Topinka selected Tietz and three other women from Illinois for the honor. Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon and Attorney General Lisa Madigan also picked four women apiece, recognizing their professional and community accomplishments, during a Women’s History Month celebration at the James R. Thompson Center.

“Monika brings a wealth of experience and insight to Polish Initiative of Chicago,” said Topinka of the Arlington Heights resident. “I appreciate her commitment to the community and dedication to serving in a professional manner.”

Specifically, Comptroller Topinka recognized Monika Tietz, a member of the Polish Initiative of Chicago, who has dedicated herself to immigrant justice issues. She continues to educate the Polish community on immigrant rights, and fights for comprehensive immigrant reform at the federal level.

The celebration kicked off Women’s History Month, and highlighted the courage, creativity and diligence of the honorees. The state constitutional officers detailed the accomplishments of each honoree, and presented plaques to commemorate the occasion. For more information on the Comptroller’s Office, please visit: www.illinoiscomptroller.com.

This Saturday, October 8th (9a-1p), the ICIRR Family Support Network will host a training for people who are interested in becoming Crisis Volunteers for the new 24-hour Deportation Hotline
The best crisis volunteers are people like you: people with the patience to learn new skills and the passion to do what you can to lend a hand.

In order to attend, you must reserve your spot as soon as possible.
To register please click HERE!

Contact Dagmara if you have any questions: dlopez@icirr.org.
Some important facts to know:
* This weekend’s training will be conducted in English.
* The time commitment for Hotline Volunteers.  We expect volunteers to be “on-call” for three 3-hour shifts every week.  The calls will come directly to your phone anywhere.  Even though you will be “on-call” for 9 hours each week, we expect you will only work 2-3 hours/week.  There will be shifts when you receive a flood of calls and there will be shifts when you receive none; this is the unpredictable nature of a crisis hotline.
*Knowledge of Word, Excel, E-mail, how to scan, and google groups is helpful, it will make your volunteering experience easier.

Ask yourself: can you give 2-3 hours/week to families in trouble?

Janina returns to Chicago after a four-year legal and advocacy struggle led by Tony, the Polish Initiative of Chicago, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), filmmaker Ruth Leitman, US Rep. Luis Gutierrez, and other allies. “We are all overjoyed that this day has finally arrived,” said Monika Starczuk, a leader of the Polish Initiative of Chicago and citizenship program coordinator for ICIRR. “We have all worked very hard to help Tony and Janina reunite and resume their lives together here in Chicago.”

Janina arrived in the US in 1989. She and Tony married in 1993, and together they lived the American Dream: They founded a successful cleaning service, bought a house in the Chicago suburbs, and raised their US-born son Brian. Yet Janina was forced to depart in 2007 when the last appeals in her asylum case ran out. Since then, Tony and his supporters waged a public campaign to bring Janina back: Tony, who became a US citizen shortly after Janina’s deportation, testified before the House Immigration Subcommittee, spoke at rallies, and worked with members of Congress and other elected officials. He and Janina also worked with local filmmaker Ruth Leitman to document their struggle.

The separation took a severe toll on the entire family: Without Janina’s management, the business nosedived. Tony lost the house to foreclosure, and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars supporting Janina, traveling to Poland to visit her and Brian (who went to Poland with his mother), and working with lawyers on the case. Tony’s health also suffered from the stress. Janina struggled financially in Poland, and Brian spent key years in his childhood without his father. Ultimately, the hardship of separation proved severe enough to meet the “extreme hardship” standard needed to waive the legal bars that kept Janina out of the United States despite being married to a US citizen.

“It should not come to this,” said US Congressman Luis Gutierrez, who had invited Tony to testify in Congress and who has been one of the family’s champions. “To me, a U.S. citizen whose spouse and child are uprooted to another country is the very definition of ‘extreme hardship.’ It should be a matter of policy and practice that the spouses and parents of U.S. citizens are kept together and not deported unless there is a serious criminal history that warrants harsh measures. Reuniting an American family ought to be the default for our immigration laws, not splitting one apart.”

While celebrating the reunion of the Wasilewski family, ICIRR renewed its call on the Obama Administration to stop deportations that separate families and to offer relief to immigrants with US citizen family members, like Janina. “This administration has deported more than one million people since taking office,” said Fred Tsao, ICIRR policy director. “If this administration truly values families, it must find ways to stop families like the Wasilewskis from being ripped apart. It should not take a foreclosure, a collapsed family business, a heart attack, thousands of dollars of legal fees, and a motion picture to keep a family together.”

After four long years, Tony Wasilewski will be reunited with his wife Janina and their son Brian on U.S. soil. In June 2007, Janina was forced to leave the United States for Poland after receiving a final deportation order. Her departure outraged and saddened Tony’s family and friends, as well as the Chicago-area Polish community. However, Tony himself endured the greatest hardship, as he had built his life around Janina and Brian. Knowing he couldn’t live without them, he decided to do everything possible to reunite his family in the U.S.

