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Author: Jeff Thielman

IINE Statement on Trump Administration Refugee Cap for Upcoming Fiscal Year

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Press Releases/Statements, Refugee Resettlement.

Trump Administration Refugee Cap for 2019

Trump Administration Refugee Cap for Upcoming Fiscal Year…

This isn’t the kind of news we want to share on Citizenship Day, or any day. Needless to say, the IINE community is very disappointed by this short-sighted and mean-spirited policy. Refusing refugees means that deserving people cannot come to the United States, that families remain separated, and that our future economy will suffer from a dearth of willing workers.

To say nothing of the fact America is setting a poor example for the rest of the world at a time when there are 25.8 million refugees sleeping far from their homes tonight.

We will continue to stand up for refugees, to serve those we recently welcomed to New England, and to meet the needs of a vibrant and hard-working immigrant population in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Thank you for your support.

Call to Action: 2019 Refugee Admissions Ceiling

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Refugee Resettlement.

The admissions ceiling for refugees could be set by the President at 25,000 people for fiscal year 2019. This would be a cut of more than 40 percent from this year’s limit.

What You Can Do:
Call congressional offices directly. You can reach US representatives in DC by calling 202-225-3121, and US senators by calling 202-224-3121. Ask the operator to connect you to the individual office. In addition, since Congress is not currently in session and most members are at home, you can also contact your senators and representatives directly in your home state.

Sample Script:
“I’m your constituent from [CITY/TOWN], and I urge you to support the U.S. refugee resettlement program. I strongly oppose the Administrations continued Muslim and refugee bans, as well as the all-time low cap on refugee admissions.

I urge you to do everything in your power to see that the administration resettle at least the 45,000 refugees they have set as the goal for 2018 and see the administration commit to resettling at least 75,000 for 2019.

Resettlement is a core American legacy that allows refugees to rebuild their lives in safety and dignity as people have since they first imagined our country. My community welcomes refugees and immigrants, and I urge you to do the same.”

A Tribute to Bob Sullivan

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of IINE, we are looking back at our organization’s history and recognizing some unique efforts made by the staff and volunteers who contributed their time and expertise to help improve the lives of immigrants and refugees.

In 1990, before the International Institute of Boston merged with locations in Lowell and Manchester, their newsletter included a tribute to Bob Sullivan, an outstanding volunteer, board member, and part of the Boston community who passed away unexpectedly that year when he was only 50 years old. His daughter, Suzanne McGillicuddy, stayed in touch with IINE and just recently shared some memories from her family’s involvement with our community.

She sent IINE a copy of the IIB’s 1990 Annual Report, which highlighted Bob’s championing of our mission and his interactions with many refugees and their families. He donated a computer to the International Institute, helped with English classes, and arranged trips for young people to fun activities like ball games, amusement parks, and his family’s rented summer cottage in Vermont.

His daughter, Suzanne, said: “Supporting refugees was a big part of his life. We always hosted international students but then once he got involved with IIB (back when it was called that), he just lit up and gained so much from supporting folks from all over the world who were the newest members of our community.”

Bob was most famous for his “World Picnics,” which he hosted at his home in Needham, MA, every year on the Fourth of July. Refugee families from all over the world who had settled in the Boston area came together to play games, barbecue on the grill, and enjoy time outside of the city.

“My father would get lists of ingredients for various recipes from people and go all over Boston to different ethnic markets to pick them up so people could cook something from their country at our house,” Suzanne said.

Fast forward to this summer, when Suzanne was thrilled to learn that IINE has a family of volunteers who have unknowingly continued her father’s legacy by welcoming refugee families to a summer party at their home. Just last month, the Traeger family in Sandown, NH hosted 60 refugee and immigrant families at their home in the country. This was the third outing of its kind at the Traegers, who welcomed the large group to enjoy the outdoors by hiking and fishing and then share a meal together.  We’d like to think Bob Sullivan would approve.

In the face of government policy that seeks daily to discourage our efforts, it is heartening to know that we have second-generation supporters like Suzanne and families like the Traegers who believe in welcoming newcomers and who are determined to make a difference in their own neighborhoods.

You can support the International Institute of New England in our second century of creating opportunities for refugees and immigrants by visiting: iine.org/donate.

Meet Zainab Sumu: Primitive Modern

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Boston.

This is the second blog in a series of posts highlighting immigrants in business across New England.

Zainab Sumu is the artist and entrepreneur behind the label Primitive Modern and has lived around the world, but like every good Bostonian, the Hub is the hometown of her heart. Zainab’s upbringing in Sierra Leone led to her education in the United Kingdom and Paris, and then to work experience in New York and L.A. Yet with all her global background, she chose to settle and start her business in Boston.

