Refugee Voices

REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT CULTURAL HUB MODEL TO BE UNVEILED DECEMBER 7

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: screenshot from video by the Aja Project on the Refugee and Immigrant Cultural Hub

December 3, 2024 (San Diego) – A 3-D model of a planned Refugee and Immigrant Cultural Hub (RICH) will be unveiled on December 7 at 5555 University Avenue in San Diego’s mid-city community to serve the diverse needs of San Diego’s large refugee population.


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THE EVENING HERO: A GIFT FROM THE AUTHOR

By Marie Myung-Ok Lee
 
Reviewed by Jonathan Goetz
 
Updated: Friday the 13th
 
July 23, 2024 (Kansas) -- The Evening Hero is good, clean, and relevant humor by Marie Myung-Ok Lee. Her Simon and Schuster book touches on topics from the point of view of an immigrant family, from rural American hospital closures and venture capital, to family separation, cultural assimilation, marriage ups and downs and different expectations placed upon children based on culture and even between generations within a single family. The American hospital chain Dr. Youngman Kwak works for buys up a bunch of rural hospitals and lays off Doctors eventually closing them all to corral the medical doctors into strip malls performing more profitable elective surgery than general practice.
 
I enjoyed the first two sections of the book and hope we'll read the next sections together! I thoroughly enjoy The Evening Hero's mix of humor, cultural relevance, history and modern critique of American culture, subculture and universal themes. I'm delighted that Marie Myung-Ok Lee thought I might enjoy it and mailed a complimentary copy to me because it's just such a humorous tapestry of several juicy topics.
 

Please republish! Reviewer with comments seeking Nobel Peace Prize nomination. First appeared in East County Magazine Bookshelf.

 


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CHALDEAN AMERICAN FESTIVAL: A CULTURAL CELEBRATION SEPT. 14-15 in EL CAJON

East County News Service

September 12, 2024 (El Cajon) – The 12th annual Chaldean-American Festival takes place Saturday, Sept. 14 from 3-10 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 15 from 3 to 9 p.m.  Celebrating the rich culture of the 50,000 Chaldeans who call San Diego County home, the festival includes authentic food, live music, carnival rides, a petting zoo, raffle, vendors and more.

This year’s festival will be held at Hillsdale Middle School, 1301 Brabham St. in El Cajon.


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MIGRANTS APPROACHED SCHOOL BUSES IN DULZURA, BUT DID NOT TRY TO BOARD, SHERIFF SAYS

By Miriam Raftery

September 2, 2024 (Dulzura) – Migrants have twice approached school buses in the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District, sparking concerns among some parents.  However Superintendent Liz Bystedt, in a letter to families, says the Sheriff’s office has spoken with several witnesses and found no crime occurred.

Based on witness statements, the Superintendent’s letter states, “It appears that while several individuals approached the bus, there never appeared to be any intent to take over the bus or harm anyone. At no point in time did anyone other than the students enter the bus, or even get close to entering a bus.”


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STUDY: UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS CONTRIBUTE NEARLY $100 BILLION IN TAXES EACH YEAR, INCLUDING $8.5 BILLION IN CALIFORNIA

Study: Undocumented Immigrants Contribute Nearly $100 Billion in Taxes in Each Year
 
Source: America’s Voice
 
Photo: Farmworker; Creative Commons via Bing
 
July 30,2024 (Washington D.C.) -- Immigration policies have taken center stage in public debates this year, but much of the conversation has been driven by emotion, not data. A new in-depth study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy aims to help change that by quantifying how much undocumented immigrants pay in taxes – both nationally and in each state.
 
The study finds that undocumented immigrants contributed $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022 – a number that would rise dramatically if these taxpayers were granted work authorization.
 
Other key findings:
 


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ADVOCATES FOR DETAINED IMMIGRANTS DECRY LOSS OF FREE PHONE CALLS

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

Photo: Adobe Stock, via CNS

July 5, 2024 (Sacramento) -- Groups advocating for people detained in immigration facilities are calling for the reinstatement of a program which allowed 500 free minutes of phone calls per month.

In recent weeks, Immigration and Customs Enforcement cut off the free domestic and international calls, telling advocates pandemic-era funding has run out.

Rosa Santana, interim co-executive director of the Envision Freedom Fund, said families of the detainees often struggle to afford the calls, which can cost up to $3 for 15 minutes.


