Save the Date! The Austin Refugee Roundtable would like you to join us on Saturday, June 24, 2023 for a World Refugee Day Celebration at the Bullock Texas State History Museum!
Category: Blog
The latest Central Texas refugee information and stories.
Help for Afghan Families
The Austin Refugee Roundtable would like to thank all of those who reached out to the various agencies with offers of support for the expected arrival of Afghan families due to the current evacuation.
Austin agencies have been working with Afghan refugees and SIV holders for a couple of years. Resettling and assisting refugees is not new nor a challenge for members of the roundtable. The big difference at this time is the short notice resettlement agencies will get, and the speed a larger number of clients will arrive in.
All the refugee service agencies in Austin expect their scope of work to broaden and expand and will be relying to a large extent on community support.
As the only resettlement agency in Austin at this time, Refugee Services of Texas has been inundated with inquiries and offers of assistance. As of this week, RST which has offices throughout Texas has already resettled 574 Afghans. In Austin alone, RST will resettle 185 Afghans by the end of September. You can learn how to help RST here.
If you wish to help, any refugee roundtable agencies could benefit from direct donations, HEB and Visa gift cards and volunteers. In kind donations are harder to process at this time, with Covid and the limited storage space most agencies have.
World Refugee Day is World Refugee Month!
Welcoming Week
Welcoming Week takes place this year September 12 - 17. Through Welcoming Week, organizations and communities bring together immigrants, refugees, and long-time residents to build strong connections and affirm the importance of welcoming and inclusive places in achieving collective prosperity.
At a time when political rhetoric has deepened divisions and the COVID-19 pandemic has renewed anti-immigrant sentiment, Welcoming Week reminds us to double down on our inclusive vision and find new ways to bring together people across lines of difference to develop greater understanding and mutual support.
Austin Refugee Roundtable has proudly supported newcomers to Austin for several years and continues to value the richness and diversity newcomers bring to our community.
At a time when political rhetoric has deepened divisions and the COVID-19 pandemic has renewed anti-immigrant sentiment, Welcoming Week reminds us to double down on our inclusive vision and find new ways to bring together people across lines of difference to develop greater understanding and mutual support.
Austin Refugee Roundtable has proudly supported newcomers to Austin for several years and continues to value the richness and diversity newcomers bring to our community.
Mayor Adler Welcoming Video
Cooking with Mi Na Dee
Welcoming America
Seeking Refugee & Immigrant Artists/Storytellers
Open Call for Local Artists
Central Texas Office for Refugees in conjunction with the City of Austin and Austin Refugee Roundtable invites artists from the Austin refugee and immigrant community to submit artwork for a virtual art exhibition for Welcoming Week 2020. The theme of this year’s Welcoming Week is “Creating Home Together”. Artists are encouraged to submit photos of completed work to ctor@rstx.org. The deadline to submit photos is September 7, 2020.
Guidelines
• Artists should identify as a refugee (including victim of trafficking, Cuban/Haitian entrant, Special Immigrant Visa holder, Amerasians, and Unaccompanied Refugee Minors), asylee, or as an immigrant.
• Artists may submit up to two (2) entries per individual or group.
• Each entry must be the original work of the artist(s) and relevant to the theme of “Creating Home Together”. Please write a brief description of your work (15 words)
• Images should be JPEG approx. 2000 x 1500 pixels at 72 dpi (no larger than 3 MB). If your image file size is greater than this, use a photo or image editing program to reduce the size of the image before uploading.
• Each image should be labeled: lastname_firstname_#.jpg (example Smith_John_02.jpg).
Photographing Artwork:
https://artcall.org/pages/tips-for-photographing-artwork-for-digital-submissions
Resizing images on your Mac or PC:
Artwork submitted will be uploaded to our virtual gallery and featured on the AustinRefugees.com website until the following annual Welcoming Week. By submitting your artwork, you agree to allow the City of Austin and Austin Refugee Roundtable to use samples of your work for Welcome Week-related promotional purposes.
If you require further assistance in photographing your artwork, please contact akakarash@caritasofaustin.org. For additional questions, please email ctor@rstx.org.
Open Call for Local Storytellers
Central Texas Office for Refugees in conjunction with the City of Austin and Austin Refugee Roundtable invites storytellers from the Austin refugee and immigrant community to submit stories for a virtual storytelling event for Welcoming Week 2020. The theme of this year’s Welcoming Week is “Creating Home Together” and we would like to share your story about arriving to the United States. Storytellers are encouraged to submit entries to ctor@rstx.org. The deadline to submit stories is September 7, 2020.
Guidelines
• Storytellers should identify as a refugee (including victim of trafficking, Cuban/Haitian entrant, Special Immigrant Visa holder, Amerasians, and Unaccompanied Refugee Minors), asylee, or as an immigrant.
