Political Asylum Project of Austin (PAPA) Records
Scope and Contents Note
Legal documents, correspondence, financial records, minutes, rosters, newsletters, and newspaper clippings, 1987-2002 (7 linear inches), reflect the founding and activities of the Political Asylum Project of Austin (PAPA). The first series, Administrative, is arranged chronologically, and illustrates the growth of the organization over its first 15 years. This series includes incorporation records from the Immigration Resource Center. Other organizational materials include the legal documents of PAPA's founding, items from the Board of Directors, and office files. The second series, Publications, includes copies of PAPA's newsletter, Noticiero PAPA, various outreach materials, and newspaper and journal articles about PAPA and the immigration issues that their organization helps to resolve.
The 2010 Additions include a copy of the PAPA bylaws, notes, newsletters, and some citizenship application training material as well as a video of the one hundred citizenship exam questions.
Dates
- Creation: 1987-2002
Language of Materials
English, Spanish
Access Restrictions
Unrestricted.
Use Restrictions
Standard copyright restrictions apply.
Historical Note
The Political Asylum Project of Austin/Proyecto de Asilo Político de Austin (PAPA) started in 1988 as a volunteer organization, and remained largely staffed by students, lawyers, and community volunteers for about a decade. The original mission was to promote the human rights of refugees and immigrants in Central Texas through legal representation, public education, and advocacy. A 1989 grant from the National Sanctuary Defense Fund to PAPA via the Friends Meeting of Austin enabled PAPA to hire its first employee and director for fifteen years, Nidia Salamanca. The second grant, from the Texas Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) in 1990, enabled PAPA to hire its second employee (and first paid lawyer), Cynthia Leigh. In 2008 the organization voted to change its name to "American Gateways."
Resource: American Gateways (formerly PAPA) web site at www.americangateways.org
Full Extent
10 linear inches
Abstract
Organizational files, publications, and related materials reflect the activities of the Political Asylum Project of Austin (PAPA). Established in 1988, PAPA, now called American Gateways, is an organization that works to provide legal services and education to refugees and immigrants in Central Texas.
Arrangement
I. Administrative
Immigration Resource Center
Creation
Board of Immigration Appeals
Board of Directors
Office Files
II. Publications
Acquisition Information
Information of acquisition method not available.
Processing Information
Processing information not available.
- Title
- Political Asylum Project of Austin (PAPA) Records
- Status
- Edited Full Draft
- Author
- Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection
- Date
- 2004
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Revision Statements
- 20071106: Administrative History updated to remove incorrect information and expand the historical information provided.
- 20090820: Administrative History again updated with text from Virginia Raymond.
- 2017 December: Finding updated by Carla O. Alvarez.
- 2021 May: Edited by Carla O. Alvarez to fix compliance check errors to prepare for the migration to new TARO website.
- 2021 November: Edited by Devon Murphy to update control access terms and formatting based on the TARO Control Access List.
- 2025 July: Revised by Ryan Sullivant to fix validation errors prior to ingestion into ArchivesSpace.
- 2026: Edited by Carla O. Alvarez.
Repository Details
Part of the Benson Latin American Collection, The University of Texas at Austin Repository
2300 Red River Street
Austin Texas 78712 United States
(512) 495-4578
bensonspecialcollections@austin.utexas.edu