As we near the end of an especially challenging year for our refugee and immigrant neighbors, we at IINE are deeply grateful for our community of supporters. Since January, we have seen changes in federal policy close legal immigration pathways, revoke immigrants’ ability to legally stay and work in the U.S., limit their access to food and healthcare, and instill widespread fear and uncertainty.
In response, our donors have stepped up. Their support helps ensure that we can continue to fight for the rights and protection of the thousands of refugees and immigrants in our care—and that New England remains a welcoming community, rich with opportunity for all.
Read on to hear from IINE community members on what compels them to give.
With the current political environment, it feels even more critical to support immigrants. We need immigrants, and they deserve our help. No matter what comes, we are committed to continuing our support.
IINE understands the dignity in achieving self-sufficiency and being able to pursue one’s goals, and so our support extends beyond the initial resettlement to ensure refugees and immigrants have a chance to learn English, gain new skills, pursue careers, and gain citizenship. I think this focus on both immediate needs and long-term success is really critical.
In today’s climate of intolerance and narrow-mindedness…I feel that organizations like IINE are vitally important. I am happy that IINE continues to provide services for people coming to the U.S. to find safety and improve their lives. It is important to see people as human beings and not as ‘other.’ Thank you for the work you do to help people in need.
Anonymous Donor
These days, I’m thinking a lot about what I can do to help the populations who are being disproportionately affected by the current presidential administration. I can write checks, I can support lawyers and advocates, and I can attend protests, and through organizations like IINE, I can have a direct impact. That feels important.
I first came to the U.S. in 1996. It wasn’t until 2013 that I became a citizen. Those 17 years in between were incredibly frustrating – having to constantly change my status, travel to renew visas, and hope that I wouldn’t be denied for some bureaucratic issue. There was a real lack of security.
Compared to IINE’s clients, however, my path was very easy. Our clients face so much instability. [Supporting] IINE is an opportunity to support refugees and immigrants in their journeys, to hopefully ease some of their worries once they arrive in the U.S. I am very fortunate to be in a position where I immigrated and have been able to establish myself. It feels important to give back to the next wave of immigrants.
According to the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, by the end of June 2025, there werenearly 42.5 million refugees in the world – a number that, devastatingly, continues to grow rapidly due to conflicts and violence, natural disasters, famine, and persecution. These individuals have no choice but to leave their homes to find safety anda new start elsewhere. But what does the resettlement processactually look like for refugees who come to the U.S.? In our latest blog, we unpackfrequently asked questions about the U.S. refugee resettlement program.
En primer lugar, ¿qué es un refugiado?
Los refugiados abandonan sus países de origen y no pueden o no quieren regresar debido a fundados temores a ser perseguidos por motivos de raza, religión, nacionalidad, pertenencia a determinado grupo social u opiniones políticas.
Quienes obtienen el estatuto legal de "refugiado" gozan de la protección de las leyes y convenios internacionales. Pueden vivir y trabajar legalmente y recibir prestaciones federales y ayuda vital de organismos como el IINE. La determinación corresponde a una entidad oficial, como un gobierno o la Agencia de la ONU para los Refugiados, antes de emprender el viaje a un nuevo país. En EE.UU., los refugiados pueden incorporarse a la población activa y tienen vías para convertirse en residentes legales permanentes y, en última instancia, en ciudadanos.Obtenga más información sobre los distintos términos utilizados para describir a las personas que cruzan fronteras en nuestro blog.
¿En qué consiste el proceso de reasentamiento de refugiados en Estados Unidos?
El proceso de investigación de EE.UU. para determinar para determinar si alguien reúne los requisitos para ser refugiado es amplio y riguroso, y suele durar hasta dos años. Estos son los 11 pasos desde la solicitud hasta la admisión:
Fuente: World Relief
¿Por qué Estados Unidos tiene un programa de reasentamiento de refugiados?
Más allá de los motivos humanitarios, hay razones estratégicas por las que Estados Unidos estableció un programa oficial de reasentamiento de refugiados en 1980 con el apoyo bipartidista del Congreso, que continúa en la actualidad.
El reasentamiento es una estrategia diplomática del gobierno estadounidense. Al seguir acogiendo y reasentando a refugiados, Estados Unidos cumple la expectativa de que los países creen conjuntamente un refugio para las personas desplazadas por la fuerza, ya sea ofreciendo asilo a los vecinos, acogiendo campos de refugiados o admitiendo e integrando a los refugiados en sus comunidades.
Aunque no es un objetivo declarado de la programa federal de reasentamiento programa federal de reasentamiento importantes beneficios económicos para comunidades locales que acogen a refugiados. Muchas zonas de EE.UU., especialmente Nueva Inglaterra, tienen una creciente escasez de mano de obra y una necesidad crítica de trabajadores. Según el Departamento de Investigación Económica de Massachusetts,by 2030, se espera que el número de puestos de trabajo en la Commonwealth crezca un 21%, pero la población activa aumentará solo 1.5%. Mientras tanto, en New Hampshire actualmente hay aproximadamente tres puestos de trabajo sin cubrir por cada trabajador desempleado, según el Instituto de Política Fiscal de New Hampshire.Los refugiados que se incorporan a la mano de obra estadounidense entran en todoscampos, contribuyen a la base impositiva local y federal, comprantienee viviendas y crean empresas. Lomocasi all recién llegados a EE.UU., están deseosos de trabajar y contribuir a la economía. A Oficina Nacional de Investigación Económica estudio mostró que en un periodo de 20 años, los refugiados que entran en el país entre los 18 y los 45 años pagan de media 21.000 dólares más en impuestos de lo que reciben en prestaciones públicas.
¿A cuántos refugiados reasienta Estados Unidos cada año?
Desde 1975, Estados Unidos ha admitido a más de 3,3 millones de refugiados, una media de 80.000 al año.
