WASHINGTON, D.C. – Overlooked in the national dialogue and media coverage of immigration reform are the lives and experiences of Black immigrants.

These immigrants, mostly from Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, will descend on the Capitol Wednesday, March 20 from around the country to show the diversity of immigrants while sharing their stories of how the criminalization of immigrants has impacted their lives.

"It all started in 2007, when I was pulled over by an unmarked NYPD car for no reason. I was arrested for a suspended license for an unpaid ticket. At the precinct, they sent a plainclothes Pakistani detective to interview me about my travels, my associations, and my religious and political beliefs.

As plans for immigration reform legislation move forward, many in Congress are tying any reform to mandatory employment verification programs, particularly E-Verify. As these conversations progress, Rights Working Group held a conference call with experts titled, "E-verify, Privacy Rights and Racial Profiling," to look at how a mandatory E-Verify program will affect all people living and working in the United States. [SEE RESOURCES ON E-VERIFY]

Speakers:

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A new report released this week, Mapping Muslims: NYPD Spying and its Impact on American Muslims ,reveals how unwarranted surveillance programs based on racial and religious profiling have impacted New York’s Muslim communities, encouraging fear and mistrust of law enforcement.

Since 9/11, Muslims in New York City and other cities and states in the Northeast have faced a systemic pattern of surveillance by the NYPD, FBI and CIA, as documented by the Associated Press in 2011. As DRUM began organizing around and protesting discriminatory surveillance programs, an informant was sent into their organization to und