Archive for the ‘Michigan’ Category
Posted by Christopher Coen on May 22, 2012
Like the program that is welcoming immigrants to Dayton, Ohio, Michigan now has an initiative called “Welcoming Michigan” that seeks to welcome immigrants and their entrepreneurial talents. The article points out that, “the U.S. Small Business Administration found that the foreign-born were more than three times as likely as non-immigrants to start a new business,” and, “last year, according to CNN Money, ‘immigrants created 28% of all new firms.’” An article at Immigration Impact explains the case:
While some states pushed for punitive immigration measures over the last year—measures designed to drive immigrants away —others, like those in Michigan, were busy putting together a plan that welcomes immigrants and their revitalizing power to the state. This month, leaders in Michigan—including state Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and U.S. Rep. Hansen Clarke (D-Detroit)—helped launch “Welcoming Michigan,” a statewide initiative that seeks to welcome immigrants and their entrepreneurial talents to Michigan…
…Michigan joins 19 others states in welcoming immigrants, including Ohio whose recent “Welcome Dayton Plan” has garnered national attention as a model for other states…
…While proponents of harsh immigration laws falsely believe that forcing immigrants out of the state “will free up jobs for Americans,” Welcoming America points out that in an aging America, booting immigrants from the state means a “smaller gross state product, smaller revenue bases for the state shrinking budgets, and smaller local markets for products and services produced in the state … a smaller population base means a poorer, weaker, and less competitive Michigan.” In fact, Standard and Poor’s Rating Service reported this week that cities with high numbers of foreign born saw tax bases grow and per-capita income increase.
Immigrants who live in Michigan are already contributing to the state’s economy. They accounted for 11% of total economic output in the Detroit metropolitan area as of 2007 and comprised 6.8% of the state’s workforce. Additionally, the U.S. Small Business Administration found that the foreign born were more than three times as likely as non-immigrants to start a new business. Last year, according to CNN Money, “immigrants created 28% of all new firms.”… Read more here
Posted in Michigan | Tagged: entrepreneur, immigrants, Michigan, refugees, resettlement, U.S. Small Business Administration, Welcoming Michigan | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on April 26, 2012
“Car break-ins, ’30-plus’ broken windows, an old man getting punched in the face, a young woman…kicked’, and theft.” Those are some of the incidents at Summer Place Townhomes in Lansing, MI that refugees say have happened to them since November. The refugees, from Burma, Bhutan and Iraq, say they have been the target of a group of 10 and 20 local teenagers. Some of the refugees find it hard to sleep at night, while others are taking turns staying up at night to watch for trouble. The Lansing Police Department doesn’t seem to know much about what’s happening though refugees have reported the ongoing crimes. An article at Lansing City Pulse has the story:
…Bo is a refugee from Burma and has lived in Summer Place Townhomes for about seven years…
…since November, Bo and his family haven’t been sleeping due to a combination of fear and duty — they take turns staying up all night to keep intruders away. Several other neighbors in Summer Place report similar situations.
“It’s been quiet, safe, secure,” Bo said, referring to the years leading up to November. Then he rattles off nearly daily instances when he and his neighborhood have been the target of a group of local teenagers, between 10 and 20 of them: car break-ins, “30-plus” broken windows, an old man getting punched in the face, a young woman “about my age kicked by those people,” theft.
So this is why you stand guard overnight. “Yeah, it’s very dangerous. We all worry. You gotta watch out and stay awake.”
Bo fears the worst: that the harassment will turn deadly. At one point, he armed himself with a pellet gun, which he said was subsequently taken by the Lansing Police Department. “We are not shooting for anything. I believe I’m doing the right thing. It’s like I’m security, protecting all people, not just the Burmese.”
As I walk through the neighborhood Saturday before meeting Bo, refugees from Iraq and Bhutan tell similar stories.
Dozens of young children — from toddlers to teenagers — were playing in the street and courtyards. Adults gathered around, keeping an eye on them. The day before, the group came and broke a car window, said Ammar Mahdi, a 41-year-old refugee from Iraq. Mahdi’s English was broken and, at times, his 10-year-old son, Yousif, acted as a translator.
“We need help. It’s every day,” Mahdi said. “I am not sleeping.”..
…Devi Ghimisey is from Bhutan and about the same age as Mahdi. He lived in a refugee camp in Nepal for 18 years before coming to the U.S. three years ago.
“They come while we’re sleeping. Kids playing football — they come and beat them up. They come and throw rocks,” Ghimisey said.
