Locality: National

National

South Asian Therapists

Directory of South Asian therapists, including therapists of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Afghanistani, and Nepali heritage. Multi-language

Covid-19 hospitalizations average $4,000 in out-of-pocket costs per visit, research says

2/18/22 Measures to protect patients hospitalized with Covid-19 from financial liability have been rolled back by most insurers in the US, leaving the vast majority of patients with an average out-of-pocket bill of about $4,000 for each hospital stay,.
Between March 2020 and January 2021, less than 9% of patients with private health care insurance had any cost-sharing associated with Covid-19 hospitalization. By March 2021, more than 84% of patients with private insurance had some financial responsibility.
In December, the risk of hospitalization was 44 times higher for unvaccinated adults than it was for adults who were fully vaccinated and boosted, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SCOTUS Agrees to Hear Biden’s Bid to Rescind ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy

2/18/22 The Supreme Court will hear a proposal by the Biden administration to rescind a controversial Trump-era immigration policy.
Despite the official end of the policy in June 2021, Remain in Mexico was ordered to reinstate the policy by a federal judge in Texas in August 2021. It came after Texas and Missouri filed suit against the Biden administration for its removal, saying that it was improperly terminated. A week after the order, the U.S. and Mexico agreed to restart the program. Since the policy’s restart, 572 people have been deported to Mexico from the United States.

Training on Conscious & Unconscious Biases in Health Care

Free on-line course from University of Georgetown – Course Purpose and Learning Objectives
This course focuses on conscious and unconscious biases in health care and their impact on people who are disproportionately affected by disparities in health and health care. It will offer an array of innovative activities, based on current evidence and best practices, that are intended to diminish the negative impact of biases.

Transgender Law Center

Transgender Law Center (TLC) is the largest national trans-led organization advocating for a world in which all people are free to define themselves and their futures. Grounded in legal expertise and committed to racial justice, TLC employs a variety of community-driven strategies to keep transgender and gender nonconforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation.

Health Equity Considerations & Racial & Ethnic Minority Groups

Health equity is when all members of society enjoy a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Public health policies and programs centered around the specific needs of communities can promote health equity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought social and racial injustice and inequity to the forefront of public health. It has highlighted that health equity is still not a reality as COVID-19 has unequally affected many racial and ethnic minority groups, putting them more at risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19. Multi-language: Spanish |
Vietnamese |
Chinese |
Korean |
Social determinants of health (SDOH)

Census Bureau Releases 2021 Determinations for Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act

12/8/21 The U.S. Census Bureau has released a list of 331 jurisdictions (counties and minor civil divisions) across the nation and three states that are required under the Voting Rights Act to provide language assistance during elections for citizens who are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process.
The list, published in the Federal Register, identifies the jurisdictions that are covered by Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act and must provide language assistance for “persons who are American Indian, Asian American, Alaska Natives, or of Spanish heritage.”

Ensuring Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers Have the Ability to Work Safely

An extensive list of identified essential critical infrastructure workers in the fields of Healthcare, Law Enforcement, Public Safety / First Responders, Education and Food & Agriculture, It is intended to be overly inclusive reflecting the diversity of industries across the United States.
Providing instructions and guidelines for government and businesses to keep workers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency)

Archive – Joint Statement – URGENT POLICY ACTION NEEDED BY WHITE HOUSE TO SUPPORT THE AFGHAN PEOPLE

1/11/22 As detailed in a joint statement issued by the nine humanitarian organizations, more than half the country’s population of 23 million people are facing acute food insecurity, including 9 million who are on the brink of famine. According to the United Nations, if no action is taken, more than 100,000 children could die of starvation. While prices skyrocket, Afghan families cannot access cash to pay for food, medicine, or other items.
The 9 global charities include:InterAction
Alliance for Peacebuilding, |
CARE USA |
Catholic Relief Services |
International Rescue Committee |
Norwegian Refugee Council USA |
Save the Children US |
War Child USA | and
World Vision U.S

Supreme Court Blocks Biden’s Virus Mandate for Large Employers

1/13/22 The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a vaccine-or-testing mandate for large employers, dealing a blow to a key element of the White House’s plan to address the pandemic as coronavirus cases resulting from the Omicron variant are on the rise.
But the court allowed a more modest mandate requiring health care workers at facilities receiving federal money to be vaccinated

News Literacy Project

The News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan national education nonprofit, provides programs and resources for educators and the public to teach, learn and share the abilities needed to be smart, active consumers of news and information and equal and engaged participants in a democracy.

Nixle Alerts

Nixle keeps you up-to-date with relevant information from your local public safety departments & schools
Text your zip code to 888777 to opt in to receive emergency alerts. Nixle asks new subscribers for both their mobile phone number (for emergency texts) and their email address if they want to also receive informational messages. Multi-Language: Spanish option.
Frequently Asked Questions

A Limiting Lens: How Vaccine Misinformation Has Influenced Hispanic Conversations Online

12/8/21 It isn’t possible to tell a single story about how this vaccination gap came to be. A history of medical exploitation and discrimination may play one role [4][5]. Data shows that language barriers, as well as concerns about immigration status, childcare and work schedules may also impede access to care [6][7].
All of these factors create a foundation of doubt and mistrust that allows misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines to flourish on social media.

