Immigration Services from Core
Immigration Counseling
Congress of Racial Quality has long been involved in the struggle for the rights of immigrants. Working closely with Senate and House sponsors, CORE played a major role in developing the final language and winning approval for one of the most sweeping reforms of our country’s immigration laws—the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) also known as the Simpson-Rodino Act. This legislation established a process by which certain undocumented aliens living in the United States could receive amnesty and apply for legal status.
CORE’s long established record of assistance to the immigrant community and the organization’s successful involvement in creating the new policy led to its selection by the Department of Justice as a National Coordinating Agency (NCA). This special designation is shared by only eight (8) other nationally and internationally known organizations across the country and affords the organization an on-going role in developing regulations and procedures affecting immigration policy in America. CORE is the only civil rights organization with this prestigious designation. In addition, CORE was named a Qualified Designated Agency (QDE) certified to assist immigrants in applying for legal status and authorized by the Immigration Department to conduct classes in English and Civics and to administer tests for citizenship.
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CORE first became involved in immigration matters in 1968 particularly as they relate to immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean. CORE found that undocumented aliens from Black, Latino and Oriental countries were being exploited by unscrupulous individuals and were a prime source of cheap labor for the infamous "sweat shops" in urban areas across the country. The fear of being discovered by immigration officials and being deported back to their native counties was an effective tool in keeping them silent and obedient. CORE teaches immigrants to exercise their basic civil and human rights in order to recognize and to prevent the abuse to which so many are constantly being subjected to.Today, CORE operates a network of Immigration Counseling Centers staffed with counselors and volunteers trained to handle a variety of immigration problems.