Recently, the group stole Mohammed Mohahamed’s children’s three bikes. Two weeks ago, they broke his neighbor’s house windows. Mohahamed is 33 and also came from Iraq. “I want to change this trouble,” he said. “I want the street here safe.”…
While this has been going on, arrests have been scarce…neighbors say the response from the Lansing Police Department has been inadequate…
…neighbors say they feel discouraged from calling the police because the trouble keeps happening — even after reports…
…Alfonso Salas, who owns Lansing Athletics sporting goods store…says that while it’s a rough neighborhood to begin with, he thinks it’s racially charged. And he warns that something needs to change, or “it’s gonna get bad.”
“Because of the color of their skin and who they are, they get beat up on,” he said. “I feel for them… Read more here
Posted in abuse, Burma/Myanmar, children, hate crimes, housing, Iraqi, Lansing, Nepali Bhutanese, police, safety | Tagged: attacks, broken windows, Burma, dangerous neighborhood, Lansing, Myanmar, refugees, resettlement, Summer Place Townhomes, theft | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on February 28, 2012
A 14-passenger 2002 Chevrolet Express van overloaded with 17 people, many of them not wearing seat belts, rolled over on I-96 in Michigan near Grand Rapids. An 18-year-old Burundian refugee named Ombeni Erasto died, and his sister reportedly lost part of her leg. Several other people in the van were injured. State police said the van’s rear tire blew, causing the 22-year-old driver to lose control. An article at the Lansing State Journal gives some details:
LOWELL TWP. — The Lansing teenager who died Sunday in an accident near Grand Rapids was on his way home from a church choir performance that he had been looking forward to for a while, said his younger brother.
Omberi Erasto, 18…was one of 17 people ranging in age from infant to adult in a 14-passenger 2002 Chevrolet Express van, which was traveling east on Interstate 96 in Lowell Township. State police said the van’s rear tire blew, causing the 22-year-old Lansing driver to lose control. The van struck another vehicle and slid sideways off the roadway.
The accident killed Erasto, a senior at Lansing Eastern High School. Several relatives, including three of his sisters, also were injured in the accident, said Erasto’s younger brother, Shukurani Nyabenda, 16. Nyabenda said other family members were also in the van…
…His family came to Michigan from Tanzania as refugees about five years ago, Nyabenda said. Erasto was born in Burundi… Read more here
…and this from WOOD-TV 8:
LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) – The 15-passenger van that overturned along I-96 Sunday carried 17 members of Lansing’s Burundi Choir who were returning home after a concert in Grand Rapids.
Ombeni Erasto died in the crash , and his sister reportedly lost part of her leg. Several other people were injured, and many were not wearing seat belts.
The group includes many Burundi refugees who fled their country during the civil war and ended up in Tanzanian refugee camps… Read more here
A report from the WILX media outlet says that out of the 17 on board, over half were under the age of 18, including three infants.
These vans are not safe when used for their intended purpose of carrying the maximum allowable number of passengers. The vans should never be overloaded, and must be underloaded. In addition, fuel tanks should be kept full to help lower the center of gravity, all passengers must wear seat belts, tires must be regularly inspected, and only people experienced with driving passenger vans should be at the wheel.
In December three refugees died in a passenger van rollover in Amarillo, Texas. Another van rolled in November near Rushmore, Minnesota. In early 2011 there were van rollover accidents involving refugees in central Georgia (and here) and northern Georgia. A passenger van rollover in Arizona in 2009 killed six refugees.
Posted in Burundian, churches, Lansing, Michigan, passenger van roll-over, teenagers | Tagged: Burundi, Burundian, Chevrolet Express, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Ombeni Erasto, passenger van, refugees, resettlement, roll-over, rollover | 5 Comments »
Posted by Christopher Coen on December 16, 2011
Last month I visited a recent refugee family arriving from Africa. I noticed that the smoke detector in their apartment had a red light – a dead battery. Although the US State Department supposedly requires resettlement agencies to make sure that each refugee case has a working smoke detector, that doesn’t always happen. The problem with this is that the low-income housing units that we resettle refugees into are also prone to apartment house fires, and the dead battery in the smoke alarm presents a danger. The most recent fire I’m aware of was a fire on Tuesday night that displaced a Bhutanese refugee family resettled to Lansing, Mich. A Lansing State Journal article details the case:
LANSING - Damber Magar and his family were at home Tuesday night, watching television, when they heard a knock on the door.
They were told their neighbor’s apartment was on fire, said Damber, 16, who went outside with his parents and older sister and saw smoke coming from the roof.
Fire broke out at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Woodside Meadows town houses…said Eric Weber, Lansing fire spokesman.