Vacciine Hucksterism – VAERS and the War Against Medical Science

1/23/22 Anti¯vaxxer disinformation activists are intensifying their attacks on medical efforts to combat the pandemic utilizing pseudoscience to manipulate public opinion One example is the perversion of the VAERS database, which is used to drum up opposition to vaccination against Covid19. “VAERS ° the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System ° is a data tool run by
both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration
It was created in 1990 to provide citizens with one central location to report their experiences with potential side effects of vaccines This database has become a key piece of §evidence¨ used by anti-vaxxers to cultivate public distrust of vaccines.

Employment-Based Visa Categories in the United States

7/8/21 One of the key principles guiding the U.S. immigration system has been admitting foreign workers with skills that are valuable to the U.S. economy. Current U.S. immigration law provides several paths for foreign workers to enter the United States for employment purposes on a temporary or permanent basis. This fact sheet provides basic information about how the employment-based U.S. immigration system works.

White House Establishes New AAPI Visibility Task Force

1/4/21 With Business Leaders and Actor Daniel Dae Kim
The group will be tasked with advising President Biden and other D.C. lawmakers on issues important to the AAPI community, including initiatives like adding more language options in federal programs, disaggregating AAPI data to improve policy changes and rehabilitating small businesses crippled by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Key Words: Asian

DiversityInc Job Board

Apply to work at companies that “get it.” In 2020, DiversityInc’s job board included more than 166,000 job listings hiring diverse applicants. Our job board is a useful tool both for recruiters working to hire qualified talent and job seekers looking to work at organizations that value diversity, inclusion, equity and innovation. Free to job seekers.

CDC is expanding eligibility of booster doses to those 12 to 15 years old

1/5/22 CDC is expanding eligibility of booster doses to those 12 to 15 years old. CDC now recommends that adolescents age 12 to 17 years old should receive a booster shot 5 months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination series.
Data show that COVID-19 boosters help broaden and strengthen protection against Omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
At this time, only the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is authorized and recommended for adolescents aged 12-17.

ILRC Immigration Enforcement Tracker

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) and Detention Watch Network (DWN) are actively collecting examples and trends in immigration enforcement around the country.
We are asking partners to please fill out this form to share details of what you’re seeing in your communities, specifically on enforcement actions and decisions since January 2021. This includes immigration detainers, arrests, and detentions by ICE or CBP, including when local police or sheriffs are involved. Centralizing this information is critical to track patterns of enforcement, identify of problematic trends, and advocate for improvements.

Guidelines for the Enforcement of Civil Immigration Law

9/30/21 Foundational Principle: The Exercise of Prosecutorial Discretion – It is well established in the law that federal government officials have broad discretion to decide who should be subject to arrest, detainers, removal proceedings, and the execution of removal
orders. The exercise of prosecutorial discretion in the immigration arena is a deep-rooted tradition.
Icr New Enforcement Policies

Archive – Closing the Connectivity Gap for Older Americans

12/31/23  Site gone

1/27/21 Older Adults Technology Services, Inc. (OATS), in partnership with the Humana Foundation, today released a new report that for the first time quantifies the size and degree of the digital isolation crisis among seniors in the United States, finding nearly 22 million older Americans continue to lack broadband access at home. Stressing the importance of digital health tools and social connectedness amid the coronavirus pandemic, OATS and The Humana Foundation are launching a new effort to close the technology adoption gap through Aging Connected – a national campaign to bring at least a million older Americans online with high-speed internet by 2022.

RAINN: Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network

RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country.
Anyone affected by sexual assault, whether it happened
to you or someone you care about, can find support on
their National Sexual Assault Hotline. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673)
Online Chat Hotline |
Spanish Online Chat Hotline |
Multi-language: Spanish

Who Are the Adults Not Vaccinated Against COVID?

12/28/21 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that as of December 14, roughly 85% of adults ages 18 and over in the United States had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine but 15% remained unvaccinated.
Who are the unvaccinated and why are they choosing not to get a COVID vaccine? Household Pulse Survey Shows Many Don’t Trust COVID Vaccine, Worry About Side Effects

Archive – US considering returning some evacuees who don’t pass vetting process to Afghanistan

11/18/21 The Biden administration is considering sending some of the Afghan evacuees at a US military base in Kosovo back to Afghanistan if they cannot clear the intense vetting process to come to the United States, according to three US officials familiar with the matter.
A return to Afghanistan is only one option on the table — and comes with complicated legal questions — but it is being studied as US officials have yet to develop an overall plan for how to handle the challenge of where to resettle Afghans if they do not clear the US security clearance process.

