title: Grassroots responsiveness to human rights abuse: history of the Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights.
abstract: The purpose of this article is to discuss how a community agency based in Washtenaw County, the Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigration Rights (WICIR), emerged in response to increasing punitive immigration practices and human rights abuses toward the Latino community. The article discusses how WICIR is engaged in advocacy, community education on immigration issues, and political action toward a more humane immigration reform. Detailed examples of human rights abuses and the WICIR activities described in response to the abuses serve as illustrations of social work advocacy, education, and policy formulation that affect the general public, policymakers, and law enforcement officials.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA. createcoun@comcast.net
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.forename: Ramiro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harner
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harner
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Horner
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Delva
mesh_terms: D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000266:history*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006721:Honduras / Q000208:ethnology; D006806:Human Rights / Q000266:history*; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement / Q000266:history*; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan; D012947:Social Work / Q000266:history*