Under U.S. law, the president has the authority to determine the number of refugees the United States will admit each year. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 (October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017), President Obama raised the admission ceiling to 110,000 to respond to a humanitarian crisis that had driven the number of refugees to the highest levels since the end of World War II. Once President Trump took office, however, his administration suspended the refugee program for four months and drastically reduced the number of refugees admitted to the U.S. He went on to lower the refugee admissions ceiling to 45,000 in FY18, 30,000 in FY19, and 18,000 in FY20, the lowest refugee admissions numbers in U.S. history. President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to welcoming and supporting refugees, increasing the admissions ceiling to 125,000, the highest target in U.S. history.
¿Cómo puedo ayudar a los refugiados reasentados en Estados Unidos?
Financial support is the U.S. resettlement providers’number one need. The process of admitting refugees is managed by the federal government but refugee resettlement services are sub-contracted to local agencies and only partially federally funded. By offering your financial support, you play a criticalrole in securing resources for your local organization and ensuring that refugees find hope, safety, and a brighter future in our communities.
Ali grew up in Afghanistan during the Civil War—a tumultuous time where his mother would carry him “under her chest, protecting from the bullets flying around.” Ali lost several loved ones who bravely fought against the Taliban’s oppressive rule. It’s these hardships that inspired his educational and career goals: “I always wanted to make a social impact and change the environment.”
As a young man, Ali decided to pursue a sociology degree while pushing for social reform. His efforts included helping fellow Afghans who were targeted for their activism; working with the U.S. government on projects to empower Afghan women across the country, including through economic partnerships and trainings on how to advocate for their rights; supporting Afghanistan’s peace negotiation team; and advocating for the 2250 resolution on Youth, Peace and Security.
“Young people can change the discourse of conflict,” Ali says of this work. “The people who are mostly fighting together on the battlefields are the young people, so if we want to bring peace to the world or make social change, we have to invest in young people instead of investing in harm and conflict.”
The Taliban Takeover
When the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021, Ali saw much of the progress he had worked for begin to recede quickly. His heart broke when the women in his sociology classes were expelled to comply with new laws preventing their education.
“Everything changed for so many Afghans because the collapse of a political system is not just the collapse of a political system, but it is also the collapse of the people’s routines, their lives, and everything.”
Like the people he had been helping, Ali was now targeted for his activism and was forced to leave his home to seek safety. Thankfully, the U.S. refugee resettlement program was there for him.
Landing in Lowell
Starting life as a refugee in Lowell reminded Ali of his own work with clients back in Afghanistan. He was trying to help them stay hopeful and be resilient, and now, “it was a time in which I had to be resilient myself because I had to start everything from scratch here in the U.S.”
He arrived with nothing but a small suitcase and knowing no one. Fortunately, the IINE team was there to greet him. “From the time I arrived here, one of the IINE volunteers helped me to get to the home where I live right now,” he says, and an IINE Career Navigator “helped me to find my first job in the U.S.,” an entry-level job in medical manufacturing. Deeper than that, “It was really peace of mind and comfort and strength that I got from IINE, instead of just barely struggling by myself…Those are the things that I think fundamentally change the life of people.”
Pursuing New Goals
As Ali began to adjust to life in Lowell, he found community, “There are wonderful, wonderful people I met here.” He was gratified to learn that there was a sizable community of Afghans in his neighborhood, including fellow clients at IINE. He began volunteering his time to help them.
Meanwhile, Ali set his sights on advancing in his career. He quickly used his newly gained experience in medical manufacturing to land a new job as a Process Technician at a major pharmaceutical company. He found that the work suited him, and the company was supportive.
To eventually progress at his new company, he would need an advanced degree in engineering. Even though he had been studying sociology in Afghanistan, this idea was exciting to him—and Ali was eager to resume his education.
“I think sociology and engineering management have a common ground…to bring change within a system or process. In sociology, you are focusing in a broader scope of studying social structures. Engineering management is more focused on smaller change…but basically, it’s all about managing change and improving processes.”
He told his IINE Career Navigator, Ashley, “I want to go for my master’s, but I don’t know where to start. I’ve never written an app for a university here. It’s completely different then the system we have back in Afghanistan.”
Ashley dove into the application process, helping Ali transfer credits and secure transcripts from his university in Afghanistan, get letters of recommendation from his new employer, and edit his resume. She also supported him with writing his personal statement, encouraging him to speak candidly about the hardships he had overcome.
“The personal statement was the document we worked on the most because we wanted to make sure it showcased to the admissions team who he was as a person and how this degree would help him progress,” Ashley says. “His personal family story, how he highly values the opportunity to get an education, and his desire to help not only the people he loves but the wider community that he is a part of—these were all poignant parts of his essay.”
A Bright Future
Ali was thrilled to be accepted to Tufts University with a partial scholarship. Ashley was thrilled, too. “One of the better parts of my job is the opportunity to see my clients’ growth and watch them reap the hard work they put into their career goals,” she says. “Ali is a wonderful example of that and has an incredibly bright future ahead!”
For Ali, each new victory is a continuation of his life’s work. In advancing his education and career, he sees himself as carrying on the aspirations of those he left behind in Afghanistan, especially his parents, and the women and girls who are still dreaming of the opportunity to receive an education. He will never stop looking for ways to advocate for them.
“I think it’s a common duty of all of us, I and everyone, to keep this discourse [going], to be the voice of Afghan women until they are allowed to [pursue] education. Let’s not forget them. It’s a collective responsibility to be the voice of the Afghan movement.”
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Refugiados e inmigrantes emprenden largos y difíciles viajes para huir de la violencia y rehacer sus vidas en Estados Unidos. Tú puedes darles la ayuda que necesitan.