“When you find your community, that’s where you stay,” she said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be your country, but you go somewhere you feel welcome, where you feel like ‘Oh, I belong here.”

The path to Boston was not a linear one for the chic and poised Sumu. She completed her degree in chemistry at the American International University in London and planned on becoming a doctor. However, she realized the medical path wasn’t right for her and like all recent graduates looked to her dad for advice. His response to her was: “Whatever you decide to do, I know will be the best decision.” That was the last conversation Zainab had with her dad, who died of a heart attack the next day.

But soon after, with her father’s words of encouragement in her ears, Zainab moved to the US to pursue a career in fashion. She landed her first job in New York City at the Japanese fashion label Comme des Garçons. At the time, Sierra Leone was unstable and Zainab says she thought of the US as a place where she could be herself and find career opportunities.

Over the next few years, Zainab realized that there was opportunity within herself as well.

“I remember even when I worked in the fashion in L.A. and had a business, I was always telling people: ‘You can do this, you can do this,’ and then I thought to myself – ‘Wait, I’m giving all these ideas away…these things come so easily to me, so why don’t I try it out?’”

Zainab moved back home to Sierra Leone for a time and then decided she wanted to go to school again. Excited by the prospect of studying in the fashion program at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, she applied, was accepted and moved to Boston. So began a very busy time of work and full-time studying. While Zainab is the first to admit that there were times she doubted herself, she said she never allowed doubt to impact her daily life.

“For me there’s never been any kind of cap to say what I can do or what I can’t do. I feel like you just have to believe in yourself and believe that you can do anything and be willing to put in the work as well.”

Once Zainab finished school in 2014, she felt she was ready to launch Primitive Modern. She had been working on the initial stages of Primitive Modern while taking class, and based her designs on themes derived from elements of life in North and West Africa. The label began with projects inspired by the architecture of Mali and has continued to expand with collections on Gnawa music in Morocco.

It is obvious from her products that Zainab’s worldwide background greatly contributes to her work. She recognizes the intermingling of cultures and motifs and explains the origin of her work very simply. She said that when she began designing, she asked herself: “I love living here, I loved living in Europe. I loved all the experiences that I’ve had, and how do I blend those?”

Primitive Modern is the culmination of her experiences around the world and a way for Zainab to bring the cultures and countries inspiring her work to a wider audience in Boston. Her showroom in the South End and her website, www.zainabsumu.com, display robust collections of unique scarves, shirts, and blouses.

“One of the things that is so important to me is to create this emotional connection with somebody so that when they get a piece from me, they feel connected to it, and they want to talk about it, and they want to share it with somebody else,” she said.

Zainab is looking forward to continuing to grow Primitive Modern and to create accessories and apparel that showcase a wide variety of North and West African cultures. Next up for Zainab is a collection based on a group of people who live in three countries — fitting for an artist who has proven in her own life and in her designs that borders are not a boundary.

Today, Massachusetts is made up of more than one million immigrants, with approximately one out of every seven residents being foreign-born. These new Americans are entrepreneurs, job creators, taxpayers, and consumers, making them critical contributors to Massachusetts’ overall economic success. According to a report by New American Economy, 58 percent of Fortune 500 companies based in Massachusetts were founded by immigrants or their children; generating $136.8 billion in annual revenue and employ more than 466,000 people globally. In addition, foreign-born workers currently make up 20.7 percent of all entrepreneurs in the state.

Recent Program Highlights

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Boston, Lowell, Manchester.

All three sites hosted public events to honor World Refugee Day on June 20. Thank you for making this year’s World Refugee Day a memorable occasion for our clients, volunteers, and supporters.

BOSTON – In April volunteers from Life Science Cares (LSC) conducted mock interviews for students in evening ESOL classes in Boston. The LSC group is comprised of volunteers from several different small-to-medium-size biotech companies throughout the region who band together to amplify their impact. Since their Mock Interview Session, LSC has returned the favor and invited IINE staff to present on our work and mission at an upcoming networking meeting of young professionals in the life sciences field.

LOWELL – Joan Konuk and Colleen Engel, two dedicated volunteers from Lowell’s English for Employment program, offered a five-week skills training program in Housekeeping & Laundry.

Eight students participated in the program, which started with a visit to the UMass Inn & Conference Center to tour their housekeeping and laundry facilities. On Monday, June 4th, the clients showcased what they learned in the program and received certificates of completion.