Special Immigrant Juveniles

If you are in the United States and need the protection of a juvenile court because you have been abused, abandoned or neglected by a parent, you may be eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification. If SIJ classification is granted, you may qualify for lawful permanent residency (also known as getting a Green Card).
Multi-language: Spanish

Minority Health Resource Center

The OMHRC Knowledge Center Online Catalog provides access to the nation’s largest repository of information dedicated to the health of minority populations within the United States and its territories. The collection includes over 70,000 documents, books, journal articles, reports, and media related to the health status of racial and ethnic minority populations. In addition, users can access consumer health materials in more than 40 languages. The database identifies print and digital content leading to article, document, journal, and organizational records.

New immigration policy could help some undocumented veterans seek naturalization

11/17/21 The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office has issued a new written guidance expanding the eligibility for citizenship of former U.S. armed forces veterans facing deportation, as well as hundreds who were already removed from the country.
non-U.S. veterans can qualify for citizenship if they served during wartime, or what is known legally as a ‘ Designated Period of Hostility’, such as the Korean or Vietnam wars, the Persian Gulf conflict and the ongoing war on terrorism after September 11, 2001.
Multi-language: Spanish

MPI Language Portal

A Translation and Interpretation Digital Library
search the database to find resources used to provide services to Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals. The database gives you thousands of state and local agency documents used to provide services to LEP clients, including contracts, planning reports, and translated material. Key Words: Language Access

Language Access: Translation and Interpretation Policies and Practices

created to assist local government administrators, policymakers, and others who are looking for ways to provide high-quality and cost-effective translation and interpretation services.
Practitioners’ Corner Archive
Centralizing Translation Across Agencies Through Computer Assisted Translation (CAT)
Testing and Training Volunteer Translators and Interpreters
Top 10 Best Practices for Multilingual Websites
Doing More with Less on Language Access
How to Assess the Effectiveness of Language Access Programs
Drafting RFP and Contracts for Language Access Services
Tips for Testing and Certifying Multilingual Employees
Tips for Ensuring Translation Quality

Why hundreds of thousands of kids in the US dread their 21st birthdays

“All my friends excitedly talk about turning 21 — hitting the bars, all of that…but it’s just something that I dread,” she says.
The day she turns 21, Parvathinathan will no longer be protected by the work visa that allowed her parents to immigrate to the United States from India. And she may face deportation.
It’s known as “aging out,” and experts estimate that about 200,000 people like Parvathinathan are living in a similar limbo. Brought legally to the United States as children, many are scrambling to find ways to stay in the country they love. Some are forced to leave the US when they run out of options.
They’ve dubbed themselves “documented Dreamers,” and they say their plight shows how broken the US immigration system is.

Child Tax Credits a Huge Boost for Many, But Not All, Latino Families

11/23/21 The expanded child tax credits are working to help families make ends meet and experience less stress, a new survey shows.
As part of the American Rescue Plan, Congress expanded the child tax credit in March 2021. Since July, the IRS has been providing cash benefits to most households with children, including some of the country’s poorest families.
Now, given sufficient time to study this effort, a survey by the Center for Law and Social Policy found that the enhanced child tax credit made a difference for many parents and children. Many Latinos and other families of color benefitted, but many immigrants also were left out.

Culturally and Linguistically Competent Nursing Care – Free Online Course

From Think Cultural Health – As healthcare disparities among cultural minority groups persist in our country, culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) are increasingly recognized as an important strategy for improving quality of care to diverse populations. This e-learning program will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and awareness to provide the best care for all patients, regardless of cultural or linguistic background. This e-learning program is grounded in the HHS Office of Minority Health’s National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health and Health Care.

FEMA closes gap that prevented many Black families in South from receiving disaster aid

9/2/21 The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced sweeping changes Thursday to the way the U.S. government will verify homeownership for disaster relief applicants who lack certain legal documents for inherited property.
The change responds to pushback against rules that have stymied Black Americans in the Deep South from getting help to rebuild after catastrophic storms if they can’t adequately prove they own their homes ” and it comes as Hurricane Ida threatened to repeat the cycle. Key Words: Equity

National Advisory Council Report to the FEMA Administrator November 2020 – Equity Gaps

11/20 Emergency management is part of the social safety net across all phases from response to recovery.
As such, first responders do not rescue people who can evacuate themselves, they only rescue people
who need help. Recovery programs, however, seem to do just that. They provide an additional boost to
wealthy homeowners and others with less need, while lower-income individuals and others sink further
into poverty after disasters. In 2045, emergency management is equitable across the full spectrum,
including preparedness, recovery, and mitigation, with resources going to those who need them.

Archive – Red Cross Volunteers See Hope in Work with Afghan Children

11/1/21 Since the Afghan evacuation began in August, nearly 800 Red Cross volunteers worked on military installations around the globe providing evacuees with more than 1.9 million relief items. On Rhine Ordnance Barracks and Ramstein bases, Ellsworth and Hwang rolled up their sleeves and chipped in where needed, handing out comfort kits, towels, diapers and other critical care items.

US curtails refugee admissions to focus on resettling Afghan evacuees

11/16/21 The U.S. government is curtailing admissions of refugees to focus on the massive effort to process and resettle tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees, the State Department said Monday.
Through January 11, the U.S. will stop booking travel for refugees who don’t qualify for certain exceptions. Refugees who need to reunite with family in the U.S., who are travel-ready, who have “urgent cases” or whose medical and security screenings are set to expire soon will continue to be resettled, the State Department said.

