Between the burgers and ice cream this Labor Day, let’s remember all the people who built this country, not just those born here.

That includes all the immigrants who came from around the world to settle and achieve the American Dream. Whether they were escaping war, famine, drug cartels, religious persecution, or merely poverty, America is the richest country in the world, thanks in large part because of their toil.

Welcoming immigrants is good for them, their employers, and the economy. The latest statistics show that New Americans pay $258.8 million in state and local taxes and $384.5 million in federal taxes. A recent 15-year government study showed that the net fiscal impact of refugees and asylees on the U.S. economy was $123.8 billion.

Even though they often do the work that American-born people avoid, immigrants and refugees have become a convenient punching bag for those who would attempt to make political hay during this election season.

“They should come here legally!” is often the reprise. I don’t have room in this newsletter to go over the systemic and other reasons why some people cross the border without documentation or overstay their visas. No matter what path a person takes to get here, all new arrivals deserve to be welcomed, supported, and assured that they will be able to live here safely without the threat of persecution.

Pundits also either don’t know or conveniently forget that refugees who come here via a resettlement program are here legally under U.S. law. After years of vetting by the U.S. State Department and Homeland Security at refugee camps overseas, resettlement refugees can join our workforce as soon as they get off the plane. 

Almost daily, the International Institute of Buffalo gets calls from employers of all types and sizes seeking these New Americans to fill their ranks. New Americans have a reputation for working hard and wanting to get on with their lives as soon as possible. We help them learn how to function effectively in the American workplace and with contextual English classes to help them understand the importance of the industries where they are working.

We often work with employers to develop strategies to recruit and retain New American staff, including translating employment manuals and signage to offering cultural competency classes so American-born staff can learn more about the circumstances under which their new coworkers arrive in Western New York.

America has always been great because it welcomes foreign-born people to contribute to our society. On Labor Day, let’s remember their work as they pursue their American Dream. At IIB, we will do what we can to help make that dream a reality.

Jennifer Rizzo-Choi, 

Executive Director

There are so many people who we want to celebrate publicly that we created a separate newsletter for that specific purpose. If you have not seen it yet, here is your chance to read the most recent one!

Recently, in recognition of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, we celebrated world-class immigrant and refugee athletes who competed in the games.

We’ve translated summer safety information and have it in Arabic, Bengali, Burmese, Dari, English, Karen, Pashto, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, and Ukrainian for you to use or pass along as you see fit. Click here to download lifesaving PDFs.

New American students always need notebooks and other school supplies, such as backpacks, binders, and writing utensils, even if they are used. Also, these kids could use non-battery-operated things to pass the non-school hours, such as soccer balls, art supplies, playing cards, board games, etc. If you would like to help out, please let us know.

In August, 42 volunteers and interns helped us do the good work we do on behalf of foreign-born people. A special thanks to the members of First Presbyterian Church in Kirkwood, Missouri (pictured above), who traveled to help with a joint home setup and neighborhood cleanup! They traveled to Buffalo in order serve a few different non-profits in the community.

If your student group, civic organization, church, or work colleagues want to volunteer or coordinate a donation drive on our behalf, please let us know!

If you volunteered with us before, we would love your feedback! Please consider taking this short survey.

In August, we helped welcome 46 New Americans from 26 countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Canada, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

In the Media

UB Now featured the Social Impact Fellows, who helped us during the summer by researching ways to expand upon our mission to serve immigrants and refugees in our community.  Click here to read that article.

Employment Services

The Employment Services team recently conducted its second job fair, connecting New American skilled and unskilled job seekers with potential employers and fostering a day of networking and opportunities for rewarding careers. The event featured 11 leading employers from various sectors, including healthcare, social services, hospitality, finance, and manufacturing. This direct interaction offered job seekers valuable insights into the hiring process and the qualifications employers seek.

The next job fair is being planned, so if you know an employer looking for motivated people, please contact us. 

International Exchanges and Education

As part of its International Exchanges program, we welcome State Department-sponsored visitors to our community to learn the best practices on many subjects.

Through the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), we connect emerging leaders from across the globe with their professional peers in the United States. This month, we welcomed visitors from the African nations of the Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Guinea, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Senegal who researched ways to end gender-based violence. 

Visitors from the United Kingdom came to research youth empowerment and civic engagement, while a Polish group explored Holocaust and Human Rights Education.

Another Polish group, made up of media professionals, came to explore ways of combating disinformation. They came through the Open World program, which enhances understanding and cooperation between the United States and post-Soviet Bloc countries and Eurasia.

Our education team helped our clients’ integration by providing training to navigate the American health system and encourage wellness in everyday life.

Learn more about how our International Exchanges and Education team increases knowledge and understanding in our community.   

New American Integration

August was a very busy month for the NAI department. We had 19 cases arrive, totaling 63 people. Most are Afghans who hold a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV). This special status is different from that of a refugee or an asylum seeker. The government conferred this status upon them because the work the Afghans provided to the United States during its time in Afghanistan put them in harm's way after the Taliban took over in 2021.  

We resettled several large, extended families of eight or more people, contributing to the capacity and housing challenges for our last-minute arrivals and New Americans to resettle before the end of our fiscal year (September 30).

This month, we helped our newly arrived New American families get ready for school, including an orientation to the U.S. school system for parents and language assessments, school placements, and transportation arrangements for 64 children. We also provided each student with a fully stocked backpack. Find out more about what New American Integration is about.

Interpreting & Translation

Are you multilingual and interested in joining our team of linguists? Currently, we are looking for people who speak Karen, Karenni, Kinyarwanda, Malay, Nepali, Pashto, Polish, Pulaar/Fulani, Somali, and Ukrainian. Click to apply.

By sourcing talented local interpreters and translators, we can better offer first-rate language access to our community and provide rewarding career opportunities for people who speak a language besides English.

We recently saw a total of 1,436 requests to provide interpreting services in 51 different languages. Our Interpreting team provided language access to legal, medical, educational, and non-profit industry leaders by rendering hands-on quality customer service to all 252 unique requesters last month. To request interpreting services, email interpretation@iibuff.org.

The Translation team completed 81 individual projects last month. As our new neighbors prepare for the coming school year, we recently saw over 50 requests for private individuals to translate school transcripts, medical records, and other personal documents from Thai, Ukrainian, and Turkish languages. Not unexpectedly, Spanish and Arabic remain the most active language groups being requested. For questions about document translation projects of any size, email translation@iibuff.org.  

For a comprehensive overview of the Interpreting & Translation department’s work, click here!

Come Work with Us!

If you are considering a career where you can help New Americans become part of the fabric of our community, take a look at our careers page.