Though Sow Reh has never owned his own camera, his greatest passion is photography. His dream is to be a videographer and filmmaker. “I want to travel to beautiful places to take pictures and videos,” he said. “I want to make documentaries about people’s lives, particularly Karenni people.”
Sow Reh has borrowed cameras from nonprofits and friends, has rented one from the Karenni news station KT (Kantarawaddy Times), and has used iPhones for photography, as in the photo below.
“I made do with what I had,” he said, adding that he hopes to eventually get a DSLR camera, and would also like a drone camera to take different kinds of landscape pictures. Landscape and nature photography are particularly compelling to Sow Reh. He hopes to one day travel to Arizona and California because the landscapes in those states remind him of where he lived as a child. “Growing up in the woods, I loved to go to the mountains and rivers near my house,” he said.
(Karenni Refugee Camp by Sow Reh)
Sow Reh is multi-talented: his YouTube channel showcases both his video and music skills, and he has also done some acting, starring in the music video for Khu David Brown’s “Why you hate me?”
In addition to these creative endeavors, Sow Reh takes IT and computer classes at Riverland Community College and is the media manager for a local soccer team. He is enthusiastic about soccer, often traveling to St Paul for Minnesota United games. He’s a fan of the team and loves to watch a good game.
Sow Reh also volunteers with the Welcome Center in Austin, happily doing photography for events, like Karenni National Day, and whenever he’s needed. He first connected with the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) through his involvement with the Welcome Center
Sow Reh came to the United States from a Karenni refugee camp in Thailand in March 2018, after three years of working to get approved through refugee resettlement. “The process started with an application,” Sow Reh said, counting on his fingers. “If you were accepted, then you were called for an interview with the Thai government. After that, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) interviewed you. If you passed all these interviews, then you were given a medical exam. Throughout the process, there was always the chance that something would not work out and I would have to start all over again. Luckily, I made it through each step. I’m really thankful for this.”
Before leaving Thailand, there was a week of cultural orientation. During the week, they learned about the day-to-day life of people in the United States. Sow Reh learned about the American education system, retirement, how to stay safe in cases of emergencies, how to use stove tops, the laws of the United States and what happens if you commit a crime, and how to eat American food. He laughed as he remembered the lesson on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. “It’s just bread with peanut butter and jelly in it… and it’s a meal here!”
“When I left Thailand, I already knew I was coming to Austin,” he said. He came knowing he had relatives, friends, and Karenni community to look forward to there. “It’s a small town, but there are a lot of great resources,” he said of Austin, and added: “There is community everywhere.” The rest of Sow Reh’s family was able to come to the United States with him, and now they are together in Austin.
“We came here to get an education, to have a better future for us and for our kids and grandkids, and hopefully to use that knowledge to give back to the community both here and back home,” he said. Sow Reh envisions a long future for himself and his family in the United States.
Just before the holidays, the Trump administration quietly introduced a proposed rule change that would hurt many asylum seekers. The rule change would exclude many asylum seekers based on future contact with the U.S.’s flawed criminal legal system.
With just a few minutes of your time, you can act to oppose this regulation.
Thanks to the National Immigrant Justice Center for sharing how-to-comment information.
This proposed regulation would put asylum-seekers at risk of danger—even death. Under this rule change, people who have endured mistreatment and profiling in the U.S. criminal justice system would be punished a second time, with deportation back to the very life-threatening situation they fled. And judges would be powerless to help.
You can find more detailed background on the proposed rule here, along with an additional template laying out detailed legal objections to the proposed regulation. But you do not have to be a lawyer or expert to comment. You can comment today, in just a few minutes. The administration is required to review all comments submitted by January 21, 2020.
How to take action!
You can write a few sentences or a few pages. Then click here for the official page where the federal government is accepting public comment and paste in your comment. If you would like some help getting started, here are some suggestions:
1) Start by simply stating your opposition to the rule change:
I write to express my strong opposition to this proposed rule change.
2) Personalize your comment. Include stories if you can. Some examples:
I am a concerned member of the public who believes strongly that our nation must welcome people fleeing violence, and who is strongly concerned about racial profiling in the criminal legal system. Immigrants are a vital part of my community, my neighborhood, and my state.