U.S. waives work permit and green card application fees for Afghan evacuees

11/8/21 Afghans brought to the U.S. after July 30 under a humanitarian immigration process known as parole will qualify for a fee exemption on their applications for work authorization. The U.S. will also waive permanent residency petition fees for Afghans who are requesting Special Immigrant Visas due to their work with U.S. military forces.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) typically requires work permit applicants to pay $495 in application and biometric collection fees. The agency can charge up to $1,225 in fees to adjudicate petitions for permanent residency, which is also known as green card status.

Minority Health Social Vulnerability Index

Every community must prepare for and respond to hazardous events, whether a natural disaster like a tornado or a disease outbreak, or a human-made event such as a harmful chemical spill. Several factors, including poverty, lack of access to transportation, and crowded housing may weaken a community’s ability to prevent human suffering and financial loss in a disaster. These factors are known as social vulnerability. Using U.S. Census data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the first version of the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) in 2011 to enable emergency response planners and public health officials to identify, map, and plan support for communities that will most likely need support before, during, and after a public health emergency.

Only in America Podcast with Ali Noorani – Welcoming Afghans

11/3/21 Thousands of Afghan evacuees are still unmoored months after the U.S withdrawal from Afghanistan. Many remain on military bases in the U.S. and across the world. Their stories don’t end with evacuation – in fact, it’s just the beginning of a resettlement process that requires a formidable amount of planning, resources, and cooperation across communities. This 3 part series looks at the stories of those helping these evacuees.

FBI: Hate crime reports at highest level in 12 years

10/26/21 Increase comes even as fewer agencies reported hate crime incidents in their jurisdictions to FBI than in previous years.
More than 10,000 people reported to law enforcement last year that they were the victim of a hate crime because of their race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion or disability ” a number that has been on the rise in recent years, according to the
FBI’s annual hate crime statistics report

The Facebook Papers

10/24/21 The Facebook Papers represents a unique collaboration between 17 American news organizations, including The Associated Press.
Journalists from a variety of newsrooms, large and small, worked together to gain access to thousands of pages of internal company documents obtained by Frances Haugen, the former Facebook product manager-turned-whistleblower.

Facebook Froze as Anti-Vaccine Comments Swarmed Users

In March, as claims about the dangers and ineffectiveness of coronavirus vaccines spun across social media and undermined attempts to stop the spread of the virus, some Facebook employees thought they had found a way to help.
By altering how posts about vaccines are ranked in people’s newsfeeds, researchers at the company realized they could curtail the misleading information individuals saw aboutCOVID-19 vaccines and offer users posts from legitimate sources like the World Health Organization.
“Given these results, I’m assuming we’re hoping to launch ASAP” one Facebook employee wrote, responding to the internal memo about the study.
Instead, Facebook shelved some suggestions from the study. Other changes weren’t made until April.

Biden Vastly Expands “Protected Areas” Where ICE Can’t Arrest Immigrants

10/28/21 Starting this week, the number of places where immigration enforcement officials are not allowed to arrest people is growing. The Biden administration issued a new policy Wednesday that directs agents to stay away from playgrounds, domestic violence shelters, healthcare facilities, public demonstrations, disaster response centers, and other locations.
The new “protected areas” policy
went into effect immediately and supersedes all previous guidance for what used to be called “sensitive locations.”

We Debunk 5 Anti-Vax Myths About Kids’ COVID-19 Vaccines

10/28/21 On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee recommended that the agency authorize Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5-11. That approval could come any day now”listen closely, and you may hear a collective sigh of relief emanating from millions of parents.
But not everyone is celebrating: Anti-vaccine activists are already planting seeds of doubt. Among disinformation experts, there’s a strategy called “prebunking””basically, educating people about the kinds of rumors they can expect to encounter. It’s like, well, an immunization”but for disinformation. In that spirit, here are five claims that anti-vaxxers are already making, along with the reasons they’re wrong.

Archive – COVID-19 Vaccination Shots Now Available for Children Ages 5-11 in Santa Clara County

11/3/21 SCC is now providing COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 5-11. Currently, the Pfizer vaccine is the only option for this newly approved age group, which numbers just over 167,000 members of our community. All children ages 5-11 who sign up for an appointment are eligible.
Parents and guardians should visit www.sccfreevax.org to sign up for an appointment or to find a convenient drop-in location. Vaccines for children ages 5-11 are smaller doses and specially formulated. Families are also encouraged to check with their primary care physician or their local pharmacy about vaccine appointments for children. Multi-language:
Spanish |
Vietnamese |
Chinese |
Tagalog |

6 Tips for Managing Medical Misinformation at Your Next Family Gathering

11/6/21 Given the divisiveness that has developed in our society over the last several years, there’s a good chance that the holiday spirit might not prevail, despite our best intentions. Misinformation and disinformation are often the uninvited guests at some holiday events.
But don’t give up hope! We have the perfect “gift” to help address all sizes, shapes, and beliefs of misinformation that your loved ones might have embraced. The News Literacy Project, a national nonpartisan education nonprofit, shares advice for navigating tricky conversations. They have created an infographic, “How to speak up without starting a showdown: Six best practices for talking to friends and family about sharing falsehoods online” precisely for the situations that we might encounter over the holiday season or any time of the year.

