This post has some recent immigration and refugee news and background as well as information and links on local immigration and refugee services in town (jump to services link).
News and Background:
Immigration and refugee issues made more local news recently as Champaign and Urbana approved consent for refugee settlement locally in the wake of a new Executive Order from the White House requiring State and local government consent for refugee resettlement. From the New York Times last September:
The administration said it would accept 18,000 refugees during the next 12 months, down from the current limit of 30,000 and a fraction of the 110,000 President Barack Obama said should be allowed into the United States in 2016, his final year in office.More on those changes at the federal level at the full article here. The Executive Order is still being fought over in the courts, with the most recent update leaving the requirement blocked due to a preliminary injunction by a federal judge. More on that from NPR here.
Even that low figure may overstate the number of slots that could be open for unanticipated crises, since many of the openings have been allocated. The Trump administration will reserve 4,000 refugee slots for Iraqis who worked with the United States military, 1,500 for people from Central America and 5,000 for people persecuted for their religion, senior administration officials said. The additional 7,500 slots are for those who are seeking family unification and have been cleared for resettlement...
The cap is not the only change that could limit refugee entries. The number admitted into the United States will also depend on the jurisdictions that choose to accept them. President Trump signed an executive order requiring state and local governments to provide written consent to the federal government in order for them to accept refugees.
The State of Illinois via the Governor's office announced its letter of consent to the State Department last month. More on that from Capitol Fax here. WILL had an overview of The Refugee Center's work to get consent with the communities it works with in the area here prior to the City of Champaign's vote:
As for the consent from local governments, Refugee Center executive director Lisa Wilson says she has contacted officials in all the areas where refugees from her agency’s remote resettlement program have gone to live.More at that full article here. The City of Champaign approved consent 9-0 the next day. Coverage on that City Council meeting and vote here from the News-Gazette and WAND here with a video segment as well. Following up with The Refugee Center, they said that the county had given its consent already, but not Savoy or Rantoul at this time (the Federal consent requirement is currently blocked in the courts). Under the new limitations / caps they haven't been alerted to any new refugees to the Champaign County area. As the only center doing refugee resettlement work in the area, they would be alerted when that happens.
“I sent my letter out to Mayor (Diane) Marlin of Urbana, Mayor (Deb) Feinen of Champaign, the mayor in Savoy, the mayor of Rantoul,” said Wilson. “And I also sent to County Executive Darlene Kloeppel, just to cover all of my bases.”
Wilson says Mayor Marlin, as Urbana’s chief executive, has already given her consent. In Champaign, the city council is making the decision, in keeping with the city’s council-manager form of government. Wilson says she has not yet heard from the other three local governments. But she says the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has asked the Refugee Center and other organizations it works with to get the consent of local governments by the end of the year.
Other recent news:
Urbana Adult Education has a couple options for its free citizenship classes coming up as early as next week. From Smile Politely:
Urbana Adult Education regularly offers a free citizenship class to help prepare legal permanent residents and green card holders for their citizenship test. The class will help improve English proficiency as well as prepare students for the application and interview process...More details at the full blurb here or click image above to enlarge.
The YMCA's New Immigrant Welcome Center was recently honored for its work with immigrants as well as its convening role with other local immigration organizations. From the News-Gazette last week:
One out of every 6 people who now call Champaign-Urbana home were born in another country, statistics show.More information at the full article here.
Some are immigrants who could use a hand integrating into American society. Others could benefit from a simple warm welcome to town.
In both cases, that’s where the University YMCA’s New American Welcome Center comes in...
For making C-U a receptive place to newcomers, the University Y’s 3-year-old center will be honored with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Outstanding Achievement Award at Friday’s MLK Countywide Celebration in Urbana.
The University of Illinois recent rose to the fifth in international enrollment in the nation. From the News-Gazette last week:
Freshman international enrollment at the University of Illinois has been trending downward since 2015, though it held steady this fall at 569 students.That full article available on the News-Gazette's eEdition here (subscription).
But the UI rose a spot, to No. 5, among American universities for total international enrollment in the latest “Open Doors” report from the Institute for International Education, commissioned by the U.S. State Department...
