As Immigration Raids Continue, Princeton Shows Local Support

Candace Braun

While immigration raids continue throughout Mercer County, with three taking place within hours of each other on January 13, Princeton is finding ways to show local support for those in the community who are feeling fear in these uncertain times.

The Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund (LALDEF) will be holding its first fundraiser on Friday, January 21, to raise donations for the local Latino community. Funds raised by the event will be used to underwrite LALDEF's immigration reform advocacy efforts, an Immigration Hotline Program, and to assist immigrant families with legal expenses in obtaining legal residency, and appealing deportation proceedings.

Created in the fall of 2004, LALDEF grew out of the Latin American Task Force, a coalition of Princeton area agencies and individuals that has been helping the local Latino community in various ways for more than a decade. In response to the recent increase in the level of immigration enforcement in the community, those in the task force have joined with other concerned Princeton area residents to form a new group that could raise funds to address some of the many problems faced by this community.

Operating as an affiliate of the Quaker Settlement at Stony Brook, a non-profit organization, LALDEF expects to continue to rely primarily on community volunteers for its work.

The theme of the organization's fundraiser is "Latin Fiesta," a celebration of Hispanic dance and music. Featuring performances of the colorful traditional dances of Jalisco and Oaxaca, by the Ballet Folklorico of Princeton University, and La Guelaguetza, an amateur dance group from New Brunswick, the program will be held on Friday at 7 p.m., at Trinity Church, located at 33 Mercer Street.

Pasion Latina, the Princeton High School student group, will also dance to the sound of more modern Latin rhythms. Adult students of classical Spanish dance from the Arts Council, Danza Española de Princeton, will perform some fiery Flamenco numbers.

The highlight of the evening will be the opportunity for members of the audience to get on the dance floor and learn some cool moves from two professional Latin dance instructors, Isabel "Chiqui" Garcia and Rafael Benitez.

Participants will also partake of a delicious array of food, donated by various Princeton area establishments, including Cox Caterers, The Ferry House, and Main Street, among others. Those attending are also invited to bring along other food items to share.

Early arrival is suggested to insure admission. Tax-deductible contributions will be collected at the door, and the suggested donation is $25 and up. Contributions can also be made by check payable to QSSB (Quaker Settlement at Stony Brook) and mailed to LALDEF, P.O. Box 80, 08542-0080.

For more information, call (609) 713-6616.

Ask a Lawyer

Princeton attorneys are also making themselves available to the community, in the "Ask-a-Lawyer" series, a program offering free legal advice on immigration and other legal issues.

Lawyers Tatiana Durbak, Edward S. Kahn, and Ryan Stark Lilienthal, a former Borough Councilman who recently advocated for Borough Police to not participate in government immigration raids, will be available to the community on Monday, January 24, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the large assembly room at the back of Nassau Presbyterian Church, located at 61 Nassau Street.

The program, which will provide both Spanish and Russian translators, is co-sponsored by the Latin American Task Force, the Housing Authority of the Borough of Princeton, the Mercer County Bar Association, and the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

This is the fourth year the free program has been offered to the Princeton community, said Mr. Lilienthal, adding that a total of four programs are held throughout the year to answer questions on immigration law or other legal areas the community may have concerns about.

For more information, call (609) 987-9600.