MANCHESTER – Just this week in Manchester, Danah Hashem’s “Seacoast Resettle Together” group and Calvin Wels hosted a bicycle drive to help 12 clients access good, safe bikes. The volunteers provided gently used bikes and new helmets, and hosted a safety training.

The drive was an initiative of a group of volunteers from the eastern part of New Hampshire who focus on projects that help recently arrived refugees.

SUITCASE STORIES® – Throughout the spring, the ongoing Suitcase Stories® performance series kept local audiences enthralled with true stories of inspiration and perseverance. Our thanks to all the storytellers who participated in the most recent Weston, Hingham, and Boston performances. To date, more than 2,500 people have seen a live Suitcase Stories® show.  There’s just one more show left in 2018 – and that’s coming up in Manchester on Sunday, September 30!

Volunteer Spotlight: Meet the Traegers

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Volunteer.

Disillusioned by the national debate on refugee policy during last year’s election, Mark and Heidi Traeger decided it was time to learn more about refugee resettlement in their own backyard. Last winter they attended IINE-Manchester’s A Home for All event at the Millyard Museum and were moved by the personal stories shared by the refugee panelists.

Inspired by their experience at the event, the couple decided to demonstrate their support for immigrants by raising awareness of the challenges refugees face.

The Traegers hosted a house party for their friends and neighbors at which IINE staff and newly arrived refugees spoke. The event raised money to support IINE’s services, introduced the community to several refugee families, and helped people learn more about the U.S. refugee resettlement program.

But Mark and Heidi didn’t stop there. They also worked with IINE staff to plan a Nature Walk on their own property. IINE brought nearly 200 refugee children and parents to the Traegers’ home in the country to hike, fish, and learn more about New Hampshire’s great outdoors.

They did it again a few months later when they hosted another busload of children who arrived for a fall adventure of fishing and Halloween fun.

The Traegers’ refugee and immigrant guests at the three events delighted in the bucolic scene and the warm welcome they received from Heidi, Mark, and their neighbors.

The Traegers are unassuming and don’t think that what they’ve done for the refugee community in Manchester is all that extraordinary.

But their generosity and kindness go beyond financial support. The value they place on relationships, on understanding where people come from and what they have endured, helps empower refugees to know a wider community of people.

During a year of uncertainty and insecurity for refugees and immigrants, it is heartening to see the Traegers and families like them offer a warm New Hampshire welcome to new Americans.

Meet Biar Kon

Meet Biar Kon

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Suitcase Stories.

All you really need to know about Biar Kon is this: in the right shoes, under a spotlight, he is unstoppable.

During last week’s Suitcase Stories® performance on World Refugee Day, he gave a tour-de-force storytelling presentation before a crowd of almost two hundred people.  In his dapper patterned suit and bedazzled shoes, he mesmerized the audience with the story of his experience in Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.

Biar was born in Sudan, but he and his family fled their homeland in 1993, and for the next two decades, Biar lived in the Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya. In 2015, Biar and his family resettled to Boston and then moved to Lowell, MA.

Currently a student at Middlesex Community College, Biar will complete his associate’s degree in Business Administration this fall. After graduation, Biar hopes to complete his bachelor’s degree and earn his master’s in business administration with a minor in political science at a university in Boston. Obviously a dedicated student, Biar said that in his spare time he reads business books — his latest favorites are The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles and Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

On top of his busy academic schedule, Biar also serves as an IINE intern in Lowell, where he helps resettle refugees and interprets for some Somali and Swahili-speaking clients.

When he tells the story of his early life, Biar purposely draws a connection between his own experience and what he imagines children today are enduring at camps in Africa, and in detention centers in Texas. He remembers how it feels to be powerless over one’s own life.

Biar is a bit shy about his hopes for the future. He said his “biggest motivation” is the dream of one day opening his own business. Until that time, though, it seems he will study, learn, help people, and continue to share his own powerful story in the hope that those who hear it will be inspired to give a young person a chance to succeed – just like the chance he feels he received when he came to the U.S.

IINE Responds to SCOTUS on Muslim Ban

IINE Responds to SCOTUS on Muslim Ban

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Press Releases/Statements.

The International Institute of New England is profoundly disappointed by today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. We had held out hope that the Justices deciding Trump v. Hawaii would recognize that the spirit of the U.S. Constitution is not to exclude, but to include all freedom-loving people who want to build new lives here and contribute to our economic vitality and cultural diversity. As an organization that serves refugees and immigrants from every corner of the globe, we are daily witnesses to what the American dream means to those born abroad who pursue it. This decision means that, the pursuit of that dream is now denied to many deserving Somali, Yemeni, Syrian, Libyan and Iranian nationals awaiting a visa to come to the United States.