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BIDEN ANNOUNCES ACTION TO PROTECT MANY IMMIGRANT SPOUSES OF CITIZENS FROM DEPORTATION, ALONG WITH THEIR CHILDREN

Plan also makes it easier for DACA recipients and immigrant college graduates to obtain work visas

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Immigrant rights march, via Wikimedia

June 18,2024 (Washington D.C.) – President Joe Biden today announced executive actions to protect a half million undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation, if they have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years. An estimated 50,000 children under 21 with a U.S. citizen parent will also be protected from deportation. 

Until now, undocumented spouses and children of citizens had to leave the U.S. to apply for permanent residency, a process that often separated families for years. A similar parole in place program is already used to protect undocumented families of military members.

The new, broader parole-in-place program will allow parents and children to stay in the U.S. for three years while they apply for permanent residency.  All applicants will be vetted by the Department of Homeland Security to assure the applicant does not pose a threat to public safety or national security.

Reuters reports that the majority of those set to benefit from the order are Mexicans, many of them in California.

In addition, Biden announced a program to make it easier for Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and undocumented college graduates to obtain work visas/green cards if they have been offered a job related to their degree.


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READER'S EDITORIAL: LATIN AMERICANS' PARTICIPATION IN REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM URGENTLY NEEDED

Spanish: Maribel Hastings (and featured in photo, left)
 
English: Vanessa Cárdenas, America’s Voice
 
June 14, 2024 (Washington, D.C.) – Below is a column by Maribel Hastings from America’s Voice en Español translated to English from Spanish. It ran in several Spanish-language media outlets earlier this month:
 
At a time when the asylum process is under scrutiny and at the center of political divisions in an election year, the United States government has a program in place that allows up to 50,000 refugees from Latin America and the Caribbean to resettle in the United States through private sponsorships. But only a little more than 200 applications have been received from the region.
 
The organization, Welcome.US, is one of those allied with the Department of State to promote and implement the Welcome Corps program that began in January 2023. It permits refugees who meet certain requirements to be sponsored by U.S. citizens and permanent residents in their resettlement process, as people seeking asylum. 

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SUPERVISORS APPROVE ADDING “MIDDLE EASTERN OR NORTH AFRICAN” CATEGORY TO COUNTY FORMS

By Miriam Raftery
 
May 16, 2024 (San Diego) – Arab-Americans have long been excluded from being counted on government forms, from the U.S. census to state and county documents. But that’s changing here in San Diego County, which has one of the state’s largest populations of people of Middle Eastern or North African descent.
 
By a unanimous vote, San Diego County Supervisors on May 1 became the first jurisdiction in California to approve creating a “Middle Eastern or North African” (MENA) category on County forms for individuals to self-identify as MENA.

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"I AM DEVASTATED, I FEAR FOR HIS LIFE." AUNT SPEAKS OUT FOR RUSSIAN MIGRANT ORDERED DEPORTED

By Bransen P. Harper 
 
Contributor: Patrick J. Watkins
 
May 10, 2024 (San Diego) – A young Russian migrant in Jacumba Hot Springs told East County Magazine several weeks ago that he fled his homeland after being persecuted and beaten for opposing Russia’s “unjust war of terror” in Ukraine.  But now his hopes of freedom in America have been dashed. 
 
An immigration judge has denied his asylum claim and ordered 19-year-old "Ruslan" deported, according to his aunt and his attorney. HIs real name is being withheld for his protection.

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BECOMING AMERICAN: A POLITICAL MEMOIR BY CARY D. LOWE

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh
 
May 8, 2024 (San Diego) -- Becoming American is an inspiring story of the author's transformation, from a child of Holocaust survivors in post-war Europe to moving to America and becoming part of America’s cultural, business, and political institutions, while he retained ties to his family roots.

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EL CAJON COUNCIL WEIGHS SALES TAX EXTENSION, APPROVES INCUBATOR BUSINESS CENTER

Story and photos by Bransen Harper
Miriam Raftery contributed to this report
 
View video of full meeting; view agenda
 
May 6, 2024 (El Cajon) -- The El Cajon City Council discussed matters of pivotal importance at its April 30 meeting, including a potential extension of the Proposition J sales tax measure previously approved by voters. Council also approved a landmark deal with the Chaldean Community Council to create an incubator business program for refugees and immigrants, as well as funding social services. 
 
