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Subject is exactly
Immigration
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2022-05-28Testing Positive and Using the ‘Backdoor’ to Get Into the U.S.
This is a news story from the New York Times by Ceylan Yeginsu. This is about how people have been finding ways to bypass restrictions while traveling. Land crossings are a way some people are doing this, since land crossing does not require testing for entry into some countries. One way this could be done is doing the mandatory self-isolation period of five days, than choosing a different flight to a country like Mexico first, to then cross into the United States by land to avoid the ten day isolation required for testing positive for COVID. This article is quite interesting because it shows the ways in which COVID restrictions can be bypassed through loopholes within the framework. I have no idea the amount of people that actually do this, but at least a few have noticed ways to get out of restrictions. -
2021-07Traveling During Covid
In July of 2021, travel was open in the UK. My family immigrated to the United States in 1998 from England. My grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins all still reside in the UK. Covid has been a very hard time as I could not visit my family and they could not travel to the US. When travel opened back up we were thrilled. My mom and I planned to travel to England in July 2021. The day before we were set to leave we noticed that my passport had expired the month prior. Since my passport had not been used in over a year, we were not aware that it had expired. We tried everything to get a new one as soon as possible, but there was a delay on getting passports out because many people had the same problems. Fortunately I was able to get an emergency passport appointment in Buffalo. I got my passport at the end of July and my mom and I were set to travel in August. Traveling to the UK required many covid tests, forms and mask wearing. I had not been in an airport in over a year, and this new way of travel was very strange to me, but I was still happy to be able to travel. Traveling back to the US also required many tests and forms, the National Guards were even placed in US airports making sure travelers were filling out locator forms. It was an insane experience, and hopefully travel goes back to normal in the coming years. Although it is a different way of traveling it is still amazing that we are able to leave the US and visit other countries after a long time of not being able to do so. -
05/21/2020José Pablo Enriquez Arcia Oral History, 2020/05/21
En esta entrevista José Pablo Enriquez Arcia es entrevistado por Carmen Kordick Coury concerniente al covid-19 en Costa Rica. José Pablo es estudiante y trabajador social, tiene 28 años y vive en San José. Habla del momento que escucho del virus del covid por primera vez, el reflexiona sobre cómo era un día normal para el antes de la pandemia y como cambio. Habla de su salud mental y como a veces se siente solo en su uso de mascarilla y el cuidado que tiene con lavarse las manos y mantener distancia. José Pablo habla de su trabajo y los adolescentes de Costa Rico con quien en trabaja. También habla de su familia y su hogar. Toca el tema de la xenofobia en contra de Nicaragüenses y como la pandemia ha aumentado esos sentimientos. Habla de su comunidad, el gobierno y las formas en que la pandemia ha formado sus pensamientos sobre su familia, sus amigos y la comunidad. -
05/14/2020Danitza Guzman Solano Oral History, 2020/05/14
En esta entrevista Danitza Guzman Solano es entrevistada por Carmen Kordick Coury concerniente al covid-19 en Costa Rica. Danitza es una maestra, tiene 39 años y es de Heredia. Ella cuenta como cambio la dinámica de sus lecciones y lo difícil que se le hizo las clases virtuales. Habla de su familia, su burbuja familiar y las complicaciones que la pandemiaca le causo. Danitza también habla de su comunidad y su salud mental. Toca el asunto de xenofobia y problemas que ella ha visto que ha resultado por el virus. Danitza da sus opiniones de la inmigración y como ha afectado el país y la crisis del covid. Toca el tema de las noticias y donde ella se educa sobre los datos del covid. Danitza termina con los asuntos del uso de máscara, la economía de Costa Rica y sus deseos del futuro. -
2021-10-29(HIST30060) Leaving Victoria
HIST30060. This meme highlights how many Victorians felt after enduring the longest duration of lockdowns in the world. Between March 2020 and October 2021, 254 days in total were spent in some form of lockdown in the pursuit of ‘elimination’ – the attempt eradicate COVID-19 from society completely. Whilst seemingly satirical, this meme alludes to a hidden truth. 43,000 Victorians left the state during the two-year pandemic according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Whilst seemingly small relative to Victoria’s 6.6million population, the amount of people that left Victoria was the equivalent of the entire City of Wodonga leaving the state. No other state or territory recorded a reduction in population, especially on this scale. -
2021-09-18Biden Administration Sends More Agents to Texas Bridge to Move Haitian Migrants
It is utterly dismal that this is taking place, and being written about, as if it were compartmentalized from the crisis of mass death facing the entire planet. Face masks are required on all U.S. public transit and on all flights, yet migrants seeking asylum are treated without regard for even their bare minimum safety. -
2021-09-30
A YEAR IN LEBANON WITH COVID-19
It all started suddenly. I was visiting my family in the states during Christmas break 2019; everything was perfect life was just fine, and my vacation had to end as planned. I packed my luggage flew back to Sidon, Lebanon, where my husband was waiting for me. I got married in August 2020. I had to leave the state, settle down with my husband, and work because he did not have a green card or American visa. After a few months passed, I decided during the holiday break to visit the U.S. and apply for my husband's alien visa, which is what I did. I went back to my work in Lebanon in the American school after the Christmas break. Our school started again, but all children were sick every day; one of the children did not come at the end of January; almost all the class were absent for a long time. It was the beginning of an immense tragedy. All the news started talking about a new virus spreading fast around the world. I did not even think one percent of the virus would spread worldwide, which was only the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. The economic situation in Lebanon was destroying every day, and many revolutions plus when covid-19 began, it started to get worst every day. We did not know what to expect my family away from me, which made me more anxious. Our school received a letter from the secretary of education all schools must shut down in two days or less, and this was the situation around the world, not only in Lebanon. By the beginning of February, all schools, government places, even private, malls almost the whole country shut down for more than six months completely. The street was like a horror movie. My life routine got missed up, and the entire planet, many people lost their lives and the people of my family as well. I was so worried about my family, praying that nothing would happen to them, especially I was away. I did not even work from home because I was only a teacher assistant nothing much left to do; even the gym closed, so I started working out at home. One day my lawyer called from the states and told me my husband's case pended because the immigration was closed till further notice, my mental health was distorted and duplicate as well my husband. Due to my husband is a refuge and has no citizen, we could not do anything about it besides waiting. Days passed by, and the situation was getting worse, and nothing was changing. August 4, 2020, we went to my family law spent the day there. Everyone likes to nap through the day, and this was what we were about to do till a one-time big explosion happened in Beruit, Lebanon Hundreds of people lost their lives the country got into a whole tragic pandemic plus outbreak. Two days later, we received an email from the U.S.CIS asking for the rest of the documents to make an interview appointment. We received another email that said my husband's interview would be on November 15. I felt that everything was going in the right direction after months of depression, especially with the covid-19 pandemic and the economic and political situation. Life in Lebanon is not safe for living anymore. There was a lockdown from nowhere; the governor used to pick random days for the lockdown as if it was a puzzle. A day before the interview, the Immigration lawyer called asking me if we received an email about canