Tagged: Immigration

Every group that has arrived here has experienced some conflict – whether between newcomers and long-time residents…or, within new immigrant groups themselves.  As part of our series on New Hampshire’s Immigration Story, we’ll look at what difficulties tend to come up, again and again – also, how different people draw the lines between assimilation and maintaining their culture. 

Guests: 

Salaam Odeh works as a medical and legal interpreter and translator throughout New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. She is a community activist and recently served as a State Commissioner on the Status of Women. She was born and raised in Jordan as a Palestinian refugee.

North Country representatives split along party lines in voting Tuesday on a bill that would allow towns and cities to have a one-year moratorium on having refugees settle in their jurisdictions.

Seven were in favor. Seven against. Two were excused from voting.

As NHPR has reported the bill previously passed the House but had trouble when it reached the Senate.

The Associated Press is reporting the bill was revived:

The Occupy Movement held May-Day rallies all over the across the country yesterday. In New Hampshire the protest was focused on immigration reform.

Around ninety protesters in Dover were entertained by music from the “Leftist Marching Band”, as they rallied to support immigrants in the Granite state

Immigration activist Eva Castillo MC’ed the Event.

"We have to press our congress-people and our senators to pass immigration reform," Castillo called from Dover's city hall steps,"Every day that goes on without immigration reform families get split apart."

But the protest garnered pushback as well: about a half-dozen Tea Party counter-protesters picketed quietly to one side, led by Former New Hampshire Republican Party chair, Jack Kimball.

North Country representatives overwhelmingly voted in favor of House Bill 1405 which would allow jurisdictions such as Manchester to ask for a moratorium on refugee resettlement.

As NHPR reported: “Under the bill New Hampshire towns could ask for a one-year moratorium on new refugee resettlements, which opponents say the state doesn’t have the authority to do.”

Eight North Country reps favored the bill, four opposed it and four others were excused from voting.

The bill passed 190 – 109 and now goes to the Senate.

In our series, New Hampshire’s Immigration Story, we’ve talked about how immigrants and refugees have affected New Hampshire’s economy, health care system, law enforcement, schools, now we look at art. Last year photographer Mary Catherine Jones began an ongoing photo series called “New Faces New Hampshire” featuring portraits and images of refugees and immigrants in Manchester. She joined NHPR’s Brady Carlson to talk about her photo series.

You can view some of the photos here.

You’ve heard of “Brain Drain,” but how about “Brain Waste”?

Some educated foreigners leave their home countries hoping for a better life in America, but many wind up unemployed, or working in low-skilled jobs. Census data show that immigrants who settle in New Hampshire have more education than the national average, but higher rates of unemployment too.

It’s a common narrative: America is the land of opportunity, where a hardworking immigrant can prosper.

Some do, but some don’t.  

Here’s how North Country representatives voted on a resolution passed by the House Wednesday to express support for Arizona’s controversial immigration law.

The resolution is HCR2.

Part of the Arizona law requires the police to determine the immigration status of a person they have detained and whether the suspect is in the country illegally. The U.S. Supreme Court has said in December it would consider the law, NPR has reported.

The House resolution to support the law passed 243 – 102.

Nine North Country representatives voted in favor:

* Duffy Daugherty (Republican) of Colebrook.

An uber-creative couple's ambitious project tells the stories of immigrants, and unpacks the complicated consequenes of globalization.

President Barack Obama has set a record number of deportations last fiscal year, removing nearly 400,000 illegal immigrants.

Despite this, a new administration policy set in August allows undocumented immigrants without criminal records to stay in the United States.

Seven months ago 19-year old Juan Valdez had to appear in a Nashua courtroom for driving without a license.

The Manchester resident had been undocumented since he came to the U-S from Mexico at age three.

When Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials caught wind of Valdez’s undocumented status,  he was promptly arrested.

Valdez says he was sure he’d be deported.