The Presidential Determination on refugee admissions for Fiscal Year 2026 has been set at 7,500 people, the lowest ceiling in the history of a program that has enjoyed broad bipartisan support for more than four decades. This number is only a fraction of past refugee admission ceilings and was set without consulting with Congress, as required by law. It also fails to meet the urgency of today’s global displacement crisis. At the end of 2024, there was an estimated 123.2 million forcibly displaced people worldwide—families and individuals who have lost their homes and safety due to persecution, conflict, and natural disasters. The United States has been the world leader in receiving refugees, and throughout the past four decades Americans have witnessed refugees fill needed jobs, start businesses, raise families, run for office, and add tremendous value to American society.
We implore the administration to open refugee admissions to people fleeing crises in Sudan, Myanmar, Venezuela, and other nations, including Afghanistan. Thousands of Afghan war allies, who supported our government and troops, are waiting to come here, and our nation owes them the opportunity to do so.
As we respond to this disappointing determination, IINE and many of our peer organizations are navigating the loss of SNAP eligibility for refugees and immigrants with legal statuses under the federal policy changes enacted by the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Instead of further destabilizing vulnerable populations, the United States should seek to build systems that are fair, humane, and representative of the values our nation has held dear since its founding.
Six days into the new federal fiscal year, the administration has not yet consulted with Congress or released the annual Presidential Determination for refugee admissions, a requirement of the Refugee Act of 1980. This delay coincides with reports that the administration is preparing to significantly alter U.S. refugee policy.
We are hearing that the administration intends to cut refugee admissions to 7,500 people—the lowest ceiling in U.S. history, a small fraction of the 120,000 goal set by the UN High Commision for Refugees for the international community, and a mere 6% of our country’s 2025 target of 125,000 refugees. In addition, during remarks delivered at a panel entitled “The Global Refugee and Asylum System: What Went Wrong and How to Fix It,” the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State outlined the administration’s intent to “reframe” refugee status so it becomes “temporary, not permanent,” and that “the understanding is you should go back to your country.”
These proposed changes to federal policy fundamentally misrepresent what it means to be a refugee and fail to advance humane, effective solutions to displacement. Federal law and treaties signed by the U.S. government define refugees as individuals who are unable or unwilling to return to their home countries because of a well-founded fear of being persecuted based on race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. The U.S. has a rigorous, multi-year vetting process to confirm this status. The goal of resettlement is to help these individuals find a durable solution and rebuild their lives peacefully and without the risk of further displacement.
If we abandon our identity as the world’s leader in refugee resettlement, we will put real lives at risk. When the federal administration suspended the refugee program on January 20th, it left more than a hundred thousand refugees stranded overseas—despite having completed extensive vetting and already being approved for resettlement. Today, many are still waiting in refugee camps in dire conditions, desperate for the chance to rebuild their lives in safety, and in many cases, reunite with family members they have not seen for years.
Through decades of evidence-based practice, refugee resettlement agencies like IINE have effectively partnered with federal and local governments, employers, schools, healthcare providers, and community members. This collaborative effort helps new arrivals integrate and thrive. The initial, modest investments made by public and private partners more than pay off: refugees join the U.S. workforce, contribute to the local, state, and federal tax base, purchase homes, and start businesses at a higher rate that U.S.-born residents. They shape our culture, traditions, and society in countless ways.
Ensuring our nation continues to welcome families and individuals in need of safety is both the smart and the right thing to do. The United States has been a haven for the persecuted since the founding of the nation, and for decades, the U.S. refugee resettlement system has functioned effectively with wide bipartisan support. Welcoming refugees reflects the best of our nation’s core values – equal treatment, non-discrimination, and human dignity – making it as vital to our national identity as it is to the refugees who find a home here.
By Jeff Thielman, President & CEO of the International Institute of New England
I’ve now had the privilege of serving as president & CEO of the International Institute of New England for ten years. During this time, we’ve navigated historic levels of forced displacement worldwide, dramatic changes to U.S. immigration policy, and, of course, a global pandemic. With each year that passes, I have more admiration for the refugees and immigrants who courageously build new lives in the United States, and more gratitude for the compassion of those who welcome them.
Here are ten lessons I’ve learned doing this work:
1) Resilience is a superpower.
Refugees have endured immense trauma in their home countries, forced to flee war, violence, persecution, and famine. Leaving behind everything they know, many spend years living in threadbare conditions in refugee camps and endure long journeys to the U.S. only to begin their lives here in poverty and uncertainty. Their ability to adapt and move forward always inspires me.
2) Immigrants are essential workers.
Through workforce orientation, job skills training, and employment support, our team has helped thousands of refugees and immigrants enter and advance in the New England workforce. Employers tell us they love working with our clients because they are driven, adaptable, and quick to learn. Immigrants are key workers in many critical industries, including healthcare, construction, manufacturing, biotech, and retail. To learn more, take our quiz: Immigrants in the U.S. Workforce.
3) Even in the darkest of times, people generously support newcomers.
Public opinion about welcoming immigrants to the United States can shift dramatically. Yet even when public sentiment has not been on our side, brave people have stepped up to care for our clients, generously giving their time, expertise, and resources. That investment pays off, as we saw when we dug deep into the IINE archives to celebrate our Centennial anniversary: 1924-2024: 10 Defining Highlights of IINE’s First 100 Years of Service in Boston.
4) Immigration has shaped our personal stories as well as our country’s history.
Nearly all of us have an immigration story to tell—whether you are the first in your family to put down roots in the U.S. or someone earlier in your ancestry made the brave journey here. It’s this shared connection that has shaped the U.S. into the multicultural nation we are today.
5) It takes a network of supporters to welcome refugees and set them up for success.
Our clients are immensely grateful for the safety and opportunity they have found in the U.S. and believe in our country’s ideals and institutions. According to a study conducted by the Cato Institute, in comparison to native-born Americans, immigrants “have more trust in the three branches of American government” and are prouder to be American. For many immigrants and refugees, like Farishta, becoming a U.S. citizen is “like a dream come true.”
7) Immigrants are innovators and creators.
