If governors or lawmakers want to close the door, it could hurt towns that have come to rely on young refugees to revitalize their economies.
refugees
Posted inMaine, Nation / World, News
Trump rule change on public benefits sows ‘fear and confusion’ among Maine immigrants
The rule change, which would not apply to refugees or asylum seekers, would expand the definition of who might become a ‘public charge’ in need of benefits provided by taxpayers.
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Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Current immigration policy violates human rights
Once again, so much for “Give me your tired, your poor … yearning to breathe free.” Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made clear that this offer does not apply to hundreds of thousands of Central Americans fleeing violence in their home countries. Removing Lady Justice’s blindfold, Sessions directed her to cast a jaundiced eye at […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Milestone: Celebrating years of helping refugees
LEWISTON — Fatuma Hussein, 38, was not just part of the first wave of Somali immigrants who came to Lewiston in 2001. She helped make that wave. On Tuesday, the organization she founded in 2002, The Immigrant Resource Center of Maine (formerly known as United Somali Women of Maine), will celebrate its anniversary at the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Due to Trump actions, Maine to see fewest refugees resettled in 7 years
PORTLAND, Maine — The organization that helps refugees first transition to life in Maine is expecting half the number of people it originally planned to resettle in the state this year. Catholic Charities of Maine had planned to help resettle 685 refugees from around the world by the end of September, but now expects about […]
Posted inLetters
They are not interlopers
This is in response to the letter from Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald (March 31). How dare he refer to my friends, who have sought asylum here, interlopers. They are people who suffered greatly, who seek safety for themselves and their families. If he would listen to their stories as I do, he would weep, as […]
Posted inLetters
America is a nation for everyone
I am a 21-year-old Muslim American, born and raised in a refugee camp in Kenya before my family resettled in Lewiston. I am a member of the Muslim Students Association and student staff member of the Multicultural Resources Center at the University of Southern Maine. I go to school and study every day. I have […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
A haven for refugees feels new anxiety in the age of Trump
UTICA, N.Y. (AP) — It’s not unusual around Utica to see tables full of Bosnians sipping strong coffee in cafes, Muslim women in hijabs shopping at grocery stores and Somalis raised in equatorial heat heading to work in the blowing snow. An influx of thousands of refugees from around the world over the past few […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Analysis: 2016 was busiest year for targeted refugees
President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily banning refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries has put a spotlight on those immigrant communities across the country. The U.S. has taken in nearly 270,000 immigrants and refugees from the affected countries since 2007, according to an analysis of U.S. State Department data by The Associated Press. […]
Posted inLetters
U.S. showing lack of compassion
I am saddened and disheartened after reading the front-page article (“Pain, despair in Somali community,” Jan. 31) about Somali community members who are devastated by President Donald Trump’s despicable travel ban on refugees from seven predominately Muslim countries. How can people read that article and not empathize with the plight of these residents and refugees? Family […]