• Only one (1) entry may be submitted per individual or group.
• Entries must be the original work of the artist(s) and may be submitted as a written story (with or without accompanying image), written poem, or short video.
• Entries must not exceed 500 words written or a 3-minute video.
• Entry file should be labeled: lastname_firstname_title.file ext. (Please only submit .pdf, .doc, or .mp4 file type extensions.)
Selected entries will be shared via social media in an upcoming event for Welcoming Week. All entries are eligible to be featured on the AustinRefugees.com website until the following annual Welcoming Week. By submitting your artwork, you agree to allow the City of Austin and Austin Refugee Roundtable to use samples of your work for Welcome Week-related promotional purposes.
For additional questions, please email ctor@rstx.org.
Welcoming Week 2020: “Creating Home Together”
Welcoming Week is an annual celebration bringing together people in local communities to build unity and a sense of belonging for new and long-time residents. In 2020, Welcoming Week takes place September 12-20 under the theme of “Creating Home Together”. Learn more at welcomingweek.org.
About Welcoming America
Welcoming America leads a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by making everyone feel like they belong. We believe that all people, including immigrants, are valued contributors and vital to the success of our communities and shared future. Launched in 2009, Welcoming America has spurred a growing movement across the United States, with one in every eight Americans living in a welcoming place. Learn more at welcomingamerica.org.
SIXTEEN YEARS AFTER THE MASSACRES OF THE BANYAMULENGE REFUGEES IN GATUMBA, BURUNDI
A CALL FOR JUSTICE
Thursday 13th August 2020
On 13 August 2004, 166 civilian Banyamulenge were cruelly killed, some burned alive, in Gatumba, Burundi where they had been given refuge. Thevictims were slayed while under the protection of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi. Hundreds of others were injured, and most victims were women and children. They had sought refuge in Burundi to escape from political oppression in South Kivu, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
A report dated 18 October 2004 jointly produced by the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) concluded that the attack was clearly directed against the Banyamulenge refugees and apparently, ethnically and politically motivated. Various other credible sources, including the above UN report as well as a report by Human Rights Watch, compiled serious evidence leaving little doubts over the genocidal motivations and responsibilities in the massacre. The evidence clearly indicated that the Burundian Forces Nationales de Libération (PALIPEHUTU-FNL), the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR), the Congolese army (FARDC) and Mai Mai militia were directly involved in the Gatumba massacre.
The UN report asserted that many of these foreign armed groups operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi border region harbour resentments against the targeted group and others such as Farmed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and Mai Mai militia may have political motives for preventing the refugees from returning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. PALIPEHUTUFNL, then a rebel movement led by Agathon Rwasa, openly confessed its responsibility in this massacre through Pasteur Habimana, the then spokesperson of the rebel movement. The ideology underlying the commission of the genocide in Rwanda one decade earlier was evident in the perpetration of the Gatumba massacre in August 2004. The UN report documented the fact that the attackers chanted such slogans as “we will exterminate all the Tutsis in Central Africa”; “kill these dogs, these Tutsis”; “today, you Tutsis, whether you are Rwandese, Congolese or Burundian, you will be killed”.
The massacre was widely condemned by several countries from around the globe as well as by supranational institutions such as the African Union, the European Union, and the United Nations. Many of them pledged to support endeavours aimed at bringing the perpetrators to justice. The United Nations urged countries in the subregion to cooperate in investigating the massacre and bringing perpetrators to justice. However, sixteen years after the massacre as perpetrated, no single step has been taken to deliver justice for the slain and surviving victims of the Gatumba massacre. The uproar that accompanied the commission of the crime has faded and victims face the sad prospect of never seeing justice done. The peculiar circumstances of a crime committed against Congolese citizens, on Burundian territory, by reportedly by Congolese national army and armed groups reportedly originating from three different or neighbouring countries of the region complicate, if not annihilate any prospects of domestic prosecutions against perpetrators of the crime. Victims are nonetheless still crying for justice. The inaction of Burundian and Congolese authorities imposes a duty on the international community to get actively involved in delivering on the promise of justice made to them in the immediate aftermath of the crime.
This sixteenth remembrance of the victims of the Gatumba massacre occurs at a time when the high plateaux of Fizi, Mwenga and Uvira in South Kivu, DRC, known to many as Minembwe, are still characterised by ethnically targeted massacres against the Banyamulenge. Accounts from credible sources indicate that more than 400 civilian Banyamulenge have been vicioussly massacred from April 2017, 318 villages have been burnt, 267 661 cows looted, 147 schools and 57 health centres completely destroyed and dozen of women and girls raped.