As an immigrant from XX who has lived in the U.S. for XX years, I am deeply concerned that this rule change would send people who fled violence back to danger and death.
As a formerly incarcerated person, I think it’s wrong to punish people a second time after they’ve completed their sentences. Deportation is often a matter of life and death.
As [title] at [org], I work with immigrant community members daily, and am concerned this rule would put many people in danger.
3) Explain values that are the basis for your opposition. Some examples:
Our values call for the U.S. to be a place of refuge for people fleeing violence, starvation, poverty, or persecution.
The criminal legal system in the U.S. is wracked with racial profiling and obstacles to equal justice. Our harsh immigration laws exploit these obstacles to drive mass incarceration and mass deportation of people of color.
This proposed rule would inject racial profiling into the asylum process. This latest attack would put even more people seeking asylum at risk of danger – and death. This would in turn eviscerate one of the most important defenses community members have against deportation.
I believe we must recognize the humanity of every person, including immigrants, and protect our neighbors from discrimination and abuse. Our immigration and asylum policies must honor our ideals of compassion, fairness, and respect for human rights – not trample them.
4) Close by restating your opposition to the rule change:
For these reasons, I call upon the Trump administration to withdraw this proposal.
Ready, set, GO!
Click here for the official page where the federal government is accepting public comment. Paste your comment in the box on the federal government’s website, enter your personal information (if you’re able to – you can also submit anonymously), and submit!
UPDATE 12/31/2020: The filing period for certain Liberian nationals and certain family members to apply for adjustment of status under the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF) provision has been extended from one year to two years. If you are applying to adjust status based on LRIF, you must properly file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, and USCIS must receive it by December 20, 2021, two years from the date of enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2020 (PDF).
ILCM recommends that all Liberians who believe they are eligible for a green card under LRIFA to consult with a qualified attorney before submitting an application. ILCM is handling cases of Liberians in Minnesota who are eligible for our services. Please call our priority intake line, 651-641-1011, to schedule an appointment on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 9-11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. or Thursdays from 1-4 p.m.
Fact sheet from Black Immigrant Collective and The Advocates for Human Rights. Downloadable PDF of LRIFA Factsheet. This PDF is up to date as of 12/31/2019 and does not contain information on the 12/31/2020 extension.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act?
The Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act (LRIFA) is a special law that allows Liberian nationals who have lived in the United States since November 20, 2014 to apply for lawful permanent resident status (green card).
Who is eligible?
(a) Any Liberian national who has been continuously present in the United States during the period beginning November 20, 2014 and the date on which the application under LRIFA is filed or
(b) The spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter of a person described in (a).
When can I file my application?
USCIS announced that it has begun accepting LRIFA applications as of December 26, 2019.
ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE FILED WITHIN 2 YEARS OF THE DATE OF LRIFA’S ENACTMENT or by DECEMBER 20, 2021.
I was on Ebola TPS. Am I eligible?
Any Liberian who has been continuously present in the United States during the period beginning November 20, 2014 and the date you file your application is eligible.
I have DED or DACA or am on a valid non-immigrant visa (F-1, H-1B, etc.) right now. Am I eligible?
Any Liberian who has been continuously present in the United States during the period beginning November 20, 2014 and the date you file your application is eligible.
I’m not on DED now. I never had TPS. Am I eligible?
Any Liberian who has been continuously present in the United States during the period beginning November 20, 2014 and the date you file your application is eligible.
I have traveled outside the United States. Will I still be eligible?
Possibly. You must have been “continuously present” in the United States between November 20, 2014 and the date you apply under LRIFA. You have been “continuously present” even if you have made a few short trips outside the United States. If your trips add up to more than 180 days outside the United States you will not be eligible.
Can I travel now?
The LRIFA does not give you permission to come into the country. If you leave, you may not be able to return. Check with an immigration lawyer before leaving the United States.
I have a criminal history. Will I still be eligible?
Possibly, but you should check with an immigration lawyer before filing any papers.
You will not be eligible if you have been convicted of any aggravated felony or two or more crimes involving moral turpitude.
