Like many mothers across America, I have been preoccupied with getting my kids ready for school over the past few weeks. Carefree pool days and playdates are gradually being replaced by clothes shopping to accommodate summer growth spurts and checking off items on each child’s classroom supply list.

However, this summer is not like the ones that I have experienced before. Every day in my email and newsfeeds, I learn of families being upended by separations instigated by the federal government. Mind you, these are not solely families where members might be undocumented and/or have some criminal activity.

Forget for a moment that being in the country without proper documentation is the legal equivalent of a parking ticket. A simple Google search will reveal more than a few instances where, in its enthusiasm to rack up numbers, ICE has detained or jailed American citizens or people who can readily demonstrate that they are legally living here and have permission to work. They are summarily incarcerated for days or weeks, sometimes in squalid conditions, until the government realizes the error of its ways and releases them.   

Aside from being unnecessarily cruel, the chaos that this is causing is unimaginable. Each of these unnecessary detentions, aside from being easily preventable, has a ripple effect that is bad for our communities and the economy.

We have a societal interest in making sure victims and bystanders report crimes, yet how likely is that to happen if someone fears they don’t look or sound  “American enough”?

What is the economic impact when, for fear of unwarranted prosecution, thousands of documented foreign-born individuals (who oftentimes do the labor that people born in our country don’t want) don’t show up to the farms, meat packing plants, hotels, and restaurants where they are employed?   

We want educated kids, and we pride ourselves on religious liberty, but when agents are conducting dragnets at our schools, playgrounds, and houses of worship, does that sound like the America we grew up in?

The answer is not a simple, “What do you care, if you are law-abiding?” or “If you don’t like it, then leave.” There is something so very wrong with what is happening to immigrants and refugees right now.

There has to be a better way. I have to think that fair-minded people without a political axe to grind must agree that this is an un-American way to treat people. I encourage you to reach out to your political representatives to express your concerns about this issue and demand better solutions.  

Jennifer Rizzo-Choi, 
Executive Director

A fundraiser for the International Institute of Buffalo! Enjoy an evening of laughs from internationally touring comedians Thom Tran, Matt Kirshen, and Corrina Yee!

Open bar with beer, wine, and soft drinks and international food from local restaurants! Click here for more info and to get tickets. 

Executive Director Jennifer Rizzo-Choi will be doing a presentation on immigration in Western New York as part of the Erie Canal Bicentennial Celebration. Specifically, she'll be discussing immigrant history in the context of the canal's construction and its impact on Buffalo. 

The event is Thursday, August 28, at 6:00 p.m. in the Hanger Building at Canalside. It is free and open to the public. 

Here is the link to the event.

As the oldest of the organizations assisting foreign-born individuals in WNY, we are honored to be part of this lecture series. 

It was a cultural night to remember as we brought back Buffalo Without Borders! There was Chinese, Karen, and Peruvian dancing, along with a lot of excellent cuisine represented from around the world. If you could not be part of this event, click here to come to our next one!

New York State Assemblymember Jon Rivera visited IIB for a special meeting with immigrant and refugee community leaders from Western New York. He updated everyone on important issues in Albany, heard their questions firsthand, and addressed their concerns.

Click here to learn more about how we help foreign-born people quickly and successfully become part of the community.

We were honored to welcome 41 New Americans from 19 countries as they took their citizenship oaths at the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services Naturalization Ceremony in downtown Buffalo. These New Americans are from the following countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Canada, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Serbia, Sudan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam, and Yemen.

IIB is lucky to have many people who help us in our mission to make Western New York a better place for, and because of, immigrants and refugees. Every month, we pause to acknowledge a few of them. Here is the latest spotlight on the people who make IIB great.

There are numerous ways to measure how immigrants and refugees are beneficial to Western New York and the United States. Find them here.

We were delighted to welcome a recent group from UB’s School of Management (pictured above), who gained a deeper understanding of IIB and the work we do. As part of their visit, they also volunteered to help staff continue organizing our donation space and painted welcome signs that we will hang in the homes of newly arriving clients. 

Along with that group, 19 volunteers and interns contributed 233 hours to our team in August by sorting additional donations, supporting New American Integration case managers and legal staff, connecting with local resources for the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP), and helping clean up our campus for the recent Buffalo Without Borders event!

If you're interested in volunteering at IIB, please let us know.

The Employment Team successfully hosted our first financial workshop in partnership with Parachute Credit Counseling. The session focused on wise spending, building strong credit, and other critical financial skills.

Participants were engaged and eager to learn, with many expressing interest in attending additional workshops. Based on this feedback, we plan to offer these sessions as part of a continuing series.

We are also excited to announce a new collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association. As part of this partnership, we will be offering a free awareness presentation on The 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s. We will include this informative session in our upcoming Job Club cycle scheduled for September.

Our department remains committed to supporting foreign-trained professionals and job seekers in their career development. Through our three-week Job Club program, participants gain valuable tools to strengthen their job readiness, boost confidence, and prepare for career success.

Additionally, we welcome walk-in job seekers who meet the program's eligibility requirements and are interested in exploring our services.

We look forward to continuing to provide resources, training, and opportunities that help individuals achieve their employment goals.

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

This month and into September, our team is welcoming two groups of international professionals through the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). These visitors are sharing best practices on the following topics with local experts:

Project Management and Strategic Communications (ASEC): Nine visitors from Indonesia and their liaisons are meeting with the United Way, the Partnership for the Public Good, and Open Buffalo. They’re also being welcomed for dinner by local host families.

Smart Cities: Local Leadership for Urban Sustainability Planning (Western Hemisphere): Eight visitors from Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, and Peru, and their interpreters, are meeting with PUSH Buffalo, the City of Buffalo’s Water, Sewer, and Planning and Zoning Departments, and the New York Power Authority.

Both groups are joining together to tackle a community service activity and to visit Niagara Falls!

We held a mental health information session for IIB’s Job Club participants. These sessions provide resources to local refugee clients to help them navigate the American health system and promote everyday wellness. Our Refugee Health Promotion programming has just entered the third year of a federal contract to coordinate health orientations and targeted outreach about health topics for Western New Yorkers.

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

The Interpreting & Translation team fielded 1,247 requests for language access for 351 unique customers. The top languages we serviced last month include Arabic, Bengali, Dari, Farsi, Pashto, Spanish, and Swahili.

The team maintained its strong partnerships with local government agencies, including the Erie County Department of Health’s Office of Health Equity, the Coalition of NYS Alzheimer Association Chapters, the Department of Environment & Planning, the Queen City Water Project, and local schools.

We are always seeking individuals to work as interpreters and translators. If you are multilingual and interested in joining our team, we are recruiting linguists for the following languages this month: Afar, Karen, Kinyarwanda, Pashto, Russian, Somali, Tamil, Tigrinya, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.  Click to apply.

Visit our website to learn more about our services.

A lot of folks are going on the social media platform, Bluesky. If one of them is you, follow us there!

Come Work with Us!

If you are interested, please take a look at our careers page.