— The UI was tops among U.S. public universities with 13,497 international students, up just slightly from 13,445 in 2017-18. Arizona State, which had been in the No. 5 spot, saw its enrollment drop to 13,324, from 13,459 in 2017-18.
Femmes en Action, a local immigration group for Congolese women, recently had an awards event. From the News-Gazette earlier this month:
The group honored Lisette Mbaki, owner of The Best of Africa’s Food Store, who provided an office for the Congolese Community of Champaign County above the business she runs with her husband, Memoire Budimbu. Junette Nsenga was honored for opening her own business, Chikwana, that sells basic Congolese foods. Fanta Seck and Soukeye Dieng, neither of whom are Congolese, were honored for their work at Sister and Sister’s Hair Braiding.That full article here.
Jeannine Vita Bumba, the French liaison for the Urbana School District, and Lydie Maole, who works for Credit Union Bank and helps translate for French and Lingala speakers, were recognized for helping people who aren’t fluent with the English language...
The other group included in Monday’s event was Simba, a Congolese soccer team that plays in the Champaign Park District league. After games, Simba hosts barbecues that Congolese people throughout the community attend.
Local Immigration and Refugee Services:
This information will also be linked from the County Cheat Sheet's Organizations page in the near future. Many immigrant and refugee services are located at or available through offices in the C-U Public Health Department building at 201 W. Kenyon Road in Champaign (map) off of Neil Street just South of the I-74 interchange. More information on the Immigration Cooperative at WILL. Excerpt:
CU Public Health Administrator Julie Pryde said the award acknowledges the district’s efforts to build community partnerships, including an initiative launched earlier this year known as the “Immigrant Cooperative.”Full article here.
Pryde described it as a one-stop shop where people can access services from several local organizations that work to help immigrants and refugees in east-central Illinois, including the Refugee Center, the YMCA New American Welcome Center, CU FAIR and Three Spinners.
CU FAIR - Friends and Allies of Immigrants and Refugees
Phone: (217) 344-8455
Address: 201 W Kenyon Rd, Suite 4-A, Champaign, Illinois 61820
Email: questions@cufair.org
Website: www.cufair-us.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cufair2day/
About (full):
The mission of CU FAIR is to support the resettlement of immigrants, refugees & political asylees in their transition from dependency to full self-sufficiency. CU FAIR originally organized in early 2016 in response to the Syrian refugee crisis.
The Refugee Center - also known as the East Central Illinois Refugee Mutual Assistance Center (ECIRMAC)
Phone: (217) 344-8455
Address: 201 W. Kenyon Rd., Suite 4D, Champaign, IL 61820
New Website: https://www.therefugeecenter-cu.org/ (previous website link: www.ecirmac.org )
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRefugeeCenter/
About (full):
The Refugee Center was founded in 1980 by Vietnamese refugees to provide commonly needed services to other newly arrived refugees, and to help them acclimatize to American culture. In its 40 years of service to our community, The Refugee Center has expanded its scope to assist all immigrants, political asylees, and refugees, regardless of country of origin.
The Immigration Project
Phone: (309) 829-8703
Address: 505 W. University Ave., Suite 214, Champaign, IL 61820
Email: info@immigrationproject.org
Website: www.immigrationproject.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theimmigrationproject/
About (full):
The Immigration Project is the principal provider of non-profit immigration legal services in Central and Southern Illinois. We are staffed by experienced immigration attorneys and excellent support professionals.
New American Welcome Center
Phone: (217) 417-5897
Address: 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, IL 61820
Website: universityymca.org/welcome
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ynawc/
About (full pdf brocure, website):
The New American Welcome Center at the University YMCA supports foreign-born residents in their desire to integrate into American society and invites our community to be more welcoming and inclusive. The central focus of our NAWC is engaging community institutions and mobilizing community resources to make Champaign County a place where newcomers and immigrants can thrive and flourish.
Three Spinners
Phone: (872) 302-7746
Address: 201 W Kenyon Rd, STE 4-A, Champaign, Illinois 61820
Website: www.threespinners.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThreeSpinners/
About (full):
Three Spinners is dedicated to welcoming refugees and immigrants to Champaign-Urbana with immediate support for basic needs.
Champaign-Urbana is a generous community with a long history of welcoming new faces and different cultures. We are helping struggling families move, get shelter, and meet their basic needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment