Immigration: Alphabet Book Announced At Philadelphia’s Welcoming Week
A new alphabet book designed to promote insight into immigration was announced Friday, Sept. 14, at the kick-off of Philadelphia’s Welcoming Week, a weeklong event meant to forge dialogue between immigrants, non-immigrants, refugees and native born citizens. Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness and teaching Arab culture through language and art, […]
Immigration Law: Glancing At History
President Donald Trump’s dedication to enacting a travel ban was finally approved by the Supreme Court on June 26 after the administration’s third revision of the policy finally passed in a 5-4 vote. It may appear that America is in a new era of immigration law, but U.S. presidents have always teetered back and forth […]
Immigration: The History Of ICE And The Controversy
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, has recently found itself at the center of national discussions surrounding immigration policy. Locally, Philadelphia’s ICE Field Office, which is the most aggressive in the nation, has found itself under fire from activists while the agency defends its actions. Founding and Structure ICE was […]
Immigration: The Welcoming Center For New Pennsylvanians Assists Those New To Philadelphia
The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that seeks to help those in need, including immigrants and refugees, with improving their lives and socioeconomic status. Philadelphians who are foreign born often find themselves at a disadvantage in the job market and require additional assistance in getting the education, language skills and connections […]
Immigration: Jewish Immigration Through A Philadelphia Native’s Family Eyes
Russian teenagers immigrating to the United States in the early-1900s experienced American freedom even before docking at Ellis Island. For the first time in their lives, these boys and girls spent unsupervised alone time together. The adolescent freedom symbolized more pertinent benefits of living in America, Leon Boonin wrote in his 1940 memoir, “Experiences in […]
Immigration: Shaloo Jose Found Her Second Family At HIAS
Shaloo Jose came to America in January 2005 after her husband decided to take a job overseas. She has since visited other big cities in the United States, but her and her family consider Philadelphia to be “home.” After starting at HIAS as an ordinary volunteer, Jose quickly fell in love with the family-like atmosphere […]
Immigration: Councilwoman Helen Gym Calls For Reform, Reflects On City’s Progress
As the daughter of immigrants, Councilwoman Helen Gym has dedicated much of her time in public service as an at-large member of Philadelphia City Council to advocating for the city’s immigrant and refugee communities. Gym is a former teacher and organizer, notably having worked at Asian-Americans United. She is also the first Asian-American woman to […]
Housing: Octavia Hill Association’s History Of Offering Immigrant Housing
As waves of immigrants from European countries poured into a crowded Philadelphia, the Octavia Hill Association (OHA) was founded in 1896 to help them find housing. Now, 122 years later, OHA is still around and still manages some of the same properties. In 19th century London, England, Octavia Hill — displeased with her city’s housing situation […]
Immigration: Akbar Ahmadzai Helps Non-English Speakers Receive City Services
At the Nationalities Services Center, Akbar Ahmadzai can help native speakers of 150 languages better understand English. Ahmadzai, the director of language access and proficiency, oversees two programs: NSC’s year-round ESL classes and its interpretation and translation program. Annually, he said NSC helps more than 5,000 people with English proficiency. NSC project managers and independent […]
Immigration: Maria Sotomayor Leads Refugee And Immigrant Youth In Social Advocacy
Immigrating to the United States from Ecuador when she was 10 years old, Maria Sotomayor quickly realized immigrants to the U.S. faced an entirely different world than she expected. “My parents had lived here before that, and I had expected them to have a really big house and a nice job and all the things […]