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: 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: As Flow Of Refugees Slows, Those Already In Philadelphia Settle In
Amnah Ahmad is the associate director of the Arab American Community Development Corp. at Al-Aqsa Islamic Society in North Philadelphia. Ahmad, along with a handful of other volunteers, works with refugees and immigrants from Middle Eastern countries to help them apply for work permits and green cards. The CDC also offers English as a Second […]
Immigration: Cambodian Youth Leader Talks Literacy Challenges And Solutions
Rex Yin has been the youth development coordinator at the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia for the last three years. He said his favorite part of the job is seeing the growth of the students he works with. Yin helps lead several youth programs, including the SumOur Roots program, a collaboration with VietLead and the Bhutanese […]
How To: Apply For A Green Card (Adjustment Of Status)
It’s hard to understand immigration without understanding the process that immigrants have to weave their way through in order to maintain a stay in another country. “It is a serious process,” said Jane Cowley, public affairs officer for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Philadelphia. “It is not a process to be undertaken lightly, but […]
South Philadelphia: Cambodian Refugee Who Became High School Principal
Despite not receiving an education for much of his childhood life, Daniel Peou didn’t let that stop him from getting where he is today, the principal of Horace Furness High School. Peou grew up in Cambodia during the times of a harsh civil war and the grueling Khmer Rouge regime, so as a child there […]
Point Breeze: Garden Anchors Food Access And Connects Community
New American families are staking claim in South Philadelphia from the ground up. The Growing Together Garden on 25th and Reed Streets has been offering refugees and community members the opportunity to grow fresh produce and cultivate community since its opening in 2015. In a new partnership between the Nationalities Service Center (NSC) and the Pennsylvania Horticultural […]
South Philadelphia: Juliane Ramic Helps Southeast Asian Refugees Grow Gardens And Plant Roots
At first glance, it looks like a weed. Chin Baung, a slender, leafy plant with a sour taste, isn’t native to South Philadelphia. But come spring, Chin Baung thrives in three small gardens near 8th and Emily streets. The plots where it grows belong to Growing Home Gardens, a nonprofit organization that aims to empower […]
South Philadelphia: Refugees Find Homes in Local Neighborhood
Immigration has been a long withstanding aspect of Philadelphia culture. Individual and families from Ireland, Italy, Poland and Germany came in droves throughout the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. Today, Philadelphia’s population remains diverse throughout each distinct neighborhood. While the South Philadelphia district has historically been an Italian community, today, it is […]
Logan: Indochinese American Council in Full Bloom
In the middle of Feltonville, there is a small part of peace and quiet tucked away on the side of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Wyoming Branch. Nestled up against the towering walls, a silent garden full of blue and purple Silk Hydrangea flowers can be found. After being planted roughly five years ago, the […]