Archive – Newly arrived Afghans test a refugee resettlement system that’s rebuilding on the fly

10/7/21 Resettlement organizations are rebuilding on the fly after deep cuts during the Trump administration. Last year, the U.S. accepted the lowest number of refugees since the modern resettlement program began.
Now Congress has authorized more than $6 billion to support Afghan resettlement. The roughly 200 field offices that do this work are scrambling to prepare. They’re trying to find more affordable housing, and hiring as fast as they can.
The numbers are daunting.
Roughly 53,000 Afghans are living on military bases in the U.S., and 14,000 more will soon be on their way from military bases overseas. The vast majority are not technically refugees; they’re entering the U.S. under what’s known as “humanitarian parole.” And they have lots of questions about how it works.

How To Protect Yourself During An Earthquake

WHY RESCUERS AND EXPERTS RECOMMEND DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON. OFFICIAL RESCUE TEAMS from the U.S. and other countries who have searched for trapped people in collapsed structures around the world, as well as emergency managers, researchers, and school safety advocates, all agree that “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” is the appropriate action to reduce injury and death during earthquakes. Methods like standing in a doorway, running outside, and the “triangle of life” are considered dangerous and are not recommended (see below).

Nearly all US COVID-19 deaths now preventable

6/25/21 According to an Associated Press analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data from May, only about 150 of the more than 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in May were in fully vaccinated people, or less than 1%. This translates to 5 deaths per day attributed to fully vaccinated Americans experiencing breakthrough infections, and roughly 300 deaths per day in the unvaccinated. Key Words: Pandemic

The Biden administration announced the DHS will halt workplace raids

10/17/21 NPRInterview: During Donald Trump’s presidency, immigration agents arrested thousands of individuals allegedly living in the country illegally through a series of high-profile raids on workplaces. Officials said these raids were intended to send a message to people skirting federal labor laws. But some criticized the raids for disrupting the lives of hardworking immigrants.
On Tuesday, the Biden administration signaled it would now end the practice. Here to discuss the significance of the move and what comes next is Marielena Hincapie. She is executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. Key Words: Undocumented

Suicide Prevention Muslim Community Action Guide

Muslims are not immune to mental illness. Even though suicide is disallowed in strong language in the Qur’an (see 4:29; 2:195), it does not diminish the fact that countless Muslims struggle every day with suicidal thoughts.
While you may not be trained as a mental health
professional, this guide is meant to equip you with the
knowledge and tools to better prevent, intervene, and
address suicide in your community and help save lives.

DHS Updates Immigration Enforcement Priorities

9/30/21 Safety and security remain top priorities. “We will prioritize for apprehension and removal noncitizens who are a threat to our national security, public safety, and border security” the memo states.
The guidelines shift how the department will employ prosecutorial discretion, moving away from rigid enforcement categories in favor of individualized assessments. Unauthorized status, on its own, will not be the basis for enforcement actions, according to the memo. Key Words: Undocumented, deportation

Archive – Funding Bill Will Help Afghans Resettle, Integrate

9/30/21 WASHINGTON, D.C. ” Congress today passed legislation that includes funding and additional benefits for Afghans resettling in the U.S.
The continuing resolution passed today includes $6.3 billion in supplemental funding for Afghan resettlement, as well as benefits for Afghan parolees who were admitted to the U.S. under humanitarian parole and are not technically deemed “refugees.” Key Words: Refugees, Evacuees

Across Parties, Americans Support People Seeking Refuge

9/22/21 WASHINGTON, D.C. ” Strong majorities of Republicans, Independents and Democrats agree that the U.S. should have a legal, secure way to welcome people from oppressed or war-torn countries.
In a new poll of 1,200 adults, including 1,000 registered voters, 65% of Americans ” including 61% of Republicans, 63% of Independents and 75% of Democrats ” agreed “that the United States should have a legal, secure process in place to take in people from oppressed or war-torn countries, such as Afghanistan.” The nationwide, online survey was fielded Thursday through Sunday. Key Words: Refugees, Asylum

COVID-19: The Unvaccinated Pose a Risk to the Vaccinated

9/25/21 An unvaccinated person who is infected with COVID-19 poses a much greater risk to others who are also unvaccinated. But vaccines are not 100% effective, so there is a chance that an unvaccinated person could infect a vaccinated person ” particularly the vulnerable, such as elderly and immunocompromised individuals. Fact Check from SciCheck’s COVID-19/Vaccination Project.

FREE Bilingual Children’s Picture Dictionary – Clothes

Learn types of clothing with this bilingual children’s picture dictionary. Free download in:
English/Afrikaans, English/Albanian, English/Amharic, English/Arabic Egyptian, English/Arabic Formal, English/Arabic Gulf, English/Arabic Levantine, English/Arabic Maghrebi, English/Armenian, English/Azerbaijani, English/Basque, English/Belarusian, English/Bengali, English/Bosnian, English/Bulgarian, English/Burmese (Myanmar),
English/Catalan, English/Chinese Mandarin, Traditional, English/Chinese Simplified Mandarin, English/Chinese Traditional Cantonese, English/Chinese Traditional Mandarin (Taiwan), English/Croatian, English/Czech, English/Danish, English/Dari, English/Dutch,English/Estonian, English/Finnish, English/Flemish (Belgian), English/French, English/French Canadian, English/Georgian, English/German, English/Greek, English/Gujarati, English/Haitian Creole, English/Hebrew, English/Hindi, English/Hungarian, English/Icelandic, English/Indonesian, English/Irish Gaelic, English/Italian, English/Japanese, English/Kannada, English/Kazakh, English/Khmer, (Cambodian), English/Korean, English/Kurdish, English/Lao (Laotian), English/Latvian, English/Lithuanian, English/Macedonian, English/Malay, English/Malayalam, English/Maltese, English/Marathi, English/Mongolian, English/Nepali
English/Norwegian, English/Pashto, English/Persian (Farsi), English/Polish, English/Portuguese (Brazil)
English/Portuguese (Portugal), English/Punjabi
English/Romanian, English/Russian, English/Serbian Cyrillic, English/Serbian Latin, English/Slovak, English/Slovenian (Slovene), English/Shanghainese
English/Sinhala, English/Somali, English/Spanish (Castilian), English/Spanish (Latin America), English/Swahili, English/Swedish, English/Swiss, French, English/Swiss German, English/Swiss Italian,
English/Tagalog, English/Thai, English/Tamil,
English/Telugu, English/Tigrinya, English/Turkish,
English/Ukrainian, English/Urdu, English/Uzbek,
English/Vietnamese, English/Welsh, English/Xhosa, English/Yoruba, English/Zulu

Amala Hopeline for Muslim Youth

10/21 If you are feeling sadness, anxiety, fear, or any emotions that you need to process, please call Amala Hopeline. We aim to provide a culturally competent, confidential, and non-judgmental counseling and resource referral over the phone. We are available Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays from 6PM-10PM. Please give us a call, we are here for you. 855-95-Amala

CDC Guidance for Refugees Upon Arrival in the United States

2021 Refugees come from diverse regions of the world, and professionals working with them need to understand the health risks, including the risk of COVID-19, in the countries from which they are departing. One resource is CDC’s Travel Health Notices, which are resources for travelers, including refugees, to help understand the risk of COVID-19 in destinations around the world. Learn how CDC determines the level of a destination’s COVID-19 Travel Health Notice. Multi-language: :Welcome Booklet for Refugees Amharic, Arabic Burmese, Dari, Farsi, French, Haitian, Karen, Kinyarwanda, Nepali, Pashto, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tigrinya Ukrainian

STAND TOGETHER: Welcoming Muslim Refugees in Challenging Times

2016 This guide was created for advocates, service providers, and supporters like yourself as a tool to address
this backlash toward refugees and Muslim Americans, and to help you proactively engage with community leaders and neighbors. Through the messages, sample conversations, story ideas, and worksheets in this toolkit, we will help you develop straightforward yet persuasive language to use in the spoken or written communications you use in your work to support the needs of your whole community,

More than 10 million US citizens live with an undocumented immigrant

9/10/21 Analysis: – More than 10 million U.S. citizens share a household with an undocumented immigrant, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data by immigration advocacy group FWD.us. Nearly half of those U.S. citizens, 4.9 million, are children who have at least one undocumented parent.
The report shows the extent to which undocumented immigrants are integrated in their communities, with 22 million people living in mixed status households.

Where Afghan refugees are expected to be resettled, by state

9/16/21 The Biden administration this week notified state authorities of the number of Afghan evacuees each state could receive in the coming weeks as part of the first phase of a massive resettlement operation that is slated to place nearly 37,000 refugees from Afghanistan in U.S. communities.
California is expected to receive 5,225 Afghan evacuees, the most of any state. Texas is set to receive 4,481 Afghans, followed by Oklahoma, which is expected to host 1,800 evacuees. Washington state and Arizona are each slated to receive more than 1,600 evacuees.

Racial Equity Institute

AN ALLIANCE OF TRAINERS, ORGANIZERS, AND INSTITUTIONAL LEADERS WHO HAVE DEVOTED OURSELVES TO THE WORK OF CREATING RACIALLY EQUITABLE ORGANIZATIONS AND SYSTEMS. WE HELP INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS DEVELOP TOOLS TO CHALLENGE PATTERNS OF POWER AND GROW EQUITY.

7 Immigration Myths We Must Unlearn to Reclaim Our Humanity

Our immigration system is broken and cruel. Trump was enabled in turning the cruelty up to 11 by an infrastructure he inherited. It must be reengineered before another madman is allowed to hack American ideals to that extent again.
But fixing it demands that we examine ” then toss into the ash heap of history ” the myths on which our archaic, even barbaric, immigration apparatus rests.

