IINE congratulates Sokhary Chau, first Cambodian-American mayor in U.S.
Sokhary Chau, a Cambodian refugee who survived the Khmer Rouge’s genocide, has become the Mayor of Lowell, making him the first Cambodian-American mayor in the United States. Currently serving as a city councilor in Lowell, he was unanimously picked by his council peers to [...]
Carlos’s story: An unaccompanied youth builds a new life in the U.S.
Carlos as a small boy in Honduras. Carlos was fifteen years old when he left Honduras, on his own. Fleeing violence, seeking a better education, and hoping for medical treatment for an eye condition that left him partially blind, he was optimistic about [...]
Refugee Agencies Praise MA Legislature for Approving $12 Million in Aid for Over a Thousand Afghan Arrivals
Press Contacts: Jeff Kinney, Ascentria Care Alliance,JKinney@ascentria.org, (774) 502-0429 Diane Shohet, International Institute of New England, dshohet@iine.org, (617) 695-0786 BOSTON, MA: Mass. Refugee Resettlement Agencies, the nonprofits tasked by the federal government with welcoming and resettling hundreds of Afghan immigrants, praised the MA legislature [...]
Safeena: An Afghan refugee finds welcome and opportunity in Lowell
Safeena poses with her three children. Safeena came to Lowell, MA as a refugee from Afghanistan in 2017, with her husband, two young children, and another baby on the way. She knew there would be challenges ahead. “My parents were here, so [...]
Refugee Agencies in MA Praise House Supplemental Budget that Includes $12 Million in Aid for Hundreds Fleeing Afghanistan
Press Contact: Diane Shohet, International Institute of New England, dshohet@iine.org Worcester, MA: Mass. Refugee Resettlement Agencies, the nonprofits tasked by the federal government with welcoming and resettling hundreds of Afghan immigrants, praised the inclusion of $12 million in the $3.65 billion House spending bill [...]
International Institute of New England (IINE) Statement on Community-Based Resettlement Models
The International Institute of New England (IINE) commends the U.S. Department of State’s commitment to quickly welcome and resettle evacuees from Afghanistan into U.S. communities. We are excited about the possibilities of new resettlement models that engage community groups across the country in receiving [...]
Youth Goal: Helping young refugees and immigrants discover their potential
Brenda with her son Liam. Brenda, now 24, came to the U.S. from El Salvador when she was just eight years old. Her family initially settled in Alaska, and her first year was difficult: it wasn’t easy for her to learn English, and [...]
Welcoming our first Afghan evacuee family to Greater Boston
On October 13th, the International Institute of New England (IINE) welcomed our first Afghan evacuee clients at Logan Airport in Boston. Abdulmuqsad Waziri, his wife Robina, and their four small children were greeted by IINE staff and accompanied to a secured and [...]
Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty Act would help refugee families in “deep poverty”
Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty, a set of bills being introduced by Representative Marjorie Decker and Senator Sal DiDomenico, would provide financial assistance to Massachusetts families with children living in poverty. The bills are targeted at families who are below [...]
Afghan evacuees approved for federal refugee benefits
The International Institute of New England (IINE) is pleased with the passage of the Continuing Resolution on Thursday, September 30, 2021 authorizing Afghan humanitarian parolees to receive refugee resettlement benefits. These much-needed benefits will include reception and placement services, and [...]
Stop repatriating Haitians seeking safety in the U.S.
On Wednesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) expelled 86 Haitian nationals from the U.S., and flew them back to Haiti. These migrants were expelled under Title 42, a policy created under the Trump administration to speed deportations in the early [...]
Refugee cap raised to 125,000
The International Institute of New England applauds President Biden’s plans to increase the cap on the number of refugees who can enter the U.S. from 62,500 to 125,000 starting on October 1. There are 26.4 million refugees around the world, and [...]