Tony sought help in the Polish immigrant community and soon met a group of politically and socially engaged young adults. Together, in March 2007, they formed a grassroots organization called the Polish Initiative of Chicago (PIC). The group was determined to make a difference for both Tony and the many others who are affected by U.S. immigration policy. They immediately began working to organize the Polish immigrant community around Tony’s cause and the broader cause of federal immigration reform. These goals led them to undertake a range of activities, including circulating petitions, registering Polish voters, developing dialogues with local political leaders, educating the Polish community on immigrant issues, and working to engage more Polish immigrants in local and national issues. To this day, PIC continues to carry out these and other activities, all in the interest of improving the lives of immigrants.

The case of Tony and Janina goes back to the time when Janina immigrated to the U.S. in 1989. Fleeing the Communist government of Poland, she immediately filed for asylum upon arriving in Chicago. Not long after this, she met Tony and they fell in love, marrying in 1993. Despite this joyful event, Janina’s application for asylum was soon denied and she received a deportation order. Then, in an immigration court hearing in 1995, the judge ordered Janina to “voluntarily depart,” but due to the fact that no one in the courtroom explained the process to her, including the judge, Janina didn’t understand exactly what had happened. She decided to stay with Tony while he was obtaining his green card. During this time, Tony and Janina began building their “American dream.” They opened their own business and bought a house in the suburbs. The greatest joy of all, however, came in 2001, when their son Brian was born. Four years later, Janina tried to reopen her immigration case, but the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals refused. The family’s life came crashing to a halt when Janina was ordered to depart the United States on June 8, 2007. Amidst a swarm of family, friends, PIC members, and local media, Tony bid farewell to his wife and son at O’Hare airport, not knowing what lay ahead.

Unfortunately, Janina and Brian’s four years of absence have taken a heavy toll on Tony. He has incurred over $120,000 in legal costs in his struggle to bring them home. Also, he has lost over 60% of his business and was forced to short sell the family’s home in 2010. Greater than any of these calculable financial hardships, however, has been the psychological suffering. Tony has endured deep emotional distress and anguish, as well as suicidal thoughts. Moreover, he had a minor heart attack and has experienced various other physical ailments.

Nonetheless, he never gave up. And, despite his frustration, his love for the United States never waned. Four months after Janina’s deportation, Tony became a naturalized U.S. citizen, taking the oath with pride. Together with the Polish Initiative of Chicago, he took an active role in the fight for federal immigration reform. He participated in dozens of immigration events in Chicago and also in the Dreams Across America tour, a national effort that gathered hundreds of immigrants in Washington, D.C. to tell their immigration stories. He also attended numerous other rallies in Washington and even testified in front of the Congressional Subcommittee on Immigration in 2007, pleading Janina’s case. Tony has also taken an active part in engaging the Polish community through efforts such as signing up newly naturalized U.S. citizens and encouraging them to go out and vote. So far, he and PIC colleagues have registered over 1,100 voters. Also, thanks to the work of PIC and a documentary by Ruth Leitman called “Tony and Janina’s American Wedding,” Tony’s story is well-known in Chicago and around the country as one of the many cases that illustrate how families struggle against the U.S. immigration system.

Ultimately, the efforts of PIC, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and the many other groups involved helped make it possible for Janina to return to the U.S. The letters and appeals from priests, family, friends, PIC, and politicians like Rep. Luis Gutierrez and Sen. Dick Durbin that were sent to the U.S. Immigration Field Office in Vienna, Austria all contributed to the eventual overturn of the decision by the Department of Homeland Security in June 2011. Tony will finally be reunited with his wife and son in Chicago on August 8th, 2011. Janina has also been offered a green card upon arrival in the United States, which will help them again start working on their American dream.

For the Polish Initiative of Chicago, the positive resolution of Tony’s case proves that cooperation, perseverance, and community engagement can bring about meaningful improvements in the lives of immigrants. But the celebration will be short, because many challenges lie ahead—and there will be no rest until Congress passes comprehensive immigration reform that both lays out a road to citizenship for all immigrants living in the U.S. today and establishes more sensible border policies for those who might decide to immigrate to the U.S. in the future.

The afternoon started with Polish Initiative member reading testimonies about subjects ranging from economic development to education to healthcare. Every member followed their testimony with a question asking Mr. Mulroe’s opinion on the issue. Afterward, the floor was open to the voters. Voters actively and eagerly engaged Mr.Mulroe in questions about his views and opinions on many topics that affect Illinois.