While the decision does not directly apply to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, over the past 10 years IINE has resettled 620 people from the countries affected by the travel ban, and many have family members who had hoped to come to America. Those 620 people survived persecution, war, violence, and famine, before they arrived in the U.S. Today, they work as teachers, as restaurant servers, and hotel managers. They are parents, co-workers, neighbors, and yes, Muslims. Just like those of us born here, they are dedicated to improving their communities and want to leave this world a better place for their children. As an organization, we see nothing to condemn in that. In fact, we know that welcoming reliable, motivated people like them to our region is the only way our local economy will continue to grow.

Each day we work with individuals from nations affected by the travel ban whose families remain in their home countries or in refugee camps on the other side of the world. The consequence of today’s decision means that many of these families may not, possibly ever, reunite on U.S. soil. By upholding President Trump’s anti-Muslim travel ban, the Supreme Court has taken the United States one step further down the troubling path of racism and xenophobia we have been on since November 2016.

The Supreme Court did not lead today. It missed an opportunity to correct a terrible wrong.

World Refugee Day 2018

From the Desk of the CEO: World Refugee Day 2018

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, From the Desk of the CEO.

Dear Friends:

Today, June 20, is World Refugee Day. As an organization deeply connected to the 68.5 million people worldwide – including 25.4 million refugees – who have been displaced by war, violence and persecution, we recommit ourselves to our core mission: helping refugees and immigrants succeed in the United States.

In advance of World Refugee Day, the United Nations released its annual Global Trends Report, which shows the number of forcibly displaced people at a record high.

Instead of a thoughtful response to this global crisis, the administration of Donald J. Trump, with support from many Americans, has increased deportations, reduced refugee admissions, separated Central American children from their families at the Mexican border, barred victims of domestic or gang violence from claiming asylum in the United States, ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and terminated the legal status of Central Americans and others.

The President and his allies have made multiple, direct attacks on the 2,000 people we serve each year – refugees, asylees, unaccompanied minor children from Central America, foreign-born victims of human trafficking, people who are paroled into the country from Haiti and Cuba, and other immigrants.

According to President Trump, these people do not belong in our country. In fact, yesterday he said that some of the people we serve “infest our country.” We take strong exception to his comments and the policies of his administration.

It is clear now that the United States is repeating the tragic, unconscionable, and unpardonable mistakes of the past. Prior to World War II, the U.S. rejected European Jews fleeing Nazi persecution.

Today, our nation is making it nearly impossible for Central American families fleeing violence to obtain asylum in the U.S.  And the holding centers erected to jail migrant children are reminiscent of the internment camps used to imprison 110,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.

We are in a shameful new chapter in the American story, and the International Institute of New England will not keep silent.

The International Institute is focused on serving every refugee and immigrant we can. Rather than shrink at threats from this administration, we have launched a Strategic Plan to double the number of new Americans we serve over the next several years.

On this World Refugee Day, we ask you to join us and others around the country who reject the policies and rhetoric of this administration, who are mindful of our history, and who are devoted to embracing newcomers as our nation has done for centuries. Together, we can prevent our country from repeating the most shameful moments of its past.

Thank you for being part of our community, and for standing with refugees and immigrants.

Sincerely,

Jeff Thielman
President & CEO

Meet Yusuf Abdi

Employee Profile: Meet Yusuf Abdi

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Lowell, Our Team.

Update to this story: March 24, 2020

Yusuf FamilyYusuf Abdi is a Case Specialist at IINE in Lowell, and a former refugee. For the past 12 years, he has been trying to reunite with his mother and siblings. In March, Yusuf flew to Uganda (wearing a mask for the whole flight!) to collect his mother who he hadn’t seen in over a decade, and finally bring her to the United States to live with him and his young family. Yusuf and his mom have arrived safe and sound in Lowell, where she is meeting her grandkids for the first time.

Original post from 2018:

My father was a Somali army general, a political science professor at Somali National University, and a civil rights advocate. My mom was a businesswoman who owned beauty salons in the capital city of Mogadishu.

I grew up during the Somali Civil War, and witnessed the period from December 1991 to March 1992, when Somalia was torn apart by clan-based warfare. During that time, warring factions plundered the remnants of the state structure and fought for control of rural and urban assets. Four months of fighting in Mogadishu killed an estimated 25,000 people in 1991 and 1992. One and a half million people fled the country, and at least 2 million were internally displaced.

One of the events I witnessed during my school time in 1997 was when militia attacked our school while class was in session. They raided everything, including chairs and syllabus books. They presumably took the books to sell to shopkeepers so that the pages could be used to make teabags and wrap sugar. The following day I returned to class and found that they even took the aluminum roof. Only the blackboard remained nailed to the wall.

