Press - International Institute of New England

A collaboration between local organizations has brought fresh produce each week to the kitchens of newcomer families in Lowell, Massachusetts.

A collaboration between local organizations has brought fresh produce each week to the kitchens of newcomer families in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Igor2020-06-29T16:48:40+00:00June 29th, 2020|

The International Institute of New England officially suspended all its in-person services on March 13. Ever since, we have been working tirelessly and creatively to continue to support our immigrant and refugee communities. We had to adapt to these unprecedented circumstances and keep providing the critical employment, case management, and legal immigration services we have been providing for more than [...]

IINE Statement on June 22, 2020 Presidential Proclamation Temporarily Suspending Entry of Certain Immigrants into the United States

IINE Statement on June 22, 2020 Presidential Proclamation Temporarily Suspending Entry of Certain Immigrants into the United States

Igor2020-06-23T21:50:04+00:00June 23rd, 2020|

On June 22, 2020, President Trump signed a proclamation suspending the entry of certain nonimmigrant workers and their family members. The order directly impacts the following nonimmigrant workers: H-1B: Specialty Occupations H-2B: Temporary Non-Agricultural Workers J-1: Exchange Visitors (interns, trainees, teachers, camp counselors, au pairs, and summer work travel programs) L-1: Intracompany Transferees This [...]

IINE Statement on the Supreme Court Ruling to Block Trump from Ending DACA

IINE Statement on the Supreme Court Ruling to Block Trump from Ending DACA

Igor2020-06-18T20:54:08+00:00June 18th, 2020|

Today, the Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from cancelling the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This ruling is a victory not only for dreamers but for all immigrants nationwide. We stand with every dreamer and every family whose lives have been impacted for the past three years. We are thrilled and [...]

IINE and Black Lives Matter

IINE and Black Lives Matter

Igor2020-06-12T17:24:19+00:00June 12th, 2020|

Recently we made the decision to update two of our blog posts, which we wrote on June 1 and June 2 in response to the murder of George Floyd by a police officer. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge that at the time of the postings, we did not explicitly express solidarity [...]

IINE Statement of Solidarity with Black Americans and #BlackLivesMatter

IINE Statement of Solidarity with Black Americans and #BlackLivesMatter

Kate Oneill2020-06-12T12:30:53+00:00June 2nd, 2020|

IINE was founded on the belief that in order for a community to thrive, it must welcome and truly embrace all those who embody it. Our organization is dedicated to building and promoting welcoming communities that recognize the value of every person: refugee, immigrant, and U.S.-born, of every race, religion, and cultural background. The [...]

What it means to be a truly welcoming community

What it means to be a truly welcoming community

Kate Oneill2020-06-15T20:27:00+00:00June 1st, 2020|

June 1, 2020Dear Friend:Last night I was in the IINE office in Boston, where Downtown Crossing and Chinatown meet, getting ready for the week ahead. Around 8:00 p.m. thousands of diverse, peaceful, and enthusiastic protesters marched below my window to condemn the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.The marchers were seeking justice and change, and [...]

Persistence pays off for Hospitality Training Program graduate

Persistence pays off for Hospitality Training Program graduate

Kate Oneill2020-06-01T14:30:42+00:00May 26th, 2020|

When Adolfo Gomes first arrived in the U.S., he spoke little English and worked entry-level jobs in restaurant kitchens. Anyone who has met him will tell you that being in the back of the house isn’t the natural place for Adolfo’s outgoing personality, nor the best use of his degree in advertising from a [...]

Advocating for eligible immigrants who are one step away from Citizenship

Advocating for eligible immigrants who are one step away from Citizenship

Kate Oneill2020-05-11T21:01:02+00:00May 11th, 2020|

As an organization that has welcomed immigrants to the U.S. since 1918, the International Institute of New England has been on the front lines of immigration policy and advocacy for more than a century. In recent days, we have contacted federal legislators from Massachusetts and New Hampshire to call attention to policies recently enacted [...]

Three generations now thriving in Nashua: Kanyere and Frediana

Three generations now thriving in Nashua: Kanyere and Frediana

Kate Oneill2020-05-08T20:53:07+00:00May 8th, 2020|

Kanyere and her mother, Frediana, fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2004 and lived in the Kyaka II refugee camp in western Uganda for 14 years. “There were people killed before our eyes,” Frediana said when she recalled the conditions that forced her family to leave their home. In 2018, Kanyere, Frediana, [...]

Seeing Success in the Crisis: How IINE clients are a source of inspiration

Seeing Success in the Crisis: How IINE clients are a source of inspiration

Kate Oneill2020-05-07T18:16:32+00:00May 7th, 2020|

By Emma Tobin Managing Director, IINE-Lowell Seven weeks ago, the IINE community in Lowell faced an enormous challenge: the families we serve were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic but we could no longer provide them with critical services, face to face, as we’ve done for 102 years. We knew we needed to adapt [...]