I took part in the Liberian civil war. Will I be eligible?
Possibly, but you should check with an immigration lawyer before filing any papers.
The LRIFA says that anyone who has ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion is not eligible for a green card under the LRIFA.
I have a final order of deportation. What do I need to do?
The LIRFA is clear that DHS must establish a process to “stay” (stop) any LIRFA applicant’s removal order while the application is pending. That means that once you file your LIRFA application, you cannot be deported unless your LIRFA application is denied.
If you were ordered deported because your asylum application was denied, you overstayed your visa, you did not renew your DED or TPS, for other reasons besides a criminal conviction, you should be eligible under the LRIFA. You will not need to file a motion to reopen. If you were ordered deported because of a criminal conviction, you might not be eligible. Talk to an immigration lawyer before you file anything.
I am in detention with a final order of deportation. What should I do?
We do not expect ICE to attempt to deport people who are eligible for LIRFA. Liberians in detention who may be eligible for LIRFA should:
Tell your detention officer that you intend to apply for LIRFA.
Contact your immigration attorney to make a plan for filing the application as soon as possible. If you do not have an immigration attorney, contact the free legal service providers who work at your detention center or call 612-341-9845.
Make sure a trusted family member or friend knows where you are. They can check the ICE Online Detainee Locator with your full name and date of birth or A-number.
I do not have a work permit right now. Can I work under LRIFA?
Once you file your LRIFA application you will be able to apply for employment authorization. DHS may issue you a work permit right away. If your LRIFA application for adjustment of status is pending for a period exceeding 180 days and has not been denied, DHS must authorize employment.
How can I get ready to file my LRIFA application?
Save money. You will need to pay the filing fee and a biometrics fee. At this time the fee is $1,225 for an adult, and the fees are scheduled to increase. You will also need an immigration medical exam, which may not be covered by insurance.
Gather proof of continuous presence. You will need to show that you have been “continuously present” in the United States as of November 20, 2014. USCIS will provide more instructions about what you will need, but you will likely need copies of some documents like pay stubs, leases, or other records showing you were in the United States. If you traveled outside the United States, you will need to calculate the exact number of days you were outside the country.
Make a list of your addresses and your employers from the last 5 years. The application form asks for this information.
If you ever filed for asylum, get a copy of that application and have an immigration lawyer review it before you file.
Do I need a lawyer?
You should talk with an experienced immigration lawyer or BIA accredited representative if you have any questions about how to file your application or whether you are eligible for LRIFA adjustment. Every case is different, so do not rely on advice given to someone else – get your own answers!
Criminal convictions may affect your eligibility for LRIFA adjustment.
Talk to a lawyer before you file.
What you said in your asylum application may affect your eligibility for LRIFA adjustment. Talk to a lawyer before your file.
You can hire a lawyer to prepare and file your application and help respond to any questions from USCIS. You can also consult with a lawyer to answer questions. Different lawyers charge different fees. Ask about fees before you agree to have the lawyer represent you. Ask whether they charge a flat fee or charge by the hour. Ask about payment plan options. Always get a fee agreement (sometimes called a retainer agreement) in writing. Take time to review it before signing. You can find immigration lawyers at www.ailalawyer.com
Free legal services may be available if you have a low income. You can find free and low-cost legal services at www.immigrationlawhelp.org. Watch for community legal advice clinics near you.
*ILCM recommends that all Liberians who believe they are eligible for a green card under LRIFA to consult with a qualified attorney before submitting an application. ILCM is handling cases of Liberians in Minnesota who are eligible for our services. Please call our priority intake line, 651-641-1011, to schedule an appointment on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 9-11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. or Thursdays from 1-4 p.m.*
Adjustment of Status for Liberian Nationals and Certain Family Members
Sec. 7611. Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness, pages 1112-1115 of the National Defense Authorization Act (PDF), allows eligible Liberian nationals and certain family members to adjust status. For more information about LRIF eligibility and evidentiary requirements, see the LRIF program page.
On your Form I-485, in Part 2, you must choose “Other Eligibility” under Item Number 1.g. In the text box, write “LRIF” to indicate you are applying to adjust status based on Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness.
