Spitz: New Americans need another agenda item Nov 22, 2009
The answer seems to be yes, according to suggestions made in the 56-page report to Gov. Deval Patrick, formulated by the Governor's Advisory Council for Refugees and Immigrants, the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. The "New Americans Agenda" does little to distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants, those who have been here for decades and those who have no plans to stay more than a few months. (Marlborough Enterprise, MA)
Editorial: State report undermines immigration reform effort Nov 20, 2009
The report, called the New Americans Agenda, was done by the Governor s Advisory Council for Refugees and Immigrants, the state Office for Refugees and Immigrants and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. It promotes reform of immigration laws and decries the xenophobia that often poisons discussions about such issues. (Wakefield Daily Item, MA)
State report urges financial aid, driver's licenses for illegal imm... Nov 18, 2009
The report, issued by the Governor's Advisory Council for Refugees and Immigrants, the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, found a diverse immigrant population representing at least 16 percent of the work force. While 24 percent of immigrants hold at least a master's degree, as a whole the group is still more likely than the general population to lack a high school diploma. (Allston Brighton TAB, MA)
In-state tuition, driver’s licenses urged for illegal immigrants Nov 17, 2009
We need to get past the rhetoric of hate that has dominated this debate and instead strive for policy choices that are in the best long-term interests of our nation, Westy Egmont and Eva Millona, cochairmen of the Governor s Advisory Council for Refugees and Immigrants, which authored the report, wrote in a letter to Patrick ... The New Americans Agenda was headed by the Governor s Advisory Council for Immigrants and Refugees and coordinated by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy... (Boston Globe)
Mass. immigrant tuition bill to get new push Nov 17, 2009
On Tuesday, the governor is scheduled to release a list of recommendations from his Advisory Council for Refugees and Immigrants that is expected to include in-state tuition for undocumented students. Patrick sent the panel around the state last year to take public comment and to come up with suggestions for new immigration policy. (Pensacola News Journal)
Activist says Mass. report on refugees excluded immigrant input Nov 16, 2009
The New Americans Agenda in its current form is lacking in its legitimacy, Krua said during a church service yesterday in Boston s South End, because the participants, products, timing are not representative of the majority of Massachusetts refugees and immigrants ... A member of the Governor s Advisory Council for Refugees and Immigrants, which helped produce the report, said no one was excluded ... He also urged an overhaul of the state Office for Refugees and Immigrants, the state agency... (Boston Globe)
Refugees and asylum sneakers Nov 11, 2009
November 11, 2009 - 11:52AM. Hey, just let em all in. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Immigrant advocates head to D.C. for rally Oct 13, 2009
Patrick sent the Governor s Advisory Council for Refugees and Immigrants around the state last year to seek suggestions for a new immigration policy. Last week, he told reporters from ethnic media outlets that the panel made 131 recommendations, but he declined to give details. (Boston Globe)
Study recommends tying immigrants closer to local communities Oct 9, 2009
Last year, Patrick signed an executive order for two state agencies that work with refugees and immigrants, along with the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, to develop policy recommendations that could help include new residents into the state's economic and civic life. That effort, called the New Americans Agenda, culled the recommendations from public meetings held across the state during the previous fall and winter. (Allston Brighton TAB, MA)
Fortress Europe: Solving Immigration by Outsourced Bouncers Aug 28, 2009
This controversial new approach includes stricter maritime controls in the Mediterranean, including the interception of boats carrying would-be refugees and immigrants before they reach European territory. Those caught by patrol guards are being forcibly sent to Libya, the North African country used by many would-be asylum seekers as a base to set out for Europe but which is notorious for flouting refugee rights. (YaleGlobal Online Magazine, CT)
Kennedy dead at 77 Aug 27, 2009
Senator Kennedy did so, taking on his brother s legislative concerns on refugees and immigrants. He sought more for Massachusetts by pursuing fishery development and a Cambridge electronics research center for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (Boston Globe)
Tewksbury hospital contributes to blood drive Aug 6, 2009
Wed Aug 05, 2009, 07:00 AM EDT. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) is joining with the American Red Cross to help prevent a summer blood shortage by hosting six blood drives for its nearly 24,000 employees, including those at Tewksbury State Hospital, during the second week of August. (Tewksbury Advocate, MA)
IRAQ: Iraqi refugees face urban challenges Aug 4, 2009
2 million estimated to live there by the World Refugee Report 2009, published by the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants in June. "In part this is because of people who are hard to reach," said Etefa. (AlertNet)
Liberian community, police meet on rape case Jul 31, 2009
The Phoenix Police Community Response Unit is working directly with the city's community of Liberian refugees and immigrants from the war-torn West African nation. "The community wanted to assure us that this type of event is not indicative of their culture," Harris said. (AZCentral -- News)
Immigrants Drive Canada's Housing Resurgence Jul 21, 2009
Real Estate News and Advice. Canada's housing market, which had been quiet for the first half of the year, has bounced back in recent weeks. (RealtyTimes)
* FEATURE : Divided Geneva marks 500 years of Calvinist rigor Jul 10, 2009
