Immigrants are people leaving their country of origin by choice. Those choices may be many, but their movement ultimately is by choice. Refugees are people fleeing their country of origins for reasons of personal safety; the safety issues may be varied, but in the end, this group had no choice. While these people may find themselves on the south coast for different reasons, they all need many of the same services as they transition into American culture and society.
On May 15, the Mattapoisett Congregational Church’s Just Peace group hosted a community forum to explore all aspects of an immigrant and refugee experience and their associated needs.
The panelists represented New Bedford based agencies. Representing Immigrant Assistance Center was Helena DaSilva Hughes; Corinne Williams represented Community Economic Development Center; the Southcoast Afghan Welcome Network and also the Department of Community Services for the City of New Bedford were represented by Mali Lim; and Marlene Cerritos-Rivas represented Mujeres Vicaoriosas (Partners in Health.)
Each advocate spoke to the level of service their agency provides to immigrants and the types of needs all immigrating persons may face. The message coming through the discussion loud and clear: The needs of these populations are profound, expensive and growing.
After introductions, each panelist discussed the role of their agency in the lives of people attempting resettlement here.
Williams has been assisting newcomers to the Greater New Bedford area for decades and is a founding member of the Community Economic Development Center. She said that the agency services not only include English language classes but also teach new arrivals how to use financial systems such as banks, tax preparation and technology. And although the agency faced a disaster when its building burned down, the CEDC is now back in full swing at a new location in New Bedford.
Williams said that many of the people the CEDC serves want to start businesses but don’t know how or where to begin. The agency assists with those matters too.
The challenges associated with attending to legal matters was high on the list of arrangements that the CEDC has been able to pull together. “We’ve built an amazing network,” Williams said of the people who have come forward to offer transportation to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) hearings and medical services that are oftentimes many miles away.
Yet the pandemic has impacted the availability of volunteer drivers, a worrisome situation for the agency.
Cerritos-Rivas was invited to join the panelists to share her story. She came to the United States as a small child with her undocumented family. They had fled from El Salvador. She is now dedicated to pursuing her public health degree at a university. She believes in the importance of teaching women, many of whom are mothers, how to advocate for themselves, an integral part of the service offered by Mugeres Vicaoriosas. Cerritos-Rivas told the story of women who through months of advocacy were able to get the public school system to include foods that would be recognizable to immigrant children.
Lim talked about the need to educate new arrivals on how to live day by day in what can be a challenging environment.
“I work for the city … helping immigrants navigate bureaucracy, how to be good citizens – everything – including when to put their trash out,” she said.
Lim recently became an immigration lawyer because the need for this type of specialty legal aid is growing daily. She pointed to the approximately 30 Afghan refugees currently being served in the area, and that it is likely the south coast will be receiving refugees from the Ukraine. But housing is a huge stumbling block, she said.
Lim said that the Southcoast Afghan Welcome Network coordinates and/or supplies this population with furniture, food, clothing, finding jobs or teaching them how read. The task of integrating into a new country is already a complex journey, but without finances or the ability to earn money and the challenge of where to buy groceries or how to get medical help, the immigrants may feel hopeless, especially when government support steps away.
To fill the breach, Lim stated, “We’ve coordinated Friends Circle.”
The panelists were all acutely aware of the lack of housing stock in the region, especially since the pandemic-leveraged restrictions on evictions were lifted. Some 600 evictions have taken place in New Bedford, said Hughes. These citizens are now competing for housing with immigrants, she said. “It’s a housing crisis,” said Hughes of the Afghan refugees. “These people are our allies.”
Hughes spoke to their need to learn English and explained that each new wave of immigrant arrivals brings new challenges that must be met. She emphasized the need for Spanish speakers in the schools to work with students, many of whom she said were struggling in the aftermath of physical and emotional traumas.
Hughes said her agency works with the police department to bring justice to victims. She estimated that there are 15,000,000 undocumented people in the U.S. Another population in dire need of services. Pointing to her decades of working on behalf of the immigrant population, Hughes said that immigration reform has been politicized, thus, “Nothing gets done!”
Williams said, “There are people coming across the border from 10 countries now, many from Brazil.” Lim said, “And some lawyers aren’t immigration lawyers, they are taking advantage of (immigrants.)” She asked for continued financial support and volunteers.
Cerritos-Rivas shared what she believes is an important overall goal. “We want them to live their lives as productive people, get their own businesses and maybe one day return to their own countries.”
To learn more, contact Lim at mali.lim@newbedford-ma.gov, Hughes at immigrantassistancecenter.org and Williams at cedenewbedford.org.
By Marilou Newell