The half-cent sales tax increase has been in place since voters approved Proposition J in 2008. It generates $14 million, or about 13% of the city’s revenue stream, according to a report presented to the Council, and has been instrumental in continuing to provide much-needed funds for local police and fire departments. But it will sunset, or end, in 2028, unless a new ballot measure is approved to extend it.

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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APPROVES FUNDS FOR MIGRANT CENTER; COUNTY TO PROVIDE SHORT-TERM RELIEF

East County News Service
 
May 1, 2024 (San Diego) – The federal government has approved $19.6 million for a long-term migrant and asylum-seeker transit center in San Diego County. The action comes after a migrant center in San Diego shut down in February after running out of money, and after County Supervisors asked the Biden administration for help.

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A DREAM FULFILLED: CHALDEAN COMMUNITY COUNCIL OPENS INCUBATOR BUSINESS CENTER IN EL CAJON

County and City provide major support for landmark project

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: Supervisor Joel Anderson presents half million dollar check to kickstart the incubator business center, joined by El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells and Dr. Noori Barka, Chaldean Community Council.

May 1, 2024 (El Cajon) – Opening an incubator business center to help refugees and immigrants start new businesses has been a dream of Dr. Noori Barka for more than a decade.  On April 11, that dream came to fruition at a ceremony launching the Chaldean Community Council’s new incubator business center at 405 East Lexington Avenue in El Cajon. The center will provide help for low-income and underserved refugee communities.

Supervisor Joel Anderson called the occasion a “joyous day” as he presented a check for a half million dollars from the County to the Chaldean Community Council to kickstart the incubator business center. He also issued a proclamation declarring April 11 El Cajon Small Business Incubator Day. Funding was through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Small Business Stimulus Grant program, and the County’s Community Enhancement program.

 “For years, I’ve said we need an incubator to kick start businesses,” the Supervisor said. “In East County, we’ve got enterpreneurial spirit to be tapped,” he added, predicting that the enterprise will produce new entrepreneurs, “bringing wealth and opportunities to East County.”

He praised El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells after the city agreed to lease office space for the incubator business center for just a dollar a year, over the next five years.


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HEAR OUR INTERVIEW WITH JOLYANA JIRJEES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CHALDEAN COMMUNITY COUNCIL

April 26, 2024 (El Cajon) – Jolyana Jirjees, the new executive director of the Chaldean Community Council, recently sat down for an interview on East County Magazine’s radio show on KNSJ.  She was a winner of San Diego Metro Magazine’s 40 under 40 award, and is also an elected member of the Cajon Valley Union School District board of trustee.

A refugee herself who fled religious persecution in Iraq when she was 19 years old and pregnant, she recalls, ““In my community in Iraq, it was very difficult to travel from one place to another due to street bombings or children being kidnapped for ransom.”

She came to San Diego without knowing English or where to turn for help. Fortunately, she was able to earn a high school diploma at  Diego Valley, learn English, and obtain bachelor’s and master’s degrees from  San Diego State in sociology and counseling.

“After I graduated, my main passion was to help the newcomer refugees as I struggled to find my way when arriving to the US, she recalls.

Audio: 


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REFUGEE JOB FAIR TO BE HELD MAY 1 AT GROSSMONT COLLEGE

Source: Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District
 
Photo: job seeker conversing with recruiters at Grossmont College job fair
 
April 19, 2024 (El Cajon) -- More than 40 employers will be attending the 3rd Annual Refugee Job Fair being held May 1 at Grossmont College, a free event focused on finding new careers for refugees, Dreamers, international students and community members. 
 
The job fair will be held in the Main Quad at Grossmont College from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There is no charge for parking at the college. 

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NEW MURALS DEDICATED IN CITY HEIGHTS REFLECT MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY

East County News Service
 
April 12, 2024 (City Heights) – Vibrant new public murals now adorn the exterior of City Heights Plaza del Sol, an affordable housing complex in the heart of San Diego’s City Heights community. The murals are the latest addition to a series of ArtReach Murals created under lead artist Josué Baltézar.