At our Centennial Golden Door Award gala, Flagship Pioneering Chairman and Founder Noubar Afeyan told us, “Being a stranger in a new land changes how your brain works in ways that make it easier for you, for us, to innovate and to create.” Studies show that immigrants are more likely to be entrepreneurs than native-born Americans, and I see that resourcefulness and drive among our clients every day.
8) Immigrants and refugees pay it forward.
Many of my IINE colleagues, from those who greet you at our front desks to those who lead our organization, are former refugees or first-generation immigrants who have dedicated their careers to supporting new arrivals. Many of our clients strive to do the same; one striking example is former IINE client and frequent collaborator, Suraj Budathoki, a member of the New Hampshire legislature: “I Always Want to Give Back”: Suraj Budathoki’s Journey from a Refugee Camp to the NH Statehouse.
9) Immigrant youth make incredible leaders.
For many of our young clients, opportunity was scarce in their home countries. Coming to the U.S. gives them a chance to pursue their educational and career dreams, and they do so with great determination. Listen to my interview with PRX’s The World to learn more about how young newcomers to the U.S. forge their own paths.
10) IINE is creative.
The challenges of these last ten years have required our organization to adapt and reset again and again. We’ve created new programs, learned to work remotely, and quickly developed new teams and initiatives to meet each moment. You can learn more about our planned response to the unique demands of the year ahead in our latest Spotlight Report.
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Thank you for helping to make these last ten years so meaningful. Doing this work is a privilege, and I look forward to continuing to partner with our dedicated staff, volunteers, Board of Directors, Leadership Council members, community partners, and donors to welcome refugees and immigrants to New England.
When community members tell us they want to bring their friends and neighbors together to support IINE’s work for refugees and immigrants, it’s always music to our ears. When actual bands are involved, even better! We recently talked with three local musicians who held concerts to raise funds and awareness for IINE. Here’s what they told us about their inspiration and impact.
Paul Green, Bassist for the Wicked Pickers Trio
Harvard University Astrophysicist and IINE Volunteer
What made you want to put together a music fundraiser for IINE? Well, a lot of Jews have a family history of being refugees. My mother fled Vienna with her parents in 1938 and came to New York with the help of [a resettlement agency], and you know, you just read in the news these days about all the struggles that refugees and asylum seekers go through. Immigrants in general are having a really hard time, even though most of this country is composed of immigrants. As has happened before in history, they seem to be the scapegoats for people who are having other troubles.
I was particularly interested in the story of refugees from Afghanistan because many of them were under threat because they had helped the U.S. in their efforts to defend against the Taliban takeover. A couple of years ago, I volunteered with IINE specifically to help Nazia [an Aghan refugee]. When she first came to the country, we had the privilege of hosting her in our house for a few weeks as she was getting settled. Naturally she experienced a huge culture shock. She’s separated from everything she knows, her family, her friends, her culture. We were glad to be able to provide as soft a landing as we could and to help her with the basics, like understanding the T. IINE was very supportive and very, very well organized. So that was impressive.
Risa [of the Honey Steelers] is the other person who helped organize the benefit concert and offered to host it in her backyard. We wanted both bands to play. It came about just because we were so disturbed by the current administration’s policies. It’s easy to feel helpless and ineffective in the face of all this. I know that agencies like yours are completely overwhelmed at the moment and in dire need of funding. So we decided it would be a good thing to do, and that if we sweetened it with music, that a lot of people might be interested in showing up.
Why do you think music works so well in uniting people for a cause? When you’re experiencing music with a group of people, everybody is experiencing a similar feeling at the same time, which is kind of rare in life, and so it engenders a real community feeling. I think all of us at the concert have felt troubled by what’s going on in the country and then on top of it, or maybe as a form of solace, we all got to experience the same music together at the same time—so I think it’s a bonding thing.
We ended with a beautiful instrumental that our guitar player, Bill Morris, had written called Far From Home, which felt especially moving and apropos.
What advice would you give to other people who are interested in organizing a music fundraiser for IINE?
Well, first I’d say it’s not that hard, and it’s a lot of fun! There’s a hunger for it, too. People want to do something and come together in community.
Reach out to your contact lists – ask them to play, spread the word, help with set up, etc. It’s very rewarding and well worth the effort.
Edson Fwenk, Drummer and Co-Founder of Artists Aspiring for Social Change
Haitian Immigrant and Music and Business Student at Bunker Hill Community College
What made you want to put together a music fundraiser for IINE?
We wanted to gather around immigration—to plead the case of the ones who don’t have a voice—to sing it out loud or scream it out loud. So we came together and had a show.
Tell us about the acts that participated.
The vibe was like a punch: You had a little bit of Casta, which is a Latin band. You had Harmony’s Cuddle Party, which is prog. You had Militia Rashad and Sasha Deity, who both came with like a very militant rap. And then you had Sylvia North, who came with an acoustic guitar and was just singing—very smooth, very nice.
So, multicolor, multifaceted – everyone could listen to someone who was their cup of tea.
Why do you think music works so well in uniting people for a cause?
Music is spiritual. To write a song or create a melody, this comes from the person’s soul. And so when it hits somebody else with the amount of passion that the person created that sound with, it resonates on a deeper level. I think music has this power to finetune somebody’s attention, and bring their soul to the perfect tuning.
We realized that a concert could bring people together, even if we have different taste in music, and when we’re together, we can hear each other. I might not know a lot of Latin music, but whenever my prog band is playing, all right, I’m vibing. Whenever your band is playing, I’ll listen to what your band has to say.
What advice would you give other people who are interested in throwing a music fundraiser for IINE?
There can be push back when you’re coming in the name of minorities. People may say things about you or to you, but you have to approach this from a standpoint of love. It needs to come from the passion for the cause. It’s not about we get to play music, but it’s about I care for those people. It’s love.
