Ukrainian Refugees: Frequently Asked Questions: Updated April 8, 2022
Many have been fleeing Ukraine since March 1, 2022, due to the escalation of a conflict with Russia that has caused civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. Those leaving are seeking safety, protection, and assistance. The majority are Ukrainian women, children, and [...]
IINE applauds Biden administration for providing a pathway to U.S. protection for 100,000 Ukrainians
The International Institute of New England (IINE) welcomes the encouraging news that the Biden administration is planning to admit up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine to the United States. Together with our partners in communities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, we stand ready to support [...]
Vania’s story: A Haitian asylee finds her voice
Vania at home in the U.S. In July 2020, Vania arrived in the U.S. from Haiti, fleeing from an unstable political situation and seeking to establish a better future for her two children, Nephtaine, 11, and Dahn, 8, whom she left in [...]
IINE statement on Biden Administration designating Afghanistan for TPS
The International Institute of New England (IINE) commends the Biden administration for designating Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and allowing Afghans in the U.S. as of March 15, 2022 to apply for TPS. While the TPS designation is a step in the right [...]
How you can help Ukrainian refugees right now
The International Institute of New England (IINE) has resettled a small number of Ukrainian refugees in recent years and is preparing with our communities to welcome more individuals and families should the U.S. government begin to accept refugees from Ukraine. Currently, IINE provides legal [...]
IINE Statement on Russian Invasion of Ukraine
At IINE, we have watched the Russian invasion of Ukraine in horror. Our work and our mission is in direct opposition to unjust acts of aggression that destroy democracy and human lives around the world. Russia’s invasion has already spawned a refugee crisis that will [...]
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
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 for including $12 Million to support Afghan arrivals in the final spending bill sent to Governor Baker’s desk on [...]
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
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 that draws from last year’s state budget surplus and over [...]
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 [...]