Note: You may file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, with your Form I-485 or while it is pending. If you file Form I-765, write “(c)(9)” as your eligibility category for Part 2, Item Number 27 on your Form I-765.
Form version
Applicants must complete Form I-485. Make sure to use the right version of the form. Go to https://www.uscis.gov/i-485 for the current application form.
Form instructions
Download form instructions at https://www.uscis.gov/i-485. Read the instructions carefully to find the list of required documents you need to include with your application.
If you live in: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, U.S. Virgin Islands, or West Virginia, file at:
USCIS Dallas Lockbox
For U.S. Postal Service (USPS):
USCIS
PO Box 660867
Dallas, TX 75266
For FedEx, UPS, and DHL deliveries:
USCIS
Attn: NFB AOS
2501 S. State Hwy, 121 Business
Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067
If you live in: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Guam or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, file at:
“The media is currently focusing on the achievements of immigrants. What have they done here? How are they extraordinary? I think it’s more important to share how I got where I am, what others have done for me. What I’m currently doing right now isn’t as extraordinary.”
José was born in Ecatepec, Mexico – a city of 1.6 million in the Estado de México. His parents had every intention of raising their children in Mexico and lived in Ecatepec until he was three years old. When they didn’t have enough money to buy diapers and milk, however, they decided to return to the United States.
José as a toddler (Photo given by José)
José’s parents had first met in Minneapolis, where they both worked at a meat factory. At first, José’s dad was too shy to say anything to his mom, so he told an uncle that he liked that young woman. The uncle told that young woman, and soon after José’s parents began dating. They returned to Mexico to get married and start a family. José’s parents wanted to raise their sons in Ecatepec, but eventually knew that returning to the United States would be best for their family. They entered illegally—their only option. No visas were, or are, available for families like his.
They did not succeed on their first attempt to cross the border, nor on their second. José remembers being caught at least twice and being sent to a detention center. He remembers being separated from his parents in the detention centers and having to ask to see his mom and/or dad because women and men were separated by gender.
“I remember walking by looking at the border control officers. I remember looking at them and thinking why wouldn’t they let us go.”
José was three and a half, his brother was one, and his mother was pregnant with his youngest brother when they made their final journey from Mexico to the United States, together with three other family members – his uncle, and two of his aunts. His mom was five months pregnant and his aunt seven months when they crossed. This made things more difficult. José’s parents used a coyote, a paid guide who was also a family friend, to help them cross.
The only thing José remembers clearly from the journey is when he got separated from his parents. On the border there was a chain link fence with a hole just big enough for small children to fit through. At seven months pregnant, his aunt was unable to fit through the hole, so she had to jump over it, which was dangerous since she was due in a couple months. The coyote and José’s extended family members climbed over the fence before José crawled through. His father, carrying his brother, and his mother were to come next—but then Border Patrol arrived. They stayed behind, hiding in the bushes, as the Border Patrol loaded José and the coyote into their truck.
“I remember crying and having to get in a pick-up truck. I remember hearing, ‘Don’t cryToñito, don’t cry,’ but of course I continued crying.”
The attempt during which José and the coyote were apprehended, ended up being successful for his parents and brother. They were able to cross after José and the coyote were taken away in the truck. His parents waited in the agreed-upon hotel for a couple days. They were afraid that the coyote would not be able to get José to them. They had planned to wait one more day before his father would return to Mexico to look for José when the coyote arrived with him, reuniting the family. Once they were reunited, they took a bus from Douglas to Phoenix.
…
“I definitely look up to my parents. Whenever I try to put myself in their shoes, I’m left in awe. They were in their 20s and they had to decide everything: if they wanted to move, where they wanted to go… giving up every sense of opportunity and familiarity. Neither of my parents attended high school. Neither of them spoke English.”
José’s Birthday (Photo given by José)
They lived with José’s aunt, a naturalized U.S. citizen, in the basement of her house in a suburb of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Living on the top floor were his aunt and uncle and cousins, who are around his age.