Peter Rowley, Guitarist, Vocalist, and Songwriter for The Clippertones
Malden Middle School Civics Teacher and Malden High School Soccer Coach
What made you want to put together a music fundraiser for IINE?
Just watching the news and being aware of how immigrants are viewed and treated made me want to do something. I’d been wanting to help for a while, but having an administration that is, you know, pretty xenophobic propelled me to act instead of just sitting and complaining.
I knew I wasn’t alone in feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, so I wanted the concert to be an opportunity for people.I’ve been in different protest movements at different times, and what has always helped keep my spirits alive is knowing that there are other people who are out there being vocal about their views.
I wanted to use local bands for the community aspect, and I wanted the vibe to be, you know, truthful, but not depressing; enjoyable, uplifting music, but honest music. It’s a party; we can still have a good time, and we can still support each other, and raise each other’s spirits. And it’s not just about our spirits, we can do something—let people know that there are groups that are doing a lot of great work to help America stay a diverse, welcoming, and compassionate place.
Why do you think music works so well in uniting people for a cause?
Well, I think music is often the glue. You know, it’s the outlet, it’s the expression, it’s your raw emotions, your hopes, your aspirations, your fears. It’s an opportunity for people to say what they feel, and I think a lot of people love live music because of the unpredictability. The raw energy can be a lot of fun. You get to see a different side of people.
Folk, and Americana music in particular, brings the protest tradition, and the idea of the melting pot we’re supposed to be. That’s what I was raised to understand—that we have people of different faiths, views, ethnicities, backgrounds, and worldviews, and what’s great is when we come together and get to experience some of those different perspectives.
What advice would you give other people who are interested in throwing a music fundraiser for IINE?
Try to find a supportive venue. If they’re supportive of the cause, they can really help with cutting costs. And if you can, try to pull a team together to help get the word out. Plan ahead, but try not to overthink it. Try to bring in bands that are on your same wavelength but have their own draws, and encourage them to bring out as many people as possible. I think if you do that, you’ll have a good time and feel like you accomplished something.
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IINE depends on community support to serve refugees and immigrants in New England. There are many ways to get involved as a donor, volunteer, or advocate. Want to host your own fundraiser? Contact us.
On September 21, thirty members of the IINE community, including staff, board members, volunteers, and their families, donned custom jerseys, mounted their bikes, and set off for a morning of pedaling their hearts out to raise awareness and funds in support of IINE’s mission.
The annual Ride for Refugees and Immigrants, which was created by IINE Leadership Council member Will Krause, brings together seasoned and novice riders, united by their desire to support our newest neighbors. For weeks leading up to this year’s big day, riders gathered donations from their personal networks, spreading the word about IINE’s work and raising critical funds to help refugees and immigrants access food, shelter, and healthcare, English language and job skills training, and immigration legal support.
For many, this year’s Ride felt particularly urgent as dramatic changes in federal immigration policy have dealt new challenges to refugees and immigrants in our communities—but on the day, while engaged together in action and celebration, the riders were all smiles.
The Routes
Riders chose between two routes: a 12-mile route that started at the Bike Source in Bedford, Massachusetts and ended at the Kickstand Café in Arlington, and a 50-mile loop that began and ended at the café with stops in Lowell to tour IINE’s office and in Bedford to link up with the 12-milers for the home stretch.
Participants rode at their own paces with designated team leaders guiding the way. Riders’ branded jerseys provided an important visual reminder for everyone they passed that our communities support our refugee and immigrant neighbors.
The Finish Line
In the early afternoon, the Kickstand Café buzzed with bike-riders as one wave after another reached the finish line. IINE staff members were there to cheer on each finisher, and snacks and refreshments awaited to help them recover and celebrate. Many riders lingered long after the dismount to cheer on fellow finishers and socialize.
One common theme heard from first-time 50-milers, as they mopped their brows, was that it felt easy to push through any of the day’s physical challenges when they thought about the cause. The challenges refugees and immigrants face are incomparable—surviving crises in their countries of origin, leaving their homes and loved ones behind, starting over in an unfamiliar place with little more than a suitcase, navigating complicated and ever-changing immigration laws, and so much more. This is not only a story shared by IINE’s clients, but also a story that can be found in each rider’s family history, and one that made their own lives as Americans possible.
This year’s Ride for Refugees and Immigrants raised more than $50,000 in much-needed support for IINE’s mission. A huge thank you to everyone who participated!
Our donors help ensure that refugees and immigrants receive the support they need to find stability, learn English, secure jobs, and pursue their dreams in our communities. In our Why They Give series, we talk with them to learn more about their connection to our mission and what inspires their support.
In our latest installment, Leigh Bivings, a generous supporter of IINE and member of our Leadership Council, shares how she first became involved with the International Institute of New England, her experience supporting a family from Cameroon, and how she finds purpose in giving back to the immigrant community.
¿Puede hablarnos un poco de usted?
I grew up in Arizona and completed most of my undergraduate and graduate degrees in California. I then spent a few years abroad, including in Latin America, where I volunteered with the Peace Corps, and in London, where I met my husband.
When I was accepted to Stanford University to complete a PhD in Economics, I headed back to California, this time with my husband in tow. I graduated in 1992 and accepted a job in Boston, and we have been living in the South End of the city ever since.
My career has had essentially three chapters – I worked as a management consultant at The Monitor Group, which has since been acquired by Deloitte, I did due diligence work for private equity firms at a firm called Stax, and then I started a wealth management firm called Artemis. I sold the firm to Beacon Pointe at the end of last year, and so I am finishing up this chapter.
In my free time, I love reading history, being outdoors, traveling domestically and internationally, and playing tennis.
¿Por qué es importante para usted la filantropía?
I have been very fortunate in my life in most dimensions. I feel that because I have the time, energy, and capacity to give back, it’s important that I do.
I’ve been able to provide financial support to several organizations, and I also served on the board of the Boston YWCA for many years, and both of these opportunities have allowed me to make an impact.