Firefighters have been unable to determine a cause, Weber said. They ruled out intentional and mechanical causes, but were not able to rule out electrical items that plug into outlets.
It appears the fire started in a common room, Weber said. Of six units in the building, four are unable to be occupied due to fire, smoke or water damage…
…Damber said he and his family are Bhutanese refugees from Nepal and have lived in Lansing for one year… Read more here
Posted in apartment house fires, housing, Lansing, Nepali Bhutanese | Tagged: apartment house fire, bhutanese, Lansing, low-income rental, refugees, resetlement, smoke detector, Woodside Meadows | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on November 17, 2011
Some immigrants from Burma/Myanmar opened The Burma Center, a community center, last month in a central location in Battle Creek, Michigan. It serves as a place for reading/interpreting mail, learning English, congregating with friends, and has a playgroup for children. The federal government has resettled about 1,100 refugees from Burma/Myanmar in the Battle Creek area so far. An article in Battle Creek Inquirer gives more details:
For a growing population of Burmese people leaving their homeland to make their roots in Battle Creek, there’s now a central location for help with things Americans take for granted – reading mail, learning English and congregating with friends.
The Burma Center: Burmese American Initiative is a new community center for people of Burmese descent, who have left their country and moved to the Cereal City…
…About 1,100 Burmese people now live in the Battle Creek area.
Martha Thawnghmung, the center’s director, said she’s been looking forward to the opening of the center for many years. She’s part of one of the first families to move from Burma to Battle Creek, she said…
…The center, at 4317 W. Dickman Road in Springfield, opened in October…
…So far, on a weekly basis English as a Second Language classes and a playgroup are being held there… Read more here
Posted in Battle Creek, Burma/Myanmar, Lutheran Social Services of Michigan | Tagged: Battle Creek, Burma, community center, Myanmar, refugees, resettlement | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on September 30, 2011
Although there are between 400-700 refugees resettled to Lansing, Michigan each year, there are few resources for college-age refugees. Most of the services and agencies that cater to refugees’ needs instead focus on children and families. This leaves these young people resettled halfway around the world in a strange place and a vulnerable position — with no family or friends to support them. Luckily, in Lansing other young people have stepped forward to help these refugees. An article in The State News explains:
…[Kaba, a 24-year-old refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo] never met his real family. As a child in Uganda, he was taken in by a Guinean man and raised in the Congo. Kaba’s adopted father raised him as his own, and Kaba came to know the man’s four children as brothers and sisters. In 2004, conflict arose in the Congo, causing Kaba and his family to flee back to Uganda. But before they could escape, Kaba’s father was killed.
Kaba said his father was the most important person in his life, and he was devastated by the loss. But there was little time to mourn his loss.
“We arrived in Uganda in 2005 in August, and in October I went (away) to work for six months,” Kaba said. “When I came back around (March 2006), I didn’t find (my family) at home. They were swift, they moved and they didn’t tell me where they went.”
For the next two years, Kaba remained in a refugee camp until he was selected for resettlement by U.N. officials in 2008 and was flown to Lansing….
…many refugees, such as Kaba, are resettled halfway around the world in a strange place with no family or friends to support them.
Suddenly, these young people have to learn how to live on their own, provide for themselves and to interact with people who speak another language, [Community relations and marketing director for St. Vincent Catholic Charities Julie Picot] said. Tasks that might seem simple, such as riding the bus or shopping at Meijer,
can be incredibly difficult to learn, she said.
But harder still is healing the mental and emotional wounds that have been inflicted upon these refugees before their arrival, she said…
But for refugees such as Kaba, beyond those essentials lies a desire for something more, something many refugees in his situation struggle to find —companionship.
Finding a friend
With between 400-700 refugees coming to Lansing each year, there are many services and agencies that cater to their needs, but the focus for most of those groups is centered on children and families, MSU alumnus Ken Chester said.
But there are few resources for college-age refugees,
Chester said.
Because of this shortcoming, Chester founded Refugee/Immigrant Young-Adult Neighbor, or RYAN, in 2008 based on the work he did as a student at MSU and a member of IVAC.
After working with a young refugee during an IVAC project in 2007, Chester realized this segment of the refugee population was being isolated from the rest of the community.
“The thing that really touched me was when he said, ‘You’re my only friend in the community,’” Chester said… Read more here
Posted in Congolese, Lansing, Michigan, St. Vincent Catholic Charities (Lansing), young adults | Tagged: college-age, International Volunteer Action Corps, IVAC, Ken Chester, Lansing, Michigan State University, MSU, Refugee/Immigrant Young-Adult Neighbor, refugees, resettlement, RYAN, St. Vincent Catholic Charities, young people | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on March 22, 2011
U.S. House of Representatives’ Congressman Gary C. Peters’ (D-Mich.) proposed (discussion draft) refugee bill is now out and awaiting possible cosponsors. This bill is named The Domestic Refugee Reform and Modernization Act of 2011.