“It was always fun, because after school we could play around in the neighborhood. I remember specifically that we lived in a cul-de-sac. During the winter when it snowed, the snowplow would come through and afterwards there would be a huge pile of snow. We had a lot of snow ball fights.”
José’s parents worked hard, determined to make a good life for their sons. They sent them to a Catholic school in Minneapolis. English was difficult for José and he was in ESL until 4th grade, in part because he had trouble focusing in school and would skip ESL classes. His brothers had an easier time. They had grown up speaking English and did not need ESL. In 8th grade José switched to a different Catholic school to be closer to home. This new school was predominantly white.
“My old school was actually pretty diverse. The classes were really small, and my cousins and brothers attended the same school. I felt like I could be myself. I was in an environment where at least some people looked like me. At my new school, I felt out of place and uncomfortable, honestly … It’s hard, because at that age you’re in that struggle for identity, looking for people you can connect with, identify with. Suddenly I was put into environment of affluent people. People who looked and acted differently. This was foreign to me.”
José in school uniform (Photo given by José)
During those years, his dad bought, fixed, and sold cars—all out of their garage. José remembers handing his dad tools and visiting the junkyard for spare parts. Even during freezing Minnesotan winters, they worked on cars out in the garage. José’s brothers also helped in the garage, although it was not very efficient with all three boys working at once, given their tendency to stop working to “play around and throw things at one another.” José’s mom also helped in the garage at times.
“Sometimes our entire family would be out in the garage working on a car. Family has always been an important aspect of growing up.”
José was good at sports and thinks this helped him socially. Soccer served not only as an outlet, but also as a way to connect with fellow players. He was never bullied, but sometimes joined with fellow athletes in picking on others.
“When you’re put in an environment where you’re an outsider you try to assimilate by doing certain things you wouldn’t normally do. You do your best to assimilate, to fit in. It’s hard when your peers don’t understand you. You know that you’re different, but you don’t want to/can’t explain it to them. How could I explain that ‘home’ for me is just ‘limbo’? That for me, home is the disparity of not knowing where I truly belong. It’s a conflict of where I belong.”
Looking back on his adolescence, José thinks he was depressed. “I didn’t know what that was when I was younger. I felt different somehow. Something about me was different.” He felt resentment toward his parents. He was ungrateful because he felt out of place somehow and blamed his parents for bringing him to a place where he didn’t belong. He remembers asking them, “Why did you bring me here?”
“There was a sense of feeling ashamed. My friends were getting permits. I remember thinking, ‘Wow I can’t do this… why not? I’ve done everything the same and yet I’m restricted somehow…”
José truly understood the weight of his parents’ actions during his senior year of high school while applying for college. He had always taken advanced math and English classes, but not AP classes. His grades were good—not great—but good.
“When I graduated high school, I didn’t have that many options. My grades were average. There’s nothing for someone who wasn’t born here with average grades. I didn’t know I would be considered an international student… and have to pay international student fees. I wasn’t eligible for FAFSA either. I realized, ‘I gotta work for this. Like physically work for this.’ That wasn’t easy. Friends were going to college and I couldn’t. Reality hit me. I always knew I was different, but I didn’t know how. How severe those implications were. I started to reflect on how I got to where I was, and for the first time I asked myself, ‘What has been done to get me here?’”
After all his parents had done for him, failure was not an option.
…
In 2012, President Barack Obama established Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA was a temporary and partial solution for Dreamers, immigrant children who had no legal status but had been brought to the United States as children and grew up here. José was part of the first wave of DACA applicants. After the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) put on a workshop at Green Central Elementary School, he applied with help from ILCM and family members.
José remembers the application being relatively straightforward. “The application is based on what you do. Are you a threat to American society?” He had to go through his parents’ old accordion files to find proof that he went to school, his grades, old diplomas and certificates. José even contacted his old soccer coach to request a letter saying he had played soccer on the team. “A lot of this seemed irrelevant,” he recalls, “but it was part of the evidence file that we had to give to prove that I had ‘upstanding moral character’ and had been in the country continuously since June 2007, as required by the program.”