I’ve also volunteered as a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and I’ve served as a mentor to young women through Year Up, a nonprofit focused on providing workforce training. These experiences taught me that I truly enjoy providing direct support when I can – which ultimately led me to IINE.
On that note, how did you become involved with IINE?
It was August of 2022, and I had some time on my hands (no one wants to talk to their financial advisor in the summer!). I had been following the coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and I was really searching for a way to help. My husband and I own a 5-story brownstone and live on the top three floors. At the time the war broke out, we didn’t have anyone on the bottom two floors, and I remember thinking, “We have this great one-bed apartment and not a soul living there!”
I began reading about the United 4 Ukraine program, which was looking for volunteers to provide housing and support to newly arriving Ukrainian refugees. My husband and I signed up to help through Welcome.US, and we were matched with a lovely Ukrainian family. Ultimately, the family, who are Russian speakers, ended up resettling in Estonia where there’s a large Russian-speaking community, but we have stayed in touch with them ever since.
Around the same time that we learned the family wouldn’t end up coming to the U.S., a friend of mine reached out about joining a group of IINE volunteers to help welcome a Cameroonian family—two women and one of their sons. I said yes, and I joined their Resettle Together group in December of 2023.
It wasn’t an easy adjustment for the family, but they are doing well now. The women are settled in a nice apartment, they both have full-time jobs, and they’re learning English. We helped enroll the young boy in school when they arrived, and this past summer, all of the members of our volunteer group chipped in so he could attend summer camp. It’s been a very rewarding experience to see the family progress, and to help play a role.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in learning more about welcoming and supporting refugees and immigrants?
I would say it’s very rewarding because it’s so tangible. These days, I’m thinking a lot about what I can do to help the populations who are being disproportionately affected by the current presidential administration. I can write checks, I can support lawyers and advocates, I can attend protests, and through organizations like IINE, I can have a direct impact – that feels important.
I would also say be prepared to learn a lot, including how hard it is to be poor in this country. The high cost of living; challenges in accessing public benefits, healthcare, and public transportation; the need to work multiple jobs to make ends meet – this is not an easy place to resettle. Accompanying the family throughout their first year in the U.S., I saw how resilient and determined you have to be.
Last question – do you have a personal connection to IINE’s mission that inspires your support?
I do. My mother was born in Britain, and she and her parents were living in southern France when there was news of the Germans coming during the war. My mother and grandmother were sent to a relocation camp for several months, but ultimately were released because my grandmother had American citizenship. They were able to escape to Portugal and then make their way to New York, where they had family members living.
I think of their journey, and how grateful I am to be here, and that inspires my desire to help immigrants.
El IINE sólo puede prestar los servicios que tanto necesitan los refugiados y los inmigrantes gracias al apoyo de nuestros generosos donantes. Hay muchas maneras diferentes de donar. Obtenga más información aquí: Donar fondos.
In November of 2024, Suraj Budathoki was elected to represent Hillsborough County District 40 in the New Hampshire State House, becoming the first Bhutanese-American State Representative in U.S. history. In his acceptance speech, Suraj said his victory was “the culmination of 16 years of dedication, resilience, and commitment to this community.”
In a recent interview, Suraj spoke to IINE about this journey.
Learning Resilience
Suraj became a refugee at the age of nine when the Bhutanese government suddenly stripped members of the Nepalese-speaking Lhotshampa minority of their citizenship and drove them from their homes. He spent the next nearly twenty years of his life in a refugee camp in Nepal.
Suraj says his time there “taught me a lot; the resilience, the continuity to do things and not give up.”
When he finally arrived in the U.S. after decades of waiting, he landed in Atlanta, Georgia. He recalls seeing a group of people at the airport handing out gifts to arriving children. “There is compassion for immigrants and refugees here,” he remembers thinking.
Still, life was far from easy. Suraj arrived with a bachelor’s degree and a nearly-completed master’s degree but soon found himself working two full-time jobs for minimum wage—a day shift at a fast-food restaurant followed by an overnight shift stocking grocery shelves. It was difficult to save or build a social life.
Work and Welcome in Manchester
Suraj was excited when a friend from home told him about his life up north in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he had been resettled by the International Institute of New England. Manchester was smaller and easier to navigate. Jobs there offered better starting pay, and through IINE, Suraj could train to become a Licensed Nursing Assistant within a month.
He was sold. In 2009, Suraj moved to Manchester, “and that’s what I did! I finished the Licensed Nursing Assistant program and then within two months, I got my license! The Employment team helped me get a job and after that I’ve been working with IINE for many, many years.”
Suraj took to New Hampshire right away. “The mountains and the green vegetation resemble my small town in Bhutan,” he says, and compared to the sprawl of Atlanta, the compactness of Manchester was closer to the life he knew in Nepal. As in Atlanta, he took on two full-time jobs, but these he found more meaningful and in line with his goals. One was at a rehabilitation center for adults with traumatic brain injuries. The second one was to train adults who hadn’t completed high school to create resumes and help them find jobs.
These early jobs helped Suraj build up his English skills. He soon went back to school at Manchester Community College and then transferred to Southern New Hampshire University to study Political Science.
“Then life took off.”
Building Community
Suraj (center) has advocated for peace in Bhutan throughout his career
With his newfound confidence and vision, Suraj co-founded Bhutanese Community New Hampshire (BCNH), a non-profit dedicated to helping fellow Bhutanese refugees to integrate and thrive. He served briefly as the organization’s first executive director and then joined its board.
“My first focus was learning to get grants,” Suraj says, and he still vividly remembers the story of his first submission, trudging through the rain to hand off his big envelope in-person, and then waiting months for a response. Finally, he heard back that he had won $6,000 for his mission. He was thrilled.
With practice, he became more and more adept at grant writing, securing grants as large as $1 million.
“I was able to hire 23 staff! Can you believe it?”