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“THERE WERE GUYS WITH GUNS, WITH SILENCERS…” - RUSSIAN MIGRANT AND OTHER IMMIGRANTS SPEAK OUT

By Bransen P. Harper

Photos by Bransen P. Harper and Patrick J. Watkins

April 3, 2024 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- Last week, I took a journey out east to a hotspot along the border where undocumented migrants cross over into the U.S. on a daily basis, near the small town of Jacumba Hot Springs and Desert View Tower. International border crossings here have increased over the last couple of years significantly, although the area has seen prevalent human traffic in prior decades.

Using a Google translation program and translators among the migrants,  program, my associate,  Patrick J. Watkins, and I interviewed and photographed several undocumented migrants, whose stories were interesting and diverse. We also spoke with local volunteers aiding the asylum-seekers.


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COURT APPROVES SETTLEMENT IN CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OVER PROCESSING DELAYS FOR PEOPLE IN IMMIGRATION CUSTODY

Cancino Castellar v. Mayorkas settlement will ensure Immigrants in DHS custody have prompt first appearances before immigration judges 
 
East County News Service
 
March 20, 2024 (San Diego) -- A federal judge on March 14 approved a settlement in a long-running class action lawsuit affirming the constitutional due process rights of people in immigration custody in San Diego and Imperial Counties. 

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MIGRANT CENTER CLOSES DESPITE SURGE IN IMMIGRANTS; DROP-OFFS AT TRANSIT STATIONS RESUMES

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of ECM news partner KGTV 10 News.

February 25, 2024 (San Diego) – Bipartisan calls for federal help are escalating after closure of a local migrant welcoming center due to lack of funds amid an unprecedented surge in migrants from around the world.

The migrant center run by SBCS (formerly known as South Bay Community Center) closed its doors Thursday night.  Kathie Lembo, the nonprofit’s president and CEO, stated,  “As the number of migrants arriving at the center has increased significantly over the last few weeks, our finite resources have been stretched to the limit.”

San Diego County had allocated $6 million to fund the welcome center as an alternative to Border Patrol dropping off massive numbers of migrants at transit centers. The welcome center had provided temporary shelter, food, Wifi connections, and travel information for the vast majority of migrants seeking to rejoin family members elsewhere in the United States. The funds were expected to last until March.

But with more than 100,000 migrants arriving in our region since September, the center ran out of funds.  Now Border Patrol, which lacks sufficient facilities to detain migrants, is once again dropping many of them off at transit centers to fend for themselves, or accept help from volunteers.


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JANUARY SEES SHARP DROP IN BORDER CROSSINGS AFTER A RECORD-SETTING DECEMBER

 
 
February 18, 2024 (Washington, D.C.) -- Border encounters plunged from record highs of more than 300,000 in December to 176,205 in January, a 42% drop that Customs and Border Protection attributed to enforcement efforts and a traditional seasonal drop.


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ALL THE BAD GIRLS WEAR RUSSIAN ACCENTS: POEMS OF A UKRAINIAN JEWISH REFUGEE GRANTED ASYLUM IN THE U.S.

By Jane Muschenetz

 

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

 

February 14, 2024 (San Diego) -- Written with humor as well as heart ache, Jane Muschenetz touches on her raw feelings of becoming a refugee. At the age of 10, during the pandemic and the Russian invasion of her home country, Ukraine, she was transplanted to San Diego. 

 

Muschenetz reflects on themes that connect to identity. She then shares her growth as she acclimated to her new country, went to MIT, married, and became a mother. 


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AS IMMIGRATION DEBATE HEATS UP, MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS IN DECEMBER SET RECORD

By Ian McKinney, Cronkite News

Photo, left: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, backed by fellow Democrats on Monday, criticizes a Republican plan to open impeachment hearings this week against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. With Jeffries, from left, are Reps. Lou Correa of California, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, Dan Goldman of New York and Glenn Ivey of Maryland. (Photo by Ian McKinney/Cronkite News)

January 30, 2024 (Washington, D.C.) -- Border officials said they encountered more than 300,000 migrants at the southern border in December, setting a one-month record that pushed the total for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 to 785,422.

The continuing surge in migrants comes as debate on immigration is heating up in Washington. Senators this week are expected to unveil a sweeping, bipartisan immigration reform bill that is already being called “dead on arrival” in the House, where a committee is set to start impeachment proceedings Tuesday against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.


