The Welcoming spirit

AILA invited its members to share their stories of welcome as we have had the opportunity to help people who were evacuating Afghanistan and fleeing Ukraine and parole-ing into Cuba, Nicaragua Venezuela and Haiti over the last two years. AILA members have welcomed people from all over the world. Here are some of their stories.

“I sponsored an Ukrainian woman and two of her children. We emailed her and had a video chat to make sure that we were on the same page before submitting the I-134. Since her arrival in the United States, she has built her network and reestablished her career. It’s been great to have another parent who lives in our neighborhood help us with the pick-up and drop-off of the children. We are grateful for the parole program, which allowed them to seek refuge in America as their city was increasingly being bombed by Russians.

“I provided an I-134 to a family that came here under U4U in February 2023. Mother, father, and two daughters aged 10 and 3 arrived. With the help of HIAS, and the umbrella of my synagogue which had suggested this idea to me, I formed a Welcome Circle. However not everyone on our committee was a synagogue member. We raised money, found housing, assisted the family in their transition, enrolled the daughter in school and helped them apply to benefits.

It’s a big commitment and can be very challenging at times…but this family is doing great under the circumstances. It may be difficult for them to remain in central NJ as we are transitioning from financial support to less. Being an immigration lawyer has certainly helped enormously with the I-134 and I-765. Explaining the (limited possibilities) for the future etc. but this is definitely a team effort.” – AILA Member, New Jersey.

I have been able sponsor my husband’s mother-in law and his cousin. Since his mother’s arrival, my husband has changed in character, motivation and more.

In May 2022, the inTulsa visa network – an organization that matches talent and engages corporations in Tulsa — and the George Kaiser Family Foundation asked how they could use community resources to help those who were affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. They wanted to assist. By August 2023, 12 people had been accepted into the initiative, and 28 people total, including their spouses and children, were relocated.

The inTulsa Visa Network has recently expanded their offerings to include parolees from Cuba and Haiti as well as Nicaragua and Venezuela. They also support the relocation of traditional employment-based foreign talents to Tulsa.

“It’s been two years since Taliban tookover of Afghanistan. It was a life changing event for me as an Afghan-American lawyer who had practiced immigration law, and been active in many women’s and humanitarian rights programs. My life was like working in a crisis centre for the first month after the evacuation. I received hundreds calls and messages from Afghans all over the country asking for assistance. I knew women leaders who I interviewed or met as a journalist, or at events …”, in Washington, DC. Mariam’s complete blog post on how she helped welcome Afghan refugees to the U.S.