Even more exciting was turning the funding into medical care, mental health services, and employment support for his community. BCNH formed a close partnership with IINE, who referred newly resettled Bhutanese clients for additional support. As it grew, BCNH expanded its mission to accept clients from additional countries and changed to its current name: Building Community New Hampshire.
Feeling the Bern
In 2016, Suraj was able toexercise his political science muscles when the presidential campaign of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders opened a field office in New Hampshire.
“It was my first time working on a campaign and I got the second-highest post for New Hampshire! That was my first opportunity to get to know Bernie, his team, and the people of New Hampshire. I was so privileged to work on his campaign and travel a lot across the state.”
Suraj says that talking to people throughout the state had a profound effect on him. “I heard a lot of people’s often painful stories, and I could relate from when I was in a refugee camp…It’s not having money to pay rent; the cold; not enough food for the elderly who invested their life making America better, supported their kids growing up, when they were young and then paid taxes, and at the end of the life they have nothing to enjoy.”
Suraj decided to tackle these issues head-on at the community level. His founded Bloom and Shine, LLC, a human services agency that provides in-home behavioral and physical healthcare to New Hampshire seniors.
“I felt I needed to do something, and Bloom and Shine is something. Providing caregiver services to the elderly and disabled, it’s something I feel proud of.”
Pursuing Peace
While deepening his roots in his new community, Suraj was also studying international development, completing a master’s degree from Norwich University, and beginning a Ph.D. program at Saybrook University with a focus on conflict resolution. His research revealed clear historical patterns of opposing sides in ethnic conflicts becoming increasingly entrenched in their mutual opposition as suffering increased.
“I saw that happen in Bhutan in the ‘90s. My Ph.D. is on how to find a solution. How can we transform that adversarial relationship into a conducive, friendly relationship? As I did more research on conflict resolution and negotiations, I found that there are peacebuilding and reconciliation methods that can bring two conflicting parties together.”
“I talked to many young Bhutanese-Americans, college students, and other like-minded individuals, and they also had the same kind of idea. We came together to form this peace initiative. The approach is distinct from what our leaders did in the past. We are not doing this to win—to defeat the other side. We’re doing this to find common ground—to resolve through dialogue.”
The goal of the initiative is to heal relations between the nation of Bhutan and its refugee diaspora. This reconciliation would allow Bhutanese refugees to return home in peace to reunite their loved ones.
Members of the Peace Initiative Bhutan on the trip to D.C.
The first step for PIB was to draft their own peace plan and send it directly to the king of Bhutan. When they didn’t receive a response, they posted their plan online and alerted the press. Next, to draw further attention, they got the U.S. government involved. Suraj traveled to Washington D.C. and lobbied to get both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to introduce resolutions calling for reconciliation.
Bhutan began to listen.
“We did a couple of rounds of informal dialogue with people inside Bhutan, also some parliamentarians,” Suraj says. “This has never happened before with other approaches. Our method is based on mutual respect, based on love to the other side.”
The People’s House
Suraj’s success with the Bernie Sanders campaign, his empathy for the struggles of working people in New Hampshire, and his progress with PIB all inspired him to make his own run for the State House of Representatives. His victory was a huge source of inspiration for fellow Bhutanese refugees. New Americans Magazinereported, “Suraj’s win quickly became a sensation on social media, sparking pride and celebration across the Bhutanese diaspora, which includes former refugees resettled across eight Western countries. Bhutanese-American social media platforms lit up with messages of pride, congratulatory posts, and reflections on the significance of this victory.”
While ever hopeful, Suraj is learning about the challenges of belonging to a minority party in a state legislature.
“We don’t have much say in any bills or regulations. We don’t have that power. We do share what we think, what we believe would bring positive change, but supporting the middle class or poor community is not what always gets attention. It feels painful when we see bills cutting support to the elderly, to the university system, to special education, and many others in New Hampshire.”
Suraj is committed to speaking up for vulnerable constituents, but sometimes he worries about others’ misconceptions of his background and journey.
“I testified in one of the committees against a bill, and I told them my success story. I came here as a refugee. 100 people work in my company. I’m going to college. I paid this much in taxes, etc…People may feel I’m taking their space. They see themselves working day and night, but I came here a few years ago, and now here I am running a company and a state representative. They may not understand the human side, the hard work, of what we as immigrants do here.”
He wishes more people understood about his time working two jobs for minimum wage to build a foundation, missing many nights of sleep and the family he left behind at the refugee camp.
But like his Peace Initiative, he sees his political work as an experiment and says that his political career is “just getting started.” In the arc of his career, it’s one more way to heed the calling he first heard back in the refugee camp in Nepal.
“The international community, the United States and many other countries, they helped us a lot. We were not able to go to work outside of the camp, and we were fed and supported by many Western countries…We always feel we should give back for those many years we were given—and that’s the call—I always want to give back to the community. Whatever I’m doing now, being a State Representative or running this home health care business, it’s always supporting community, providing employment and uplift.”
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Refugiados e inmigrantes emprenden largos y difíciles viajes para huir de la violencia y rehacer sus vidas en Estados Unidos. Tú puedes darles la ayuda que necesitan.
When the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan, Atefa, her mother, and three brothers escaped their home, resettling as refugees in Lowell in 2022. As the eldest sibling, Atefa quickly took on adult responsibilities. She became her family’s interpreter and spokesperson at doctor’s visits and school appointments – all while balancing learning an entirely new culture and language.
At first, school was frustrating for Atefa. In Afghanistan, she had already begun college, but her high school transcripts were among the many possessions she had to leave behind, and without them, she had to begin her American education as a freshman at Lowell High School. Still, she stayed focused and determined. For support, she went to nearly every tutoring session provided by IINE’s Refugee Youth Mentoring program, bringing her brothers along to make sure they progressed as well. That year, Atefa earned honors recognition for her grades.