Crimes committed in eastern the DRC over the last decades have claimed numerous victims from the various communities living in the country. All victims deserve justice. Owing to the circumstances of the massacre and to the involvement of numerous actors, domestic and international initiatives aimed at delivering justice to the victims generally ignore the victims of the Gatumba massacre. This is evidenced by the non-coverage of the Gatumba massacre in the 2010 UN Mapping Report.
On this sixteenth remembrance of victims of the Gatumba massacre, the Gatumba Foundation notes that since the crime was committed, no active steps have been taken to bring perpetrators to justice. Gatumba foundation therefore urges:
1) The international community to deliver on the promise of justice made to survivors of the Gatumba atrocities in the immediate aftermath of the crime.
2) The United Nations to use all appropriate means to bring Agathon Rwasa, Pasteur Habimana and other perpetrators of the massacre to justice.
3) The Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other sub-regional countries to cooperate in rehabilitating the victims.
4) To the DRC government to stop the on-going attacks against the Banyamulenge and provide support to thousands of displaced persons living in precarious conditions in Minembwe, Mikenke and Bijombo.
5) Restore security to allow for immediate return of internally displaced people and refugees to their places.
ON BEHALF OF GATUMBA REFUGEES SURVIVORS FOUNDATION, INC.
Espérance Nyasezerano
Gatumba Refugees Survivors Foundation, Inc.
33 central Avenue
Albany, NY 12206
Email: gatumbas@gmail.com
Phone: 470-775-1075
Website: www.gatumbasurvivors.org
Austin’s World Refugee Day History and the Citizenship Ceremony
Agency members of the Austin Refugee Roundtable have planned an annual World Refugee Day celebration since 2005. That first celebration was an informal picnic at Walnut Creek Park. The celebration moved the next year to Guero’s restaurant, then to the Episcopal Seminary in 2007.
The 2008 celebration was at St. David’s Episcopal Church. That year was the first time that the US Citizenship and Immigration Office (USCIS) collaborated with the Refugee Roundtable in hosting a citizenship ceremony for refugees who were eligible to become citizens.
The following year, World Refugee Day moved to the Bullock Texas History Museum and it had been there ever since. Every year, a number of refugees who had completed the process took the oath of allegiance to the United States. With the advent of the Corona Virus, this year’s World Refugee Day celebration is virtual and this is the first time in recent history we are not able to celebrate having a number of refugees become US citizens. USCIS has also put most of citizenship swearing in ceremonies on hold during this pandemic.
A word about citizenship from Mayra Lopez & Caritas of Austin:
Zizi Ellison from Interfaith Action of Central Texas discusses what citizenship means to her:
The video usually shown before the citizenship swearing in:
Austin Refugee Roundtable Newsletter – May 2019
World Refugee Day 2019
Please join the Austin Refugee Roundtable on Saturday, June 15, 2019 from 11:30am - 2:30pm at the Bullock Texas State History Museum for a celebration of World Refugee Day!
Volunteer with the iACT Summer Refugee Youth Program!
Help refugee youth improve their English language reading, writing, and speaking during the summer (June 17-July 31, Monday-Thursday, 8:30am-12pm) at iACT's day program located in downtown Austin. To volunteer with the Summer Youth Program, you must attend a 2 day training session. Our training session will be happening from 6-8pm on Thursday, May 30 at the iACT office (2921 E 17th St) and Saturday, June 1 at Central Presbyterian Church (200 E 8th St) from 9-11am. If you can attend both days of this training (05/30 & 06/01), please sign up here.
When you fill out the form above, please indicate during which weeks you would like to volunteer. We ask that all volunteers commit to working with us for one whole week (Monday-Thursday, 8:30am-12pm) during the program.
If you are interested in joining iACT this summer to work with refugee youth in any other capacity, please contact Refugee Youth Program Coordinator Maggie Wagner at mwagner@interfaithtexas.org.
Exclusive: New training document for asylum screenings reflects tougher U.S. stance
Mica Rosenberg, Kristina Cooke
NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The Trump administration has revised training guidelines for asylum officers in ways that could make it harder for migrants seeking refuge in the United States to pass an initial screening.
The revisions to a lesson plan used by hundreds of asylum officers suggest the Trump administration is finding new ways to narrow who can access asylum as bolder policy proposals with that same goal have been blocked by federals courts, said former government officials and immigration experts who reviewed the internal plan that was shared with Reuters. The changes could potentially lead to more denials and deportations before migrants’ full cases can be heard, they said.
(For a link to the 2019 lesson plan, click here: tmsnrt.rs/2VJPtOk)
Jessica Collins, a spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which oversees asylum applications, said the agency periodically updates its training documents and that it processes all claims on a case-by-case basis. The lesson plan has been revised in 2006, 2014 and February 2017. The new version, dated April 30, goes into effect this month, USCIS said.
