provoking for a variety of stakeholders including advocates, service providers, legal providers, and government stakeholders. Our goal is to share both data and first hand experiences from Immigrant serving organizations on the ground at the border, current immigrant data, while proposing innovative ideas to advance a local, state, national immigrant inclusion agenda. We are a nation of refugees as individuals are fleeing to the US due to political and climate crises happening in their home countries. We will share data on our ERI Naturalization maps that have been uplifted by campaigners in the most recent elections. We will highlight data from our California Immigrant Data Portal (CIDP) on numbers of Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and New Arrivals. As migrants relocate from one place to another, they are destabilized due to fixed borders, lack of advancement in federal policies, boundaries, and displaced families. We will be joined by CHIRLA And Haitian Bridge Alliance to share qualitative data and storytelling on their rapid response work with busloads of immigrant families arriving in CA from Texas, and working closely with Black and Central Americans immigrants at the Mexico border. Data will be pulled from: Naturalization Maps and National Equity Atlas.
Moderator: Dr. Kim Tabari, External Affairs Director, USC Equity Research Institute (she/her)
Speakers:
Khia Duncan, Data Analyst II, USC Equity Research Institute (she/her/hers)
Cecily S Ma, Migrant Emergency Program Manager, CHIRLA (she/they)
Daniel Tse, Haitian Bridge Alliance (he/him)
Firewall for Freedom: How States and Cities Can Fight Trump’s Mass Deportations
In the face of the Trump administration’s unprecedented mass deportation drive, we need a Firewall For Freedom to ensure state and local officials do not voluntarily assist in attacking immigrants and their families. Learn about work already underway to mobilize activists and engage elected officials; how you can help build a Firewall; and the Firewall for Freedom playbooks and other activist resources.
Moderator: Sarah Mehta, Senior Counsel, ACLU
Speakers:
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition
Amy Fischer, Director of Refugee and Migrant Rights, Amnesty International USA
Naureen Shah, Deputy Director of Government Affairs, ACLU