Immigration
Afghan Refugees Expected to Arrive ‘Any Day’ in New Hampshire and Massachusetts
Some of the Afghan evacuees who fled their homes in the chaos of the U.S. withdrawal and Taliban takeover are expected to arrive in New Hampshire this month. The International Institute of New England, one of the agencies coordinating their arrival, has put in a request to bring 25 Afghans to New Hampshire and 150 to Massachusetts. The…
Read More‘I Just Want To Live’: Threat Of Deportation Haunts Portland Man
Soeun Kim, and his wife, Theresa Kim, sat at a picnic table on Portland’s Western Promenade earlier this month, watching a home video on Theresa’s phone. In the clip, Soeun is lying in bed, holding his baby daughter, Leilani, while his 10-year-old stepson, Joshua, looks on. Then, everyone falls silent, and Joshua begins to sob…
Read MoreAfghan Refugees Arrive In Connecticut As Resettlement Agency Calls For State Assistance
Late on Monday night, two cars filled with luggage and seven tired travelers pulled up in front of the New Haven headquarters of Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, or IRIS. Under the dim lights of a nearby gas station, the travelers stepped out of the cars in groups. First, a petite woman with two small…
Read MoreRumbila’s Story: Smith College Grad Works To Balance Career Goals, Family And Tradition
In early May, Smith College senior Rumbila Abdullahi relaxed on a couch in her living room off a quiet street in the Sixteen Acres neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts. She wore a baati — a traditional Somali dress — and a hijab. Days earlier, she sat in a testing center for most of a day taking…
Read MoreMaine’s Housing Crunch Squeezes Refugee And Asylum-Seeking Communities
It’s no secret that affordable housing can be hard to come by in Maine. Home prices are up nearly 30% compared to this time last year, according to the Maine Association of Realtors. Meanwhile, skyrocketing demand for rental units has overwhelmed an already limited housing stock. The severe lack of affordable housing poses a particular…
Read MoreThe Flavors Of Our Neighbors: At Don Quijote, It’s Important To Feel At Home
As the mid-week lunch rush picks up at Don Quijote, salsa music plays in the kitchen as oil crackles and the chop-chop of onions, peppers and cilantro echoes. Huge pots of carne guisada simmer on the stove. Green plantains are ready to go in case a client orders one of the Manchester, N.H. restaurant’s defining…
Read MoreLos Sabores de Nuestros Vecinos: En Don Quijote, Lo Importante Es Sentirse En Casa
Cuando uno entra a la cocina de Don Quijote en Manchester, se escucha salsa, el aceite que hierve y la picada de cebolla, pimientos y cilantro en una tabla de madera. La cocina se invade de un olor a carne guisada que cuece en ollas gigantes a fuego lento. Los plátanos verdes ya están cortados…
Read More‘Perfect Age To Be Speaking’: Meet 16-Year-Old Activist Minelle Sarfo-Adu
In the past year, student activists have been hard at work to make change in their communities. Among them: 16-year-old Minelle Sarfo-Adu. On a Tuesday in late May, Minelle and I sat at a picnic table by the South Burlington condo she lives in with her mom. When Minelle was in 8th grade, she moved…
Read MoreNew England Conservatory’s Only Student From Africa Reflects On Finding And Preserving Her Voice
Singing in South African languages connects Naledi Masilo to who she is and where she comes from. Since she was a kid in Johannesburg, the vocalist dreamed of studying in the U.S. but her family didn’t have the money. When she eventually won a scholarship three years ago to attend the New England Conservatory (NEC),…
Read MoreIn A ‘Fishbowl’: Vermont Border Towns Fight Feds’ Push For Surveillance Towers
Federal officials won’t say yet whether they’ll give Vermonters more time to weigh in on a controversial plan to install surveillance towers on the Vermont-Canada border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection wants to erect 199-foot “Remote Video Surveillance Systems” in five northern Vermont communities. Mike Niezgoda, a public affairs officer with the federal agency, says…
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