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Joshua Hoyt
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Joshua Hoyt has been the director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights since May of 2002. During that time the Coalition has fought vigorously for citizenship for the undocumented, to protect civil liberties in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001, and for a full integration of immigrants into community life in the U.S. The Coalition has helped to make Illinois one of the most immigrant friendly states in the U.S.

In recent years the Coalition has led successful campaigns to win in-state college tuition for undocumented students in Illinois; health care and pre-school for all Illinois children regardless of immigration status; won recognition for the Consular I.D. (Matricula Consular) in Illinois; won a strengthened Day Labor Protections Act; and passed a "Charity Without Fear" Resolution calling for the protection of Muslim charitable giving (Zakat). In November of 2005 Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signed the first in the nation "New Americans Executive Order", creating a proactive policy for immigrant integration in Illinois.

In 2006 ICIRR assisted in the organizing of the historic Chicago "mega-marches" of March 10 and May 1, with over 300,000 and 700,000 marchers respectively, calling on the U.S. Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

In 2004 the Coalition launched the "New Americans Initiative" for citizenship in partnership with the State of Illinois. This unique partnership has led to a 56% increase in applications for U.S. citizenship in Illinois. Since 2005 ICIRR and its partners have assisted over 32,000 immigrants fill out their citizenship applications; conducted over 565 citizenship workshops; and responded to over 183,000 requests for citizenship assistance.

In addition the "New Americans Democracy Project" has registered over 56,000 new immigrant voters since 2004, and has worked in the 2004, 2006, and now the 2008 elections to run a non-partisan GOTV (Get Out The Vote) campaign in 20 different suburban and city communities.

During this time the Coalition has grown from a $1.8 million dollar a year budget to a $5.6 million budget, and increased from 9 to 25 employees.

Josh has worked a total of 28 years as an organizer for social justice in Chicago, Baltimore, and in the countries of Spain, Peru, and Panama. This includes eight years of work in the poorest Latino communities of Chicago; four years as the executive director of the Organization of the NorthEast (O.N.E.), a community organization in the diverse Uptown and Edgewater communities of Chicago; the organizing of low wage workers in Baltimore, Maryland in a campaign that resulted in the first "Living Wage" ordinance in the nation; and organizing as a lay volunteer for the Catholic Church in the highlands of Peru and in the Diocese of Colon, Panama.

Josh served as president of the Citizens Utility Board of Illinois, the state's largest consumer organization from 1986-89, winning hundreds of millions of dollars in refunds for utility consumers. More recently he served as the associate director of United Power for Action and Justice, an ambitious metropolitan wide citizen organizing effort that was part of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) network. Josh was the lead organizer of United Power's Gilead Campaign for the Uninsured, which resulted in the creation of FamilyCare in Illinois, expanding health insurance coverage to 170,000 uninsured adults.

Josh was educated at the University of Illinois and the Universidad Central de Barcelona, Spain, and received his Master's Degree from the University of Chicago. He has testified before Congress; spoken to such national media as the Leher News Hour, the O'Reilly Factor, the Lou Dobbs Show, and the New York Times and Wall Street Journal; written numerous articles; and directed political campaigns. He speaks fluent Spanish and limited Portuguese.

Josh has been married for 24 years, and has two children, ages 21 and 17.

Blog Entries by Joshua Hoyt

Toward a More Inclusive, Healthy Union

Posted February 2, 2012 | 02/02/12 01:38 PM ET

Two and a half years ago Congressman Joe Wilson called out across the well of Congress, "YOU LIE, Mr. President." If the never-ending news cycles leave you struggling to recall exactly what President Obama was accused of lying about, it was the inclusion of undocumented immigrants in the yet-to-be-passed healthcare...

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What Do 396,906 Deportations Mean? 654,895 Children Lose A Parent

Posted October 24, 2011 | 10/24/11 09:41 PM ET

Illinois elected officials Gutierrez, Curran, Quinn, and Durbin lead courageous defense of immigrant families.

On Tuesday the Obama administration's Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it has deported 396,906 immigrants in the past year. This is the highest number of deportations in U.S. history.

ICE...