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RELIEF FUND FOR UKRAINIAN CHURCH FLOODED IN SPRING VALLEY; HUMANITARIAN SUPPLIES FOR UKRAINE ALSO DAMAGED

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of ECM news partner 10 News

January 26, 2024 (Spring Valley) - St. Mary’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Spring Valley has been a place of worship for Ukrainians across San Diego since 1960. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, the small church has welcomed and helped many Ukrainian refugees—and has also gathered humanitarian relief supplies to send to war-torn Ukraine.


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ASYLUM SEEKERS FACE NEW REQUIREMENT TO FIND THEIR OWN INTERPRETERS

 

by Adriana Gonzalez-Chavez • Cronkite News

A record 2.47 million migrants were encountered at the United States’ southern border in fiscal year 2023, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (File photo by Alexia Faith/Cronkite News)

January 22, 2024 -- Asylum seekers who don’t speak English are once again required to bring their own interpreters to interviews for U.S. immigration services, and some worry it will be a hindrance for those fleeing persecution in their home countries.

The September rule change reverted to a pre-pandemic requirement that put the onus on non-English-speaking migrants to find and pay for an interpreter.


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NEW U.S. BORDER PATROL STATION TO OPEN 2025 IN DULZURA


Facility will house migrants,  serve as control center for enforcement  


By Michael Howard

 

An artist rendering of the new Dulzura Border Patrol facility slated to open in September 2024. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Border Patrol

 

January 20, 2024 (Dulzura, CA) –  A new $74 million U.S. Border Patrol station has begun construction and is slated to open in Dulzura next year, spokesperson Michael Scappechio said in an emailed statement this week.

 

“This new station will provide CBP law enforcement personnel with much-needed facilities, technologies, and other infrastructure carefully designed to meet the demands and challenges of an ever-evolving border environment,” Scappechio wrote.

 

The station will be used to process and house migrants short-term, as well as serve as a control center for border patrol enforcement activities. The facility sits on an approximately 9-acre plot of land and will include a helipad for air support, fuel stations, and dog kennels.


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MEDI-CAL IMMIGRATION STATUS EXCLUSION ENDS

 

By  Suzanne Potter, California News Service

Suzanne Potter

January 9,2024 (Sacramento) -- Starting January 1st, California became the first state to cover health care for all income-eligible people regardless of their age or immigration status. 


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COUNTY SUPPORTS FEDERAL INITIATIVE TO PROTECT IMMIGRANT MILITARY FAMILIES

January 8, 2024 (San Diego) -- The County’s Office of Military and Veterans Affairs is promoting a federal immigration program that supports immigrant families of U.S. service members.  

The Military Parole in Place (MPIP) program provides some members of U.S. military families temporary permission to remain in the country while seeking permanent residency.  

The temporary immigration status allows spouses, widow(er)s, parents and children of U.S. service members to stay, work and travel freely in the United States. The Board of Supervisors previously approved promoting the program to reaffirm the County’s support for service members and their families. 

“Families can be divided when a loved one serves in the U.S. armed forces,” said Rick Wanne, Director of County Self Sufficiency Services. “This program allows them to be reunited in our country and recognizes our military men and women for their honorable and selfless service.”


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COUNTY SUPERVISORS APPROVE $3 MILLION FOR MIGRANT SERVICES - BUT TOWNS CLOSEST TO BORDER BREECHES NOT ALLOCATED FUNDS

 

By Rebecca Person

 

December 13, 2023 (Jacumba Hot Springs, CA) -- Local volunteers in isolated East county border towns Jacumba and Boulevard are seeking support for humanitarian aid for migrants via a new crowd-funding campaign.  Volunteers set up this fundraising account in the face of a lack of  support by government entities such as Border Patrol and the National Guard and nonprofits such as the Red Cross, which have failed to utilize their resources to help masses of border crossers still arriving on U.S. ground. Border Patrol has directed them into barren detention sites with zero supplies. Water, shelter and food resources are being supplied mostly by volunteers through donations.


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IS EAST SAN DIEGO COUNTY’S ILLEGAL MIGRANT SURGE SUBSIDING?

 

 By Rebecca Person 

A bleak landscape is what  migrants face. Photo: R. Person 

 

November 6, 2023 (Jacumba Hot Springs) -- The abandoned youth center building in Jacumba Hot Springs, which has been pressed into service as a staging area for emergency supplies going to undocumented border crossers, is crowded with bags and bags of donated clothing, sorted and marked, ready for coming waves of new migrants into the area. While a lower number of migrants seems to be arriving, there is no reason to believe it won’t increase.


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