I studied at Mogadishu University from 1999 to 2003 and received my degree in economics. The security situation was precarious at that time and even the daily commute to school was risky. Resources were limited, and it was nearly impossible to borrow books from the library.

In 2004 I had to leave Somalia after the assassination of my father by the fundamentalist terrorist group Al Shabab. My father was an army general, peace promoter, and civil society advocate. Since he had openly supported the call for international peacekeepers, he was assassinated. After his death my family split up for safety reasons, with no way of finding each other. That was the start of the next phase of my life – as a refugee.

I arrived in the United States in 2008, to Burlington, Vermont. Since 2009, I have been working as an Employment Counselor helping new refugees find jobs. My role at the International Institute of New England in Lowell allows me to link newly arrived refugees to local business and community partners.

In my career I have helped more than 500 individuals to become self-sufficient when they arrive in America.

I am currently married and have a three year-old daughter and a baby son. My spouse and I are part-time students and rotate taking care of our children. I am pursuing a Master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. I have a full-time job, and my spouse works part-time at Lawrence General Hospital. I am responsible for financially supporting my extended family who are currently living in Tanzania. In June 2014 my brother came to the United States and lives with me in Lowell.

I am hoping one day all my siblings, my mother, and I will reunite to live together in the United States and that they will have the chance to experience the peace I have here.

Meet Mirfat and Her Family

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Client Stories.

Mirfat Abbas Al-Sakkaf, like every mom on the planet, worries about her children before she worries about herself. Lying in a hospital bed in Ethiopia two years ago, she was just conscious enough to hear doctors telling her children she might die that day. Mirfat said it remains her most difficult memory to share because she was powerless to shield her kids from that fear.

Mirfat and her children had been fleeing war in their native Yemen for several years. When you are a refugee with a chronic illness, you are at the mercy of countries that offer treatment – until you are too expensive to keep. Bounced from hospital to hospital in several eastern African countries, she was finally cleared for entry into the U.S. in the spring of 2017. Her two youngest children accompanied her, and the three were reunited with her older daughter who was already living in New Hampshire.

A team from IINE met Mirfat and her medical escort at the Manchester airport. Still overcome with sickness and struggling to breathe, she was immediately admitted to the local hospital. Once she was treated by her medical team, she began to improve quickly. During the ten previous years, she had coped with a disabling cough and labored breathing. After ten days in a New Hampshire hospital, her cough disappeared for good.

Still weak, but eager to start her new life, she received initial support from IINE to find an apartment and set up assistance services to pay for fuel, electricity, and groceries. She attended cultural orientation and English classes, and her young son started school.

Today, Mirfat lives happily in her Manchester home and is able to walk, talk, breathe, and see her children progress in their careers and their schooling.

Her 22 year-old daughter works a manufacturing job and is considering returning to school to complete her secondary education. Her 19-year-old son is finding a job and her youngest son is able to attend school and pursue his greatest love – soccer.

Legal Immigration Forms Service Launches

Legal Immigration Forms Service Launches

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Legal.

Nearly every client that IINE serves across our three sites is in need of trustworthy and affordable assistance in adjusting their legal status in the U.S. IINE’s Legal Immigration Forms Service (LIFS) offers low-cost, high-quality support for a range of legal forms services in demand in the immigrant community, such as status adjustment, work authorization and family reunification application support.

IINE launched LIFS in spring 2018 with a talented staff of trained professionals who are accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice, and a supervising attorney with 15 years of immigration law experience. Since the initial launch of the program, the LIFS team has served more than 100 clients with quality, affordable services. The LIFS program currently works with immigrants in Boston, Lowell, and Manchester, NH.

What sets this program apart from others is the long-term commitment our team makes to each client through the entirety of their particular immigration legal forms process. We work directly with each client, keeping in close contact during every step of their case. As the largest resettlement agency in eastern Massachusetts, IINE offers the representation critical to helping immigrant and refugee clients realize their dreams of becoming contributing, active U.S. citizens entitled to the opportunities, benefits, and protections of this land.

Providing legal representation is more important than ever as policies under the current administration are making all aspects of the immigration process more challenging. The application for permanent residency, for example, has grown from 6 to 18 pages, and the form instructions are now 42 pages long. For nonnative-English speakers, increasingly complex applications can mean a daunting process. In addition, clients applying for permanent residency – who previously only needed to have their fingerprints recorded – will soon have to report for an interview at a government office. When they do, IINE legal staff will be with them.