I am not given to hyperbole, but in the few days following his swearing in, our new president has turned the lives of an incredible number of immigrants and refugees upside down and added question marks to IIB’s future.

With a stroke of a pen, the new administration suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which is the conduit for all refugees escaping their home countries to resettle here. As I wrote in my public statement following the executive order, this makes no sense for any of the reasons enumerated in the order, and aside from the moral arguments, this will hurt the economy of the country and the region in the long run.   

The suspension - with no certainty of an end date - is problematic since refugee resettlement is a big part of what we do here at IIB. Any income we derive from resettlement is gone until the program is restored. As we sort out the impacts of the decisions from the White House, there will be a lot of belt-tightening, but we will continue with the other parts of our mission.

The good news is that our role as the “Ellis Island of Western New York” extends beyond refugee resettlement. We will continue providing job training to the immigrants and refugees who are here and connect them to businesses looking for a grateful and motivated workforce. Our Interpreting & Translation team will still close the language gap in our community and beyond. We still host international subject matter experts to exchange best practices in our community. We will continue our education programs, including Model UN and Community World Trivia, and celebrate the cultures of the world that are part of the tapestry of Buffalo.

In these uncertain times, a donation in any amount will make things that much easier for us to continue making Western New York a better place for, and because of, immigrants and refugees.

Also, this is a pivotal time in our country’s history when being an ally for immigrants and refugees is vital. There are a few things you can do. Be kind and welcoming to the foreign-born in all your interactions and call out rude and disrespectful behavior against them if you see it. Finally, contact our political leaders in Congress and tell them where you stand on policies related to immigrants and refugees. It may not seem like much, but if all who care about this issue do what they can, it can mean the difference between creating the America we want and the America we fear becoming.

Jennifer Rizzo-Choi, 
Executive Director

Both Jeff Russo from WKBW Channel 7 and WGRZ reporter Alexandra Rios-Malviya interviewed Executive Director Jennifer Rizzo-Choi about the recent executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and how it may impact IIB and our region’s economy.

Thanks to everyone in the community who offered their time, talent, and treasure to help us over the last few months.

Some of the Good Neighbors Credit Union team (pictured above) came to our warehouse space to help sort the many items our community generously donated to newly arrived refugees. The community donated every possible item our clients needed, which we (and they) appreciate.

Thanks to the generous outpouring of donations as well as teams of volunteers offering housing set-up support, 12 apartments became new homes for our newest neighbors.

For more ways you can help us during these uncertain times ahead, visit our website.   

People should be safe and warm this winter, regardless of their first language. Please send this essential winter weather preparation information that we prepared in 13 different languages to anyone who might need it. Distribute them far and wide in as many ways as possible.

There are many folks behind the scenes who help us accomplish our mission! Click here to see those we are honoring this month.

Fifty New Americans from 21 countries took their citizenship oaths at the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services Naturalization Ceremony earlier this month in downtown Buffalo. We were proud to be a witness to their accomplishments. While they may be from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Canada, China, Colombia, Congo (Kinshasa), Cuba, Jamaica, South Korea, Nigeria, Philippines, Russia, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe, they are Americans now!

The NAI department wrapped up the month of January by welcoming 12 families comprised of 22 individuals from Afghanistan, Burma, Iraq, and Syria. After picking them up at the airport, case managers said that when they took their clients to their new homes, they were overwhelmed, and the children ran from room to room to check out their new homes. It might be cold outside, but our new arrivals felt the warmth of a Buffalo welcome!

Click here to understand better how we help newly arrived refugees get their footing in America.

Employment Services

Two clients graduated recently from the very competitive tech program at Per Scholas today! Per Scholas provides high-demand technical skills training and support services and helps connect them with area companies. Of 400 applicants, only 21 were accepted, which is fantastic for them. One client already got a job offer from Northwest Bank.

This month, 35 clients will graduate from our Job Club, which will help them become effective employees. While they are originally from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, Myanmar, Tanzania, and Venezuela, they are now fully prepared to succeed in the American workplace.

Get more information on how our Employment Services team helps build the local economy and trains people to be exceptional employees.

International Exchanges and Education

Model UN is coming up quickly! For generations, it has provided an excellent opportunity for students to learn about international affairs by acting as UN delegates who debate real-world conflicts and resolutions.

With registration now closed, we are excited to have 46 regional high schools participating, bringing 933 students representing 84 countries! These numbers are extraordinary and a testament to local teens’ investment in the future of our country and the world through diplomacy.

This month, we held two refugee mental health sessions for IIB’s Job Club participants. We provided information and resources to navigate the American health system and encourage wellness in everyday life.

We also conducted a cultural competency session for first-year students at the UB Jacobs School of Medicine, providing essential information about serving the foreign-born population and addressing linguistic and cultural barriers.

Exciting news! Community World Trivia is slated for Thursday, April 17, 2025. It is an always-lively educational event! If you are interested in sponsoring or participating, please contact communications@iibuff.org.

Learn more about how our International Exchanges and Education team contributes to greater knowledge and understanding in our community!

Interpreting & Translation

Last month, our Interpreting team fulfilled 1,367 requests for interpreting services in 45 languages. The Interpreting team continues offering onsite interpretation and on-demand phone and audio/video remote services in over 85 languages. These invaluable services provide comprehensive language access to limited English speakers nationwide. Email the interpreter schedulers at interpretation@iibuff.org to request interpreting services.

Our Translation team completed 94 individual projects last month, including personal documents, human resource documents such as employee onboarding materials, legal documents, and genealogy research. Reach out to the translation team at translation@iibuff.org to request translation services.

If you speak or write a language other than English, we are recruiting local onsite interpreters in Karen, Karenni, Kinyarwanda, Nepali, Pashto, Polish, Somali, Spanish, Tamil, and Ukrainian. We also seek Karen, Malay, and Pulaar/Fulani document translators. By sourcing talented local interpreters and translators, we are better able to provide first-rate language access to our community. Click to apply.

Head to our Interpreting & Translation webpages to discover more about our work.

Come Work with Us!

We are always looking for good people so take a look at our careers page.