Refugees are welcome at Women’s Opportunity center

Indira Khupta, an expert on immigrant assimilation at the Women’s Opportunities Resource Center in Philadelphia, said that blending in to US culture is not easy for many immigrants. As there are three types of immigrants: Documented legal, undocumented illegal and refugee. Each has its own story, its own problems to face and outcome to result within cultural, linguistic, religious paradigm to be a part of the workforce.

In a telephone interview on Wednesday September 9, 2015 Ms. Khupta mentioned that “over 1,000 refugees come to Philadelphia each year and the Center supports them for the first six months in getting acclimatized and learning how to succeed.” However, Khupta said they could do better with more support as even though they are fully documented and escaped tough regimes they are ill equipped to make it in such a foreign world as America. Some people have family here, but many are on their own and have no one to help them, our center tries to support them in getting settled in and dealing with this transition.

The essential function of the program is counseling and guidance to help immigrants to find a place to live and get a job and overcome some of the basic obstacles of being a stranger in a strange land like getting social security and setting banking account. An example she cited was the concept in America to have a good credit score that enables major purchases.

However, loans or a credit card for immigrants is strange thing as in their homeland people don’t take loans within a poor economy and fluctuating currency rate that depend on euro or dollar. However here in America everyone takes a loan for school or start up business.

In Philadelphia there is a great deal of effort put in by groups to support immigrants in being effective as entrepreneurs and finding a structure for their enterprise. Several groups including the Women’s Opportunities Resource Center help to find funds for start ups and other financial aid from government or bank institutions loans to fund a small ventures.

The legal system and business culture force immigrants to be more entrepreneurial because they are always profiled and are not able to get the same opportunities in the workforce as American citizens. As a result they have to compromise – “necessity is the mother of invention”, as the old saying goes. Immigrants have to rely on their own skills as they cannot rely on others to make things work for them. The challenge of living without your family and friends is big for many immigrants, as they had left behind many close people, when they moved here. The closeness of communities and their ability to include these ‘outsiders’ is a major factor in how well they fit in. Ms. Khupta also commented that some parts of Philadelphia are much better than others in letting these visitors into the community, helping them feel less lonely and being part of the larger group.

Ms Khupta’s concern is that six months is too short a period for an immigrant to assimilate. This highlights the challenge as too often the big policy statements by politicians miss the human challenges of what it takes for many of these groups to succeed.

Like many big issues there are many aspects to immigration that do not get discussed or even thought of in the larger context. This polarizing of the issue into whether we should build a wall between US and Mexico ignores the depths and layers of thinking necessary to make things work at a national and local level. According to Donald Trump, who claimed that he would somehow rid the country of 11 million immigrants who are here illegally and take jobs away from Americans (CNN, August 26).

Then Khupta responded with awareness and courage that immigrants are people, who are looking for a better fortune first of all, by escaping tough regimens or running away from misery and poverty. America is the country of immigrants, was built and founded by immigrants, whereas government and society should not worry about loosing working opportunities, but should think how to create more and help all who need them and want to work. That is how we build the economy! Khupta referred to Hilary Clinton sensible immigration reform, which could help legal workers by making sure they don’t have to compete against people who can be taken advantage of because they lack proper documents. “For those 11 million undocumented immigrants who have settled in the United States give an opportunity to become guest workers and if they want to become citizens, they have to get in the line with everybody else and do what is necessary.” (from H.Clinton speech, The Republic | azcentral.com) Such policies will help the economy by encouraging people to stay in the workforce and paying taxes.

At the end of the day the important question is how Immigrants contribute to society and local economy: are they a positive or negative influence? – “Most of the time immigrants are people, who have less rights then others, but willing to work and support their families and fully contribute to the economy, the only question is how government supports them to do it legally and what programs are launched to implement it” – said Khupta.