José and his brothers at his graduation (Photo given by José)
After receiving DACA, José enrolled in a technical school program for auto mechanics. He got a job at a small shop during his first year in the program, and then a better job at a car dealership. He switched from technical school to community college, and then to the University of Minnesota, majoring in economics. Along the way, he started working in accounting jobs, and worked in automotive and accounting jobs throughout his college years. José graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in economics in December 2018, and now plans to pursue graduate study in economics or statistics.
José says what he has accomplished or will accomplish is not really the point: he owes a lot to his parents, who brought him to the United States, and to others who have supported him since then. They are his heroes. They are the ones whose stories are most important to him.
“They are the unsung heroes of what I can accomplish. They live vicariously through me. They’ll never get recognition. What my siblings and I accomplish is their fulfillment.”
If there is one thing that José hopes people take away from hearing the stories of immigrants like himself, it is this:
“There are a lot of positive people here. We don’t go around telling our stories because it’s dangerous for us. The news can be distorting when they focus on the negatives.
“It’s important to be more open. More humane. And more caring. Because I think in the end, this country identifies with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and we are all searching for this.”
Growing up, José was acutely aware of immigration and the situation at the southern border. As he grew older, he increasingly understood the sacrifices his parents had made to make a life for their family in the United States. He says his parents are selfless, focused completely on the future of their children. They have worked jobs they didn’t like, given up any chance for their own education, and moved far away from other family members. They have not seen siblings, nieces, or nephews in decades.
“My parents sacrificed so much for my brothers and me. I’ve been talking about the challenges I have faced here, but their situation is worse than mine. When my mom’s dad died, she was adamant about attending his funeral. At the time, I was old enough to understand what had happened, but not old enough to know the sadness. What I definitely understood, however, was that if my mom went to the funeral, she could probably never come back.”
“Mom cried hysterically. She was fixed on going. She hadn’t seen him for a long time. But she didn’t go.”
“Dad did the same thing when his father died. He decided not to go. And last year Dad’s brother died. Dad hadn’t seen him in over 20 years, but he couldn’t go to the funeral.”
“My parents haven’t experienced cultural comforts, security in over twenty years.”
José’s parents filed a family visa petition application in the 1990s. They are still waiting.
Sara Karki hopes that her 2019 Attorney of the Year award will bring greater awareness of the presence of immigrants in greater Minnesota. “There’s a lot of focus on the metro and people have no idea what’s happening in southern Minnesota,” she said. “I hope that people will know that the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) has an office in Austin and understand that there is work to be done in greater Minnesota.” Of her own work, Sara explained, “It’s not all lawsuits that end up on the front page of the newspaper, we do a lot of work every single day and that counts, too. There are many challenges practicing immigration law right now, and it is nice that the work of our office throughout Minnesota is being highlighted.”
Sara Karki has worked at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) for five years and is currently the staff attorney at ILCM’s Austin office. Sara is the chair of the Austin Human Rights Commission is implementing its strategic welcoming plan. Of her work, she said, “You can’t necessarily change federal policy, but you can make sure that your city is doing everything it can be to be welcoming. It has been really cool to see how Austin, Winona, and St Charles are doing that important work on the local level.”
Always interested in law, Sara got her bachelor’s degree at St. Cloud State University in criminal justice. Her interest in immigration law grew out of contact with international students at St Cloud State, as she met people from all over the world and got to know a little about their immigration journeys.
“I knew I was very interested in immigration, and in law school those were the classes I excelled in and found the most joy in,” Sara said. She had already started volunteering with ILCM prior to beginning law school, and continued to do so as part of a public interest practicum. Though Sara had majored in Spanish, speaking Spanish in a professional context during her volunteer work at ILCM was “eye opening” and prompted her to audit Spanish classes at Hamline while in law school to continue to improve her language skills.
Sara continued to volunteer with legal non-profits until being hired by ILCM to be an attorney in the Worthington, Minnesota office. When the chance to open a new branch of ILCM in Austin, Minnesota arose, she was very excited. Her experience in Worthington was a valuable asset in her ability to open a new office in a new city. “The Austin office has an innovative collaboration of connecting immigrant entrepreneurs with holistic support,” Sara said. “It has been amazing to see the entrepreneurial spirit in action, changing the lives of the participants”
December 13, 2019—We applaud Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s action in continuing Minnesota’s welcoming tradition for refugees. The Kandiyohi County Board also recently voted to accept refugee resettlement, joining many other communities that have made such formal commitments. So far, no communities have voted to turn away refugees.