THE TIME FOR A PARADIGMATIC SHIFT IN HOW AMERICANS VIEW IMMIGRANTS AND IMMIGRATION IS NOW

4/21 Trump’s illegal and insanely inhumane Migrant “Protection” Protocols (MPP), which didn’t protect anyone at all. From January 2019, MPP trapped roughly 70,000 of the world’s most vulnerable people, including 16,000 children, in some of the most dangerous places on Earth.
It is right that we should celebrate their liberty from a policy that criminalized asylum and slammed U.S. doors shut on people seeking refuge. We must elevate their resolve to enter the U.S. legally and with dignity as we recognize their international right to migrate.
But we must not let the celebrations blind us to the obvious: Our immigration system is broken and cruel.

The Invisible Wall: Title 42 and its Impact on Haitian Migrants

4/21 As of the release of this paper, over 1,200 people
have been expelled to Haiti since February 1, 2021, including hundreds of children, and dozens of Haitians, possibly hundreds, more have been expelled to Mexico.5
Almost all of these expulsions are occurring under what is referred to as the “Title 42” policy enacted
by the Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”), which authorizes the expulsion of noncitizens without
any procedural protections guaranteed by Congress, such as the right to seek asylum and other related
forms of humanitarian protection. The Trump Administration’s justification for adopting this policy
that violates U.S. immigration statutes and its international obligations of non-refoulement was to protect Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) officers from COVID-19 and to minimize the number of
persons in congregate settings, such as immigration detention centers.6

American Red Cross (ARC) Statement on Violence Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

3/9/21 As the nation’s most trusted humanitarian organization, it is our honor and responsibility to alleviate suffering to people without regard to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class, sexual orientation, or political opinions.
The ARC abhors intolerance, hate, racism and violence of any kind. We are disturbed by the reported 150% increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans in major US cities in 2020 and commit to remain vigilant as we deliver our mission in communities across the country.

A Mental Wellness Activity Book for ASIAN AMERICANS

The University of Connecticut’s Asian and Asian American Studies Institute has partnered with the #IAMNOTAVIRUS campaign and the Asian American Literary Review to provide students with this Mental Health Workbook. With the way that the world is now, many of us are struggling. Wellness and mental health are not often recognized as important issues for Asian Americans and we are 3 times less likely to seek mental health services than our White peers. At the Institute we believe that Asian American Studies is good for your health because it connects you to the history, culture, and politics of the life and struggle of our communities.

Asian American lawmakers urge DOJ to give updates about hate crimes law

9/22/21 President Joe Biden signed the legislation, co-sponsored by Hirono and Meng, on May 20 after it win bipartisan support in Congress. It directed the Justice Department to expedite the review of Covid-19-related hate crimes that were reported to law enforcement agencies to help them create ways to report such incidents online and to conduct public outreach.

Pathways to Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants

2021 According to FWD.us estimates, undocumented immigrants belong to groups the U.S. public overwhelmingly supports being granted U.S. citizenship. With undocumented immigrants already filling substantial shares of critical occupations, America’s workforce will need undocumented immigrants to gain U.S. citizenship for a strong, post COVID-19 economy. Congress has no time to waste in building America back better.

Muslim Americans Experience a Wave of Islamophobic Attacks Following 20th Anniversary of 9/11

9-16-21 On what should have been a day of reflection and solidarity marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorism attacks on our nation, some Americans once again decided it was more important to turn to hate by harassing and attacking their fellow man.
NBC News’ Sakshi Venkatraman has reported that “as the 20th anniversary of 9/11 passed Saturday, Muslim Americans braced for what community leaders said happens every year around this time: a wave of hate and overt Islamophobia.”

Archive – Will the Taliban’s Takeover Lead to a New Refugee Crisis from Afghanistan?

9/2/21 The decision to withdraw U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan and the subsequent abrupt takeover by the Taliban have triggered profound concerns among Afghans, who fear for the future under the Taliban’s rule. Internationally, one key concern is that a major refugee crisis may be imminent, which could swell the numbers of Afghans previously displaced within and beyond the country’s borders during prior decades of war. Already this year, more than 558,000 Afghans have been displaced internally. Under a worst-case scenario, an estimated 515,000 refugees could be forced out of the country by the end of this year. Future flight would add to the existing 2.8 million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers around the world, who have long been among the planet’s largest humanitarian populations.