First thing I note is that Peters frames the proposal to analyze the ORR’s refugee services program with the idea that all current “unmet needs” (of refugees) are a government responsibility (p.5 line 24, p.6 lines 1-3). Yet, what about private contributions to current unmet needs? After all, the refugee resettlement program supposedly is a public/private partnership. The problem here is that Peters is apparently taking all his information and cues from a private refugee resettlement contractor – Church World Service (CWS).
Secondly, the discussion draft proposes that the ORR gather all sorts of extra data on refugees, such as mental health assessments and needs (p.10 lines 13-25, p.11 lines 1-5), secondary migration numbers (p.9 lines 3-19), etc., and proposes that an HHS Assistant Secretary report these findings to Congress each year. Yet, the ORR does not meet current reporting requirements to Congress, for laws already on the book (they have refused to release to Congress annual reports for fy2008, fy2009 and fy2010, as required by the Refugee Act of 1980). Shouldn’t Congress try to fix that problem first before adding any more reporting requirements?
Thirdly, Peters (CWS?) proposes to make the ORR independent within the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), and to make the ORR director an independent Assistant Secretary within HHS, yet he gives no real reasons for this other than that it would create “transparency” (really? how?), and would allow the ORR “broader authority and ability to make structural changes and direct resources effectively.” Okay CWS and ORR – what structural changes are you proposing? What redirection of resources are you proposing?
Aren’t these issues deserving of an open and public discussion?
Posted in Detroit area, HHS, legislation, legislation, Michigan, ORR, reform | Tagged: Domestic Refugee Reform & Modernization Act of 2011, Gary C. Peters, Gary Peters, Health and Human Services, HHS, human rights, Office of Refugee Resettlement, ORR, proposed bill, reform, refugee bill, refugee resettlement, refugee resettlement agencies, refugee resettlement program, refugess, US Department of Health and Human Services | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on March 15, 2011
A mysterious bill called “The Domestic Refugee Reform and Modernization Act of 2011″ is being introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Gary C. Peters (D-Mich). Church World Service just sent out the following news release, although Congressman Peters’ website doesn’t yet have any information.
Washington — March 15, 2011 – Global humanitarian organization Church World Service applauds Congressman Gary C. Peters (D-Mich.) for introducing the Domestic Refugee Reform and Modernization Act…
.
…The Domestic Refugee Reform and Modernization Act of 2011 would elevate the Office of Refugee Resettlement within the Department of Health and Human Services, thereby giving the office broader authority to make structural changes and to direct resources more effectively, while increasing transparency and inter-agency communication.
.
The bill also would improve the process by which refugee resettlement funds are allocated to states by including in the formula a projection of refugee arrivals during the coming fiscal year in addition to figures for the past three years of arrivals. It also calls for increased data collection on secondary migration, health and mental health issues, housing needs, and long-term employment outcomes, as well as
a Government Accountability Office report on the resettlement program overall… Read more here
We’ll have to wait and see if this legislation would do anything to actually help refugees. No doubt it will definitely include perks for the refugee resettlement agencies and their friends in government. I’d like to see how the bill would “increase transparency” in light of the current situation in which we have to wait months or years for FOIA’s to go through, basic information cannot be found anywhere on the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) website about things such as how much private funding resettlement agencies actually bring to the refugee program, how often the ORR actually inspects the resettlement agencies that receive ORR funds, and why privatization (the Wilson-Fish Program) of state resettlement programs — away from public oversight – continues to accelerate.
.
The part about “increased data collection” also raises my curiousity, although the ORR seems to already collect an awfully large amount of data yet problems remain in effect for years if not decades. For example, refugees are still not learning English for years since few instructors who speak their languages teach the ESL classes. Then there is the ongoing problem of refugee Medcaid-funded medical services that are done without interpreters. Also, years after refugees arrive they continue to lack basic information such as knowing about their Constitutional rights, about personal finances, etc.