President Trump’s September executive order requires states and counties to formally state that they will accept refugees, or be barred from refugee resettlement. Three resettlement agencies, and Attorneys General in several states, including Minnesota, have sued to block the executive order. A preliminary ruling is expected in late January.
“Minnesota, and the United States, have a long commitment to providing safe haven to people fleeing persecution,” said Veena Iyer, executive director of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM). “Refugees and immigrants make Minnesota a stronger, more prosperous, more vibrant state. This executive order is unnecessary because refugee resettlement agencies already work closely with states and local communities. However, as challenges to the order move through the courts, we encourage Minnesota counties to follow the lead of the state and Kandiyohi County in welcoming refugees. ”
Typically, refugees are resettled in communities where they have family, or where there is already a vibrant local community of immigrants from their homeland, and where they will have opportunities to find employment and housing. Refugees who are settled in one community may move to another: such secondary resettlement is not covered by the executive order.
“The inn is not full for Minnesotans,” Walz wrote in his letter to DHS Secretary Pompeo, citing Minnesota’s proud history of welcoming refugees.
“Refugees strengthen our communities. Bringing new cultures and fresh perspectives, they contribute to the social fabric of our state. Opening businesses and supporting existing ones, they are critical to the success of our economy. Refugees are doctors and bus drivers. They are entrepreneurs and police officers. They are students and teachers. They are our neighbors.”
Refugee resettlement is not a partisan issue. Republican governors in Utah, North Dakota, and Arizona are among those who have already sent in notices saying yes to refugee resettlement in their states.
Since its founding in September 2016, the Austin Area Minority Business Project (AAMBP) has been devoted to reducing legal barriers for immigrant and minority entrepreneurs in Austin, MN. Currently, AAMBP works with around 25 small businesses. The project is a collaboration between the Development Corporation of Austin, the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM), Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research, and the Ballard Spahr pro bono team. AAMBP provides a variety of services including a variety of legal services for both business- and immigration-related needs, education, and longitudinal research and evaluation.
(Sara Karki by Mon Non for ILCM)
Staff Attorney Sara Karki heads ILCM’s involvement with AAMBP. She has worked with the project since the beginning, as she was already working in ILCM’s Worthington office. Sara believes that many people don’t even know that AAMBP exists, and wants people to know that ILCM is there to help people with both immigration and business matters.
Sara sees AAMBP as an important part of ILCM’s overall mission, and noted, “We don’t just get people legal status. We try to advance good immigration policies, and also to make the lives of immigrant families better.” AAMBP helps promote financial independence and stability for immigrant communities through business ownership. “Immigrants are very entrepreneurial, and have been for centuries,” Sara said.
Many ILCM clients have business ideas and entrepreneurial instincts, and in Austin, AAMBP is there to help them navigate the layers of bureaucracy that may stand in their way. “A lot of business owners don’t realize how much red tape there is,” Sara said, “and Ballard Spahr is able to help them. [Business owners can] have an attorney on their side to help level the playing field, whatever barriers there may be.”
(K’Nyaw Grocery (left) by Mari Arneson for ILCM)
AAMBP celebrated its third anniversary with a tour of three associated businesses: K’Nyaw Grocery (404 1st Street NW), the Sudanese Community International Market (501 1st St NW, pictured above), and 1910 Fresh Mexican Kitchen (507 1st St NW). These three businesses are a testament to the diversity of people and businesses involved with AAMBP.
(Fresh Mexican Kitchen by Mari Arneson for ILCM)
Looking to the future, Sara Karki is interested in exploring other models of economic development. She also hopes to have more bicultural, bilingual staff involved with AAMBP and ILCM in Austin to ensure the needs of immigrant communities are being best met.
“It’s been a pretty cool project,” Sara said, “let’s see how many more people we can help through the next two years and more.”