Welcome to the United States: A Guidebook for Refugees

2012 The Welcome set is comprised of two COR Center resources: Welcome to the US: A Guidebook for Refugees and its complementary DVD, Welcome to the United States: Refugee Guide to Resettlement. These resources, developed at the request of the Department of State, Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), are designed to support overseas Cultural Orientation, as well as for use in initial domestic orientation or by refugees directly. Multi-language: English, Arabic, Burmese, Farsi, Karen, Kinyarwanda, Nepali, Somali, Swahili

Steps to Protect Your Online Identity from the Taliban: Digital History and Evading Biometrics Abuses

8/17/21 We understand that the Taliban is now likely to have access to various biometric databases and equipment in Afghanistan, including some left behind by coalition military forces. This technology is likely to include access to a database with fingerprints and iris scans, and include facial recognition technology.
Overall, it is very difficult to avoid recognition based on biometric data, but the following fact sheet outlines some things you can do, and some you shouldn’t.
Multi-language: English, Dari, Pashto Key Words: Refugee, SIV,
Evading the Misuse of Biometric Data |
Evading the Misuse of Biometric Data-Pashto |
Evading the Misuse of Biometric Data-Dari |
IInternet Shutdowns and Blockages – English |
Internet Shutdowns and Blockages-Dari |
Thwarting Digital Surveillance-English |
Thwarting Digital Surveillance-Dari |
How to Delete Your Digital History-English |
How to Delete Your Digital History-Dari |
How to Delete Your Digital History-Pashto |

FAQs: Protection From Digital Identification Methods By the Taliban |

Archive – Pathways to Protection for Afghans at Risk

9/1/21 from NILC (Nat Immigration Law Center)
On August 31, President Biden announced the full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the conclusion of “the largest airlift in U.S. history” a 17-day evacuation of approximately 120,000 people from Hamid Karzai airport in Kabul. In addition to U.S. citizens and citizens of other allied nations, among those evacuated were at-risk Afghans who assisted the U.S. military effort or who were otherwise under threat. The U.S. has announced three different immigration pathways that are being used to evacuate and resettle vulnerable Afghans: Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) status, the Priority 2 (P2) Refugee Program, and Humanitarian Parole.

Operation Blue Roof

Operation Blue Roof is a priority mission managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for FEMA. Operation Blue Roof aims to provide homeowners in disaster areas with fiber-reinforced sheeting to cover their damaged roofs until permanent repairs are made. This program is a free service to homeowners. This program is for primary residences or a permanently occupied rental property with less than 50 percent structural damage.

Cities for Action / DACA Toolkit

Toolkit to help keep DACA recipients and impacted communities informed about the current status of the DACA program, light the pathway to resources amid a constantly shifting landscape, and offer tools to both elevate the voices of DACA recipients and impacted community and drive the message that DACA recipients strengthen the social and institutional fabric of the United States.

Since 9/11, US Muslims Have Gained Unprecedented Political, Cultural Influence

8/1/21 As the 20th anniversary of September 11 approaches, the recent rise of many Muslim Americans to positions of power and influence”in Washington and in statehouses, on big screens and small ones, across playing fields and news desks”is a development that few in the U.S. would have predicted two decades ago, Muslims included. In the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks by the radical Islamic sect Al-Qaeda, anti-Muslim hate crimes exploded and the ensuing global “war on terror” to root out jihadists created a “climate of discrimination, fear and intolerance,” as one think tank described it, that surrounded people.

Afghan resettlement raises the question- Who is coming to the U.S.?

9/5/21 With tens of thousands of Afghans arriving at the end of America’s longest war, such comments from witnesses and government officials have left a question looming over the coming weeks, one that is already dividing host communities from Missoula, Mont., to Jacksonville, Fla.: Who is coming to the United States?
The emerging picture is more complicated than President Biden’s depiction of the airlift that whisked planeloads of Afghans to safety as a moral imperative to save people who helped Americans during a difficult conflict despite the risk. “We got thousands of Afghan translators and interpreters, and others who supported the United States, out” he said recently. Key Words: Refugees, Asylum

Afghan Immigrants in the United States

9/7/21 The dramatic aftermath of the U.S. military departure from Afghanistan after 20 years of war and rapid rise of the Taliban prompted a chaotic evacuation of Afghan allies and others to the United States and other countries. The U.S. government has said it expects that at least 50,000 Afghans will eventually be brought to the United States, as part of one of the largest airlifts of its kind in U.S. history. As of September 3, nearly 34,000 U.S.-bound Afghans were being housed at U.S. and NATO bases in the Middle East and Europe; another nearly 26,000 evacuees were at eight military facilities in the United States.

Explainer: Humanitarian Parole and the Afghan Evacuation

8/30/21 The fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban has prompted a refugee crisis. UNHCR reports that more than 550,000 Afghans have been displaced since January due to Taliban advances. Those most at risk include women leaders and activists, human rights workers, journalists, and tens of thousands of individuals who have assisted U.S. efforts in the country and are marked by their connection to the U.S. military.
Due to the inadequacy of the SIV and P-2 programs in the context of an emergency evacuation, on August 23 the administration announced it would be using its humanitarian parole authority to process in evacuated Afghans who do not already have visas. This explainer will define humanitarian parole and describe how it is being used in the ongoing evacuation.

Muslim American mental health experts are developing their own resources

8/26/21 Muslim American adults are twice as likely to report a history of attempted suicide than Americans belonging to other religious traditions or no religion, according to a new study. It’s a rate even higher than experts feared, one that includes both local tragedies that families may be reluctant to report and high-profile cases, like the shocking murder-suicide in Allen, Texas, that left an entire family dead in April and sent shockwaves through Muslim communities around the country.