During her junior year, Atefa began exploring the college application process. When IINE’s Youth team advised her to join extracurricular activities to stand out, she became a student ambassador, helping fellow newcomers adjust to life in Lowell. Her leadership and service led to her acceptance into the National Honor Society in her senior year.
That summer, Atefa went back to her IINE mentors for guidance, and they suggested volunteer work. In addition to working at a grocery store, participating in school groups, and helping her family, she began giving back to support other IINE clients. She delivered fresh produce and packaged goods to families, provided interpretation, and peer-tutored fellow refugee youth.
Atefa’s relentless dedication was rewarded when she was accepted to four colleges! She chose the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she will study civil engineering starting in the fall of 2025. As she prepares for this next chapter, she continues to reach out to the IINE Youth Team for guidance on class selection, financial aid, and housing.
As in much of the country, if you live in New Hampshire and you need medical care, you’re likely to get help from some people who began their lives in other countries. Immigrants and refugees make up about 18% of the U.S. healthcare workforce. In New Hampshire, they make about 7% and are particularly prevalent in patient-facing roles, such as home healthcare aides, drivers, cleaners, and food preparers. They’re the people who help you feel comfortable, safe, and cared for when you’re at your most vulnerable.
These are roles for which there are dangerous shortages in New Hampshire, a state with a rapidly aging population. It’s an urgent need that creates an opportunity for newcomers seeking entry-level jobs that may not require a local work history and more than basic English skills.
“Matching newcomers with New Hampshire healthcare employers has been a real success story in general,” says Kayla Rossmeissl, IINE’s Director of Program Design and Evaluation. “Employers are getting fast-learning, resilient, highly motivated workers, who have the benefit of IINE to help support their orientation and development. Our clients often say they’re excited to be helping people in their times of need and giving back to the community that’s welcomed them.”
A Desire for Investment
In 2019, Kayla helped develop LNA for Success—an IINE skills training program that combines English language instruction, vocational training, higher education partnerships, and apprenticeship, to help prepare immigrants and refugees for the job of Licensed Nursing Assistant. She says that in promoting this program over the next few years, IINE discovered a real desire for greater investment.
“We had been doing a lot of community presentations and working closely with [LNA for Success partner] Manchester Community College. We started to discover a lot more partners who are looking for ways to help get refugees and immigrants more economically stable—career laddering, higher paying jobs, things like that.”
She also found healthcare providers looking to invest in their immigrant employees. At one networking event, representatives from two local hospitals sought her out.
“They were just like, ‘Kayla, I heard you set up these ESOL programs. Can we chat?’ From there, we were all brainstorming to come up with a program to help their workers.”
Both hospitals were interested in paying their employees to deepen their English language skills during the workday, through on-site, workplace-focused English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes.
“Which is amazing,” Kayla says, “because a lot of families are juggling multiple part-time jobs and childcare, and wouldn’t otherwise have time to take classes.”
Kayla wasted no time in developing a curriculum for a pilot “ESOL 4 Healthcare” program, conducting interviews with partners to learn about their goals and challenges.
“They wanted to see people become more confident in speaking English, because even though they are in environmental services [maintenance], they do greet the patients in their rooms, and they interact with other staff in the hospital, like their supervisors. So, having more confidence in communication, being able to read and write emails, improving digital literacy skills, and navigating internal systems like clocking in and out—these were all things we could help with that could improve everyone’s experience.”
Gaining Confidence
“I would say for me personally, what I see in the students, cohort after cohort, is confidence,” says Becky Marden, Director of Workforce Development at Elliot Hospital in Manchester.
“In their evaluations, they’ll say things like, ‘I’ve gained the confidence to say hello to my manager in the morning, whereas before I might just have avoided eye contact,’ and things like that. And that’s what inspires me to keep pushing for this class and making it better every cohort.”
Having helped develop the concept, Elliot Hospital is now in its third year of ESOL 4 Healthcare. Becky says that she’s frequently blown away by the improvement that Elliot’s English language learners make in listening, reading, and writing skills over the course of a cohort—which spans two hours/day, six days/week for sixteen weeks, an impressive investment of staff time. In addition to the improvement in workplace communication and staff-patient relationships, she says that Elliot is gratified to be able to provide some meaningful support to some truly impressive people, which, in the most recent cohort, were six students from six different countries.
“For me it’s also about the social contacts outside of work—they can use email or finally set up a bank account for the first time. These are some of the most resilient and hardworking employees we have. I could never go to another country and work someplace and not speak the language. I would just be so frustrated. And yet they’ve done it and they’re working in our community.”
Becky says her CEO shares this feeling. After attending an ESOL 4 Healthcare graduation, he invited several of the recent graduates to a Board Meeting so that the hospital’s leadership could meet them, and they could showcase their new English skills. For Becky, the next step is developing apprenticeship programs within the hospital to help English language learners on staff to advance in their careers there.
“Some of them have healthcare experience from their previous country. We had a nurse practitioner in one program. We had a labor and delivery nurse in another, and they just want to work in the healthcare field. Their credentials don’t come over, their education doesn’t come over, but here they are, sometimes cleaning toilets just so they can be in healthcare. How do we get them back to the bedside? ‘Cause that’s where we need them.”
This is the Future
Elliot Hospital is currently one of nine IINE ESOL 4 Healthcare partners, and the number is growing quickly. They include providers offering mental health care, senior assisted living, and more. One new partner, Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital, offers English classes remotely to reach student in more rural areas, and has developed apprenticeships in Phlebotomy and Lab Tech.
“I’ve got five more in the queue!” says Kayla. “I really think this is the future. There’s a lot of interest in bridging the gap. There’s tremendous need here, from people who can really benefit from these kinds of jobs, and from employers who are always interested in a stable source of new staff members who come to them recommended and supported.”
Investing in job training opportunities for refugees and immigrants creates a stronger workforce for us all.Help newcomers grow their careers and our economy by donating to IINE today.