Posted in community/cultural orientation, CWS, Detroit area, employment abuses, employment/jobs for refugees, funding, health, HHS, housing, language interpretation/translation, lack of, legislation, mental health, Michigan, openess and transparency in government, ORR, reform, secondary migration, refugee, SIV (Special Immigrant Visa) immigrants, Wilson-Fish Program | Tagged: Church World Service, Congressman Gary Peters, CWS, data collection, Department of Health and Human Services, Domestic Refugee Reform & Modernization Act of 2011, Domestic Refugee Reform and Modernization Act of 2011, ESL, FOIA, Freedom of Information Act, gao, Gary Peters, Government Accountability Office, HHS, Office of Refugee Resettlement, ORR, refugee resettlement, refugee resettlement agencies, refugee resettlement program, refugees, resettlement, secondary migration, transparency, Wilson-Fish | 4 Comments »
Posted by Christopher Coen on November 25, 2010
According to an article in the Boston Globe Iraqi Mandaean refugees – Mandaeanism is an ancient religion – are desperate to find a country that will take them all in, however no one wants all of them. In addition, the U.S. has decided to resettle the Mandaean refugees around the country rather than allow them to live together in one area, as they have requested.
BOSTON—No single country wants to take all the Iraqi Mandaean refugees, and that’s putting the tiny population at risk, a United Nations refugee official said Thursday…
…Mandaeanism is a tiny, ancient religion that views John the Baptist as its great teacher. About 60,000 Mandaeans recently have fled Iraq and Iran because of persecution, many to Jordan and Syria.
Since 2007, more than 1,200 Iraqi Mandaean refugees have been resettled in the United States, according to the U.S. State Department. The groups are scattered mostly in Massachusetts, Michigan, Texas, Colorado and California. Populations also have been resettled in Europe and Australia.
Boston Mandaean doctor Wisam Breegi said Mandaeans need to be resettled together for support in one place, like Boston, or the population will disappear within two generations.
“This community has no country and is scattered all over the world,” Breegi said. “There needs to be an effort to try to keep Mandaeans together.”…Read more here
Posted in Boston, California, Colorado, Iraqi, Mandaean, Massachusetts, Michigan, Texas | Tagged: Boston, Iraq, Iraqi refugees, Lutheran Social Services in Worcester, Mandaean, Mandaean refugees, refugee resettlement, refugee resettlement agencies, refugee resettlement program, UN, United Nations, Vincent Cochetel | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on October 28, 2010
The Detroit Free Press has an article about the opening of a new health care center that will serve refugees, including many Chaldean Iraqi refugees, in Macomb county in the Detroit area – the new ACCESS Community Health & Research Center. (ACCESS is an acronym for Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services.)
…hundreds of Chaldean refugees [seek] emotional and social services from the new ACCESS center — the only such facility in Macomb County.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday. The Dearborn-based agency came to Sterling Heights in May to accommodate the growing population of Iraqi refugees and a shifting population of Arab Americans into Oakland and Macomb counties.
At the clinic, at 14 Mile and Ryan in Sterling Heights, the staff treats about 100 refugees per week, said Abdallah Boumediene, ACCESS director of operations. Clients receive physical and mental health care. A collaboration with Lutheran Social Services allows refugees to look for jobs.
“They want to be a productive part of society,” Boumediene said, but “they come with a number of issues.”
Since the start of the Iraq war, the U.S. Department of State has sent tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees to metro Detroit. More than half of the 2,200 who came to Michigan in 2009 settled in Macomb County. Through August 2010, 60% of 1,560 Iraqi refugees had settled in Oakland County. Refugees have moved mainly to Sterling Heights, Warren and Madison Heights, said Al Horn, director of refugee services for the Michigan Department of Human Services… Read more here
CandGnews.com mentions that smoking and tuberculosis are serious concerns for this group of refugees, in addition to PTSD.
…Two issues appear particularly troubling: smoking — which is more prevalent among Arab-Americans than other ethnic groups, and has a heightened cultural significance in the Middle East— and tuberculosis, he said… Read more here
ACCESS has a contract with the state of Michigan to do health screenings for all incoming refugees in the Detroit area.
…The Dearborn-based organization, which also has facilities in Hamtramck and Allen Park, has a contract with the state to conduct initial screenings, both mental and physical, of all incoming refugees in the tri-county area. Assessment within 90 days of arrival is the goal…
The only problem with that is that refugees should receive their initial health screening within 30 days, not 90 days, according to State Department requirements (see Operational Guidance).
Posted in Chaldean, Christian, Detroit area, health, Iraqi, late health screenings, mental health, PTSD, State Department | Tagged: ACCESS Community Health & Research Center, Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, arab refugees, Chaldean refugees, Detroit, initial health screening, Iraqi refugees, Michigan, Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, refugee health, refugee mental health, refugee resettlement, refugee resettlement agencies, refugee resettlement program, refugees, State Department | Leave a Comment »
Christopher Coen
Melissa Sogard
nancylee1