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Courage: Cairo, Egypt

Posted October 4, 2011 | 10/04/11 01:04 PM ET

2011-09-29-tree.jpg
Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt: Graffiti portrait stenciled on a tree of a woman killed in the fight for Democracy during the "Egyptian Spring" Revolution. The inscription says: "My rights are on with you."
Few Americans understand...
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Cairo, Egypt: An American To Be Proud Of

Posted October 4, 2011 | 10/04/11 12:46 PM ET

Last Wednesday, September 28th, at the Cairo Physician's Syndicate I attended a talk by U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison during his first visit to Egypt. Congressman Ellison is an African American Democrat representing a diverse district in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For those here in Cairo his visit is not just a run...

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Governor Quinn Celebrates New Americans

Posted February 11, 2011 | 02/11/11 12:19 PM ET

 On Saturday, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn joined the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) along with dozens of immigrant organizations to celebrate the New Americans Initiative's 1,000th citizenship workshop.  The workshop was part of the One Nation, One Dream: Immigrant Integration Summit, which featured a moving...

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Democracy for Some

Posted December 18, 2010 | 12/18/10 04:42 PM ET

Today our Democracy was expanded when the U.S. Senate voted to allow gay men and women to serve proudly and openly in defense of our nation. But today Illinois Senator Mark Kirk joined a Republican filibuster and, with a minority of 41 votes, also blocked the DREAM Act...

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12 Illinois University Presidents Sign on to the DREAM Act

Posted December 8, 2010 | 12/08/10 06:40 PM ET

The following is a statement by University Presidents in the State of Illinois showing their support for the DREAM Act.

The DREAM Act allows children of undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for at least five years, graduated from high school, and are of good moral character...

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On Mosques, Borders, and Our 'Nation of Immigrants' This Election Season

Posted August 18, 2010 | 08/18/10 11:49 PM ET

For those who spend their time trying to defend America's grand tradition as a "nation of immigrants," election seasons have become predictable trials by excruciating fire.

Today's "Radical Muslim Jihadists" and the "ILLEGAL immigrant INVASION" have replaced yesterday's "Welfare Queens" or "Hippie Communist Subversives" as the biennial targets of hateful...

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Arizona Lawsuit: Federal Stand for Reasonable Immigration Policies

Posted July 7, 2010 | 07/07/10 06:07 PM ET

The Obama Administration has taken a decisive stand against Arizona's controversial immigration law, SB 1070. The Justice Department has filed a federal complaint against the state, and is seeking to block enforcement of SB 1070 before it takes effect this month.

SB 1070 makes it a criminal...

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Congressman Kirk's Immigrant Blind Spot May Cost Him Dearly

Posted August 31, 2009 | 08/31/09 11:49 AM ET

At last week's heavily attended town hall meeting on health care reform in Arlington Heights Congressman Mark Kirk continued to propagate what Newsweek just called one of "The Five Biggest Lies in the Health Care Debate": that proposed reforms will provide health insurance to illegal immigrants.

Kirk...

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Illinois Immigrant Action: Pushing for Solutions, Not Senseless Deportations

Posted August 19, 2009 | 08/19/09 09:32 PM ET

Wednesday marks the start of two full weeks of action, prayer, and protest on immigration.

People of faith and community leaders from across the state will join immigrant advocates from my organization, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), to mobilize for just and humane immigration...

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Kapow! Two More Bite the Dust as Immigrants Celebrate on Election Night

Posted April 8, 2009 | 04/08/09 02:20 PM ET

The list of politicians in Illinois who engage in open immigrant bashing is thankfully small, and after Tuesday's election it just shrank by two. New Congressman Mike Quigley easily dispatched Illinois Minuteman Project founder Rosanna Pulido to replace Rahm Emanuel in the 5th Congressional District, and in Waukegan the...

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Democracy and the Inclusion of the Undocumented

Posted November 7, 2008 | 11/07/08 01:34 PM ET

The election of Barack Obama president of the United States of America has sent a powerful message that the genius of our American Democracy at its best is inclusion.

Obama, the son of a white single mother and a Kenyan immigrant, represents the American Dream that every one of our...

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The Threatening "Silliness" of U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement

Posted August 20, 2008 | 08/20/08 01:16 AM ET

Last week when U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) announced its new "Self Deportation" program aimed at 457,000 undocumented immigrants without criminal records , I confess I was not shy in saying what I thought of the program.

In the Chicago Tribune, I called "Operation Scheduled Departure"...

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