CPD partners are undeterred by the Supreme Court’s recent failure to uphold the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program, and are not waiting for the results of the election to plan out our federal strategy to push for comprehensive immigration reform. Earlier this month, nearly 40 staff and member leaders from the growing Make the Road family of organizations gathered at Bailey Farms Retreat Center in Ossining, New York to learn together, conduct strategic scenario planning around the outcome of the upcoming election, and develop an ambitious timeline of joint tactics to push for Immigration Reform at the federal level.  

The retreat brought together the long-standing organizing powerhouse Make the Road New York, and its newly launched sister organizations Make the Road Pennsylvania, Make the Road New Jersey and Make the Road Connecticut. Informed by the experiences of community members in New York City, Long Island and smaller immigrant dense cities in PA, NJ, and CT, as well as the immigrant rights agendas of other national entities like United We Dream, the Fair Immigration Reform Movement and the Movement for Black Lives, the group worked together to understand how their local base-building and alliance building efforts could align to create more support for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in Congress and the Executive Branch come next January.

Participants also enjoyed building relationships across state lines and came away excited about the potential of creating a multi-state power block for immigrant justice.  In November, at a post-election CPD gathering, representatives of the group will share their insights with other CPD partners, and learn from the efforts of other groups with similar goals elsewhere in the country. Si Se Puede!

You too can visit Bailey Farms for your next retreat or training event. Our goal is to create a center that is ideally suited for strategic inspiration and planning, a site to offer organizer and leadership trainings, short-term residencies for organizers and leaders, and a safe space to strategize and plan. Learn more about Bailey Farms.