The ballooning number of mostly Central American families turning themselves into border agents and asking for asylum has pushed U.S. border agencies to a breaking point. In March, more than 100,000 people were caught at the U.S.-Mexico border, the highest monthly level in more than a decade.
World Refugee Day 2017
Welcome to our Newest Texans!
June 17, 2017 11:30am – 3:00pm
Learn about the cultures that continue to make Texas the diverse place it is today. Join iACT, the Austin Refugee Roundtable and the Bullock Museum for a free celebration of World Refugee Day.
Commemorate the United Nations’ World Refugee Day at the Bullock Museum with a naturalization ceremony, free samples of world cuisine, live music and performances, and activities for families with kids ages 6 and up.
Event Highlights
Beginning at 11:30am
Discover what the journey of a refugee is like, from home country to the United States, through a learning game sponsored by Caritas of Austin and Refugee Services of Texas.
12:00pm-1:00pm
Welcome our newest Texans at a Naturalization Ceremony in the Museum’s Texas Spirit Theater. Space is limited so check-in at the Theater for your free pass when you arrive.
Beginning at 12:00pm
Taste samples of world cuisine courtesy of Rosemary’s Catering (while they last!).
Enjoy international music from Kupira Marimba, family activities, a photo booth, and more!
Syrian Refugees are Still Welcome in Texas
This article was written by Hadia ElNagdi,
iACT Refugee Program Assistant and AmeriCorps Member
All names in the story have been changed to protect student privacy.
From Daraa, the Syrian city that lit the Syrian revolution, came Manal. A soft spoken woman with a warm smile, Manal arrived to Austin four months ago along with her family including; her elderly mother, her husband and their three kids. In Syria she left behind everything; her memories, friends and neighbors, her home and belongings, her oldest daughter and her son’s grave.
Manal’s oldest son was only 23 years old when he was killed in an airstrikes by the Syrian military. The young man was about to finish his 18 months mandatory military service in the Syrian army when the revolution started. He witnessed how soldiers and Syrian regime-affiliated “thugs” engaged in killing, theft and vandalizing his city in revenge for rising against president Bashar al-Assad. The uprising in Daraa happened after a group of teenagers under 15 were arrested for writing anti Assad graffiti. The children were kept for several weeks, tortured and returned, some still alive, others dead. It didn’t take her son long before he decided to defect and join the opposition – also known as Free Syrian Army. “He wasn’t the only one who made that choice, many other young men decided to take the same step” said Manal. A few weeks later he was killed.
The loss of her oldest son wasn’t the only reason that Manal fled her country. Her two teen aged boys, 18 and 19 at the time, were also kidnapped by one of the armed groups. They kept them for three harrowing weeks and were only released after their father paid a ransom. Lack of safety and security had left most Syrian cities controlled by thugs and criminals, “so when they took my sons I didn’t believe that I will be able to see them again healthy and sound.”
After Manal reunited with her two sons, their city faced repeated airstrikes that obliterated buildings and engulfed neighborhoods in flames killing hundreds of people. The family decided to move to the Damascus countryside. They had some family members there and thought that it would be safe and quiet. Things didn’t work the way they hoped and soon they found themselves forced to move for the second, then the third, time after the Syrian government decided draft all Syrian males and force them to the battle front to make up for their military losses. Even those who completed the required 18 months were forced to remain in military service.
For that reason the family decided to escape Syria and move to Al Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. It is the largest Syrian refugee camp in the world with more than 81,000 residents. Life in the camp was extremely difficult. There they lived in a tent with no electricity or running water and had to share a bathroom and kitchen with other families. Unable to bear the harsh life of the refugee camp the family moved to Amman, the capital of Jordan, where they rented a home and lived for three years before resettling in the US.
Finally the family were able to move to US as refugees where they are all looking for a new start. Manal’s two sons are currently working and planning to go back to school soon. Her youngest daughter is in iACT’s classes working toward her GED. Her dream is to become a psychiatrist. Despite the current government efforts to ban Muslim refugees, Manal said that she is feeling welcome everywhere they go. “Yesterday at HEB three ladies stopped us and asked if we were refugees. When they realized that we are Syrian, they hugged me and cried.”
Manal said that same situation happened to her daughter, “You can’t be afraid or worried when you are surrounded by such great people who show their support without even knowing who you are.”
Manal’s biggest dream and most fervent prayer is to reunite with her oldest daughter, whom she hasn’t seen in 4 years, and is still living with in Damascus, Syria. Other than that she is thankful her family in Austin are well and thriving.