Apart from meeting the candidate, voters were able to familiarize themselves or practice using the electronic voting machines. Also, Polish Initiative of Chicago encouraged those present, including Mr. Mulroe, to participate in the One Nation, One Dream campaign by signing a postcard pledging that they will pressure those in public office and themselves to help suppress racism and educate their communities about the dangers of it, strengthen family ties, especially in immigrant families, and grant immigrants equal and fair economic representation in funding of programs like ESL and citizenship classes.
Overall, voters were excited about meeting the candidate that might represent them, getting to the polls, and voting.

Many of you have met Tony at some point during the last three years – whether it was while marching in downtown Chicago, watching him testify in front of the Congress, or registering new voters in suburban Polish churches. He is still fighting for his family and doing all he can to bring them back.
Every day in the U.S. 1,100 families are broken up by deportations. This is the story of just one such family…
Please take a minute and send a letter to President Obama asking him to reverse Janina’s deportation order www.icirr.org/tony

Chicago Reader calls the movie “…window onto our absurdly byzantine and arbitrary immigration controls, which tear apart hundreds of thousands of comparably blameless families every year.”

www.ruthlessfilms.com
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www.tonyanadjanina.com

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The next scenario explained that we should not open the door for the police if they do have an appropriate warrant and we should not sign any documents. The last, and most popular scenario, presented how to act when you are stopped by the police while driving. The presentation lasted for over an hour and people in the audience took an active part in the meeting by participating in the discussion, asking questions, and sharing their own experiences. The next meeting from the “Know Your Rights” series will take place at the beginning of November in the Jesuit Millennium Center.

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It all can change now thanks to introduction of the Dream Act, that would allow children brought to the United States in young age by their parents to pursue a higher education and apply for FAFSA, while possibly opening the path to citizenship. We have a week to convince our politicians that is crucial. Call Senator McConnell and Congressman Kirk now to tell them to vote yes for Dream Act.
Senator McConnell: (202) 224-2541
Congressman Kirk: (202) 225-4835
Click HERE to send them a fax!

The event, part of the May Day protests, was one of many rallies that took place across the country.

But this year, even more people participated and many believe that is fueled in large part by the passage of Arizona’s new law which makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. without valid immigration status.

Congressman Gutierrez, along w 40 other students, clergy, leaders, were  arrested during a rally in Washington, DC. He and a group of protestors walked to a fence around the White House and said they would not move until an immigration reform bill was signed.

foto: Wojtek Gil

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“I didn’t have the pleasure of traveling by bus or van like the rest of the crew. I flew into the town of Sterling, Virginia on Friday night. On Saturday morning I was in downtown Washington. Because I wanted to get acquainted with the legislative process, I started my trip at the Capitol, where I was shown around. I also had the pleasure of witnessing a vote in the House of Representatives. All day Saturday I was following the path that we would be marching on the next day.

Sunday was an exciting day. The weather was perfect—it was sunny and warm, about 25°C. I met up with the rest of the members of the Polish Initiative at about 11:30am in front of the White House. The emotions were incredible. I’d say that you could feel the energy and positive vibrations from the gathering crowd of people. We were all there for the same reason—immigration reform. It didn’t matter where you were from—on this day we were all united. Shoulder to shoulder, we marched and shouted out slogans in English, Polish and Spanish. The energy and strength of the crowd were incredible. We made it to the Capitol. Actually, we stopped between the Capitol and the Washington Monument. There were more than 200,000 of us. On stages that had been set up people told their stories. Luis Gutierrez himself was there and gave a speech. Even president Obama expressed his support for us as immigrants and for immigration reform. The march and the day inspired new hope in me that we can push through immigration reform.”
–Gosia Kousiakis

“When I found out about the date of the march I knew I had to be there. A white lie at work got me a day off on Monday, and then the march became real! We meet at an elementary school in the afternoon. A big group of Latinos is traveling with is (well, actually we’re traveling with them!). We go for a little expedition to the White Sox stadium. There are a few dozen buses, a few TV cameras, and about 500 people. We stand out because of our beloved white-and-red flags and Solidarity flags. The latter stirred a lot of interest among the Latinos. There were a few inspirational speeches and then it was onward to the Capitol. Start shaking, you bureaucrats! The Poles are coming! We traveled there with a festive atmosphere. The police never stopped us, even though they were waiting to catch people along the side of the road. After a short breakfast about an hour outside of the capital we start moving toward our destination. The city is clean, wide open and still a little sleepy. We park near the Capitol at a parking meter. We don’t have to pay, because just like somebody said, “This is a normal city where you don’t have to pay for parking on Sunday.” (Thanks, Mayor Daley!) We look around some. The weather is perfect—the sun is shining and it’s warm! At about 11:00am our compatriots start showing up at our gathering spot. We paint our banners, get dressed up and we’re ready for action! The atmosphere is idyllic and family-like, everybody feels good, and you can feel some excitement—there are supposed to be 100,000 people!

