SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – According to United States Customs, there were a record number of migrants at the southern border in the month of June. Over 150,000 potential new Americans showed up looking to gain entry into the country.
The city of Syracuse has become a safe haven for refugees and immigrants in the past. Over 7,000 migrants have relocated in the city in the last decade according to CNY Vitals.
The current rush of migrants at the border has organizations like Refugee Immigrant Self-Empowerment, or RISE, ready for an influx of new clients.
Communications and Community Engagements Manager at RISE Jan-Juba Arway says that long-term support is important for a refugees’ success.
“It’s not just about bringing them here and dropping them off, it’s about supporting them throughout,” Arway said.
This includes helping teach the culture, the language, and helping clients get a job.
Many former refugees now work at RISE. Arway says that is one way they are sure they are ready. “Live in one country your whole life and you’ve never been uprooted and moved into a new country; where you don’t speak English, you have zero money to your name, you don’t know anyone, you have to leave your family and your friends, you will not know what a refugee is going through,” Arway said.
Arway is a former refugee herself. Her understanding of how difficult it is allows her to connect to clients.
“It took me two years to even understand what was going on,” Arway said. “If I didn’t have family. If I didn’t have my sister. If I didn’t have other organizations that stepped in and helped me out, it would have been a different story for me.”
According to their website, RISE helped over 1,000 immigrants in 2019.