But the local religious balance has shifted, partly because of the subsequent influx of refugees and immigrants that largely began with the fleeing Protestants in Calvins era. Nowadays, the majority of Genevas population is Roman Catholic. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
NH offering work safety info in 10 languages Jul 4, 2009
They say it's important because the state has seen a large increase in refugees and immigrants in recent years, many of whom are not proficient in English. The state Labor Department and the New Hampshire Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health say the information is available on the department's Web site. (Concord Monitor)
Somali crisis not far for Clarkston Jul 3, 2009
Clarkston is home to refugees and immigrants from all parts of the world, many of them from Somalia ... The first Somali refugees and immigrants arrived in Georgia in 1988 as a result of Somalia s civil war. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Council recommends immigrant policies Jul 2, 2009
BOSTON A state advisory council on refugees and immigrants yesterday handed Governor Deval Patrick a long list of policy recommendations for better integrating immigrants in Massachusetts. The report, the result of the governor s executive order last year, was not made public because it is still a draft. (Boston Globe)
Former refugee center head Sessler dies Jul 1, 2009
His wife, Harriet Sessler, said it was a shared passion for working with refugees and immigrants that brought the couple together 14 years ago. He was the director of the refugee center, and I was an ESL teacher at Proctor, she said. (Utica NY Obserer, NY)
Fewer become refugees but many who do find trouble Jun 18, 2009
An annual survey of the world's refugees being published Wednesday by the Committee for Refugees and Immigrants reported horrors from Turkey's jails to Egypt's desert, as well as in Kenya, South Africa, Malaysia and Gaza ... Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. (Yahoo News -- Politics)
Gillibrand joins Liu to celebrate Asian heritage Jun 5, 2009
Friday June 05, 2009. Assemblywoman Grace Meng, left, Sen. (Queens Chronicle, NY)
Finally in land of the free, but living isn't easy May 12, 2009
Lavinia Limon, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, says, "it's a significant problem.". "All refugees are required to become self-sufficient in a very fast time period. Our program is designed with that in mind. There isn't a long-term basis of support," said Anastasia Brown, director of refugee programs for the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops. (CNN -- US)
Rescue office's closingputs refugees at a loss May 2, 2009
Richard Chacon, commissioner of the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants, said the state is working closely with the Rescue Committee and is helping transfer the most recent arrivals to other organizations that help settle refugees, such as Catholic Charities of Boston, the Jewish Family and Children's Services in Waltham, and the Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center in Jamaica Plain. "We're clearly going to feel a loss," Chacon said. (Boston Globe)
Almeida: Making Massachusetts more welcoming Apr 29, 2009
The NAA is a yearlong planning initiative, which aims to better integrate refugees and immigrants into the economic and civic life of the commonwealth. The information for these recommendations will come from a series of public meetings across the state, already conducted, in addition to research, interviews with experts, and input from state agencies. (Somerville Journal, MA)
A long way from streets paved with gold Apr 14, 2009
When they are resettled in a community, they receive six months of support for housing and services through a nongovernmental agency like the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants or Catholic Charities. Last year, New York became home to 3,632 refugees of some 60,000 admitted nationwide. (Albany Times Union)
Prepare for citizenship at MAPS Apr 11, 2009
The 12-week course will meet Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. The cost is $30, including textbook fees, and is funded by a contract with the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants. MAPS Immigrant Social Services Program is also available to help Portuguese speakers complete their N-400 U.S. citizenship applications for a $20 donation. (Somerville Journal, MA)
Exotic produce finds fertile ground on Mass. farms Mar 21, 2009
The state Office for Refugees and Immigrants launched a farming program two years ago when it saw a flood of asylum seekers with agrarian backgrounds. For all new small farmers, the state offers a business training program that has been so popular that classes have been expanded. (Boston Globe)
Asylum seekers with post-traumatic stress disorder face a two-stage battle Mar 9, 2009
As of December 2007, about 151,200 people classified as refugees and asylum seekers were in the United States, according to the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. At least 1,200 of them are in Massachusetts. (Boston Globe)
UNH student nabs top honors from national social work organization Feb 27, 2009
Price is currently one of the leaders in the Peace and Justice League, which is dedicated to social activism, and is also a member of the Committee on Rights and Justice, a group that helps refugees and immigrants attain citizenship and aims to end discrimination against this population. Price said he gains inspiration from his two loving parents, Scott and Marcie Price, who served as his role models throughout his entire life. (The New Hampshire, NH)
Man to be arraigned in stabbing death Feb 16, 2009
A coalition of immigrant groups and the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants will meet as part of Governor Deval Patrick s effort to seek public comment before the coalition submits recommendations on reforms. Patrick in June created the "New Americans Agenda" initiative to come up with policy recommendations on immigration. (Boston Globe)
Made In LA Field Report Feb 10, 2009
Made in L.A. was part of Active Voice s Global Lives initiative on issues surrounding refugees and immigrants in 21st century America. La Americana, Speaking in Tongues, Childhood in Translation and The Visitor were also a part of this initiative, which involved forging partnerships between the filmmakers and concerned groups. (Multichannel News)