A short stroll and we’re already at the rally that’s supposed to get us pumped up. Politicians, union leaders and volunteers give speeches. It’s happy and we cheer, “Yes, we can!” in Polish, which gets other national groups excited too. After 12:00 we start moving to the main rally. There’s a mass of people in colored clothes with all kinds of slogans. There aren’t many flags other than the American flags. I saw flags from Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina, and our Polish flags. There are tons of American flags, though, which I think is a great idea, given that those who are against immigration reform accuse the participants of not having any attachment to the U.S.A. There’s an idyllic atmosphere, just like at a family gathering. Everyone is smiling at one another, dancing, singing, joking around. Some different politicians and activists give speeches—and probably also some cynical opportunists. Luis Gutierrez made the best impression on me. He described immigrants’ situation in strong words. I felt like the guy was telling it straight from his heart and deserved to raise a glass of vodka with some Poles. At the end, Mr. Obama gave a speech, but he spoke in his style—superficial, round-about and without any specifics. I had the impression that he recorded the speech really quickly, when he saw how many people had come for the rally. We go around town a little bit and then we get in the van. Everybody is so worn out that we don’t even want a beer. We pack up and start onto the road back home. The return is uneventful and by about 8:00 Monday morning we’re back in Chicago. The trip was a total success—we made a little stir and we got to know each other better.

Thanks to the Polish Initiative for organizing the trip. These are cool, positive people who don’t just talk nonsense—they act. Support your local PIC! Immigration reform now!”
–Maciej Golko

“For me this march—the first such march in my life—was something really exceptional. I really felt that I’m a little piece of something important—I felt like someone who’s fighting for something really big. The crowd of incredible, spontaneous, miraculous Latinos fired up my emotions, and at certain moments I called out all various slogans like wild, which was for me—someone who’s usually calm and doesn’t say much—something I’d never done before. The Latinos didn’t surprise me, but now they’re my heroes. I’m full of admiration for them and I hope that all Poles living in the U.S. are aware of this and appreciate how much they’re doing for this issue.

I think that our group, the Polish Initiative, is getting a lot stronger. We were a pretty small group in Washington, but we did a lot of work. People could see and hear us. Through our presence we made it known how important new immigration legislation is for Poles. We did a lot to get Polish media interested in the march, which will surely pay off in the future, and I’m hoping it will bring more people into our group. Additionally, there were a few really interesting people in our group, for example, Janusz (the man with the Solidarity flag), Maciek, and the married couple of highlanders from the mountains in Southern Poland (I don’t remember their names). It would be great to keep them in the group and encourage them on to further engagement.

I think that for the next such trip for a march we should hire a bus and DO EVERYTHING OR EVEN MORE to fill up the bus with marchers. I’m sure it’s possible, if we just organize a little better and put more time into it!”
–Pawel Guziec

“On Sunday, March 21, 2010 for the first time in my life I felt that I’m fighting for something important. On this day, over 200,000 people gathered in Washington—older people, younger people, children, the disabled, the lonely, the happy, the believers. We all came there on this day to show that we’re all the same. We all have the same rights. On this day, it didn’t matter what your skin color is, or how much you earn, or your health, or the group that you belong to, or your social status. On this day it mattered that you were there and you believed! With tears in my eyes I watched women holding pictures of their children from whom they were separated. With tears in my eyes I watched men holding signs with hourglasses showing the missing family members—empty spaces that that no one or nothing can fill. Never in my life did I encounter so much tragedy in one place. We were there to fight for our rights. We were there to show our unity, and the strength of our fight and our actions for a better tomorrow. We won! We won because we’re still fighting and we don’t want to give up. We won because we are fighting for our rights, we are fighting for people.” – Agata

“Hearing about 200, 000 people getting to a political march is impressive. However, seeing 200,000 people marching with energy, pride and joy is more than impressive. It can change your mind.  For a long time I have been mired in the cynical view that only money and power have an affect on political outcomes. What the march taught me is that if people choose to come together in support of a common cause, then it is these people (not the tools of power) who create the changes they want to see in the country. While reform is not here yet, just seeing so many happy, engaged faces showed me that change is already happening on the ground and that Congress will have to catch up to it.

It is ironic that Immigrants had to teach me this lesson about the country in which I was born. I guess sometimes it takes an outside perspective to show you what possible right under your nose is. My thanks go out to the Polish Initiative of Chicago who welcomed me with open arms. Your generosity is a model for the United States on how to treat newcomers.

Tak mozemy! ” – James Tracy

The Polish Initiative thanks all the participants in the March for America. Thanks to all of you we believe that what we’re doing is really meaningful! You’re the driving force of the organization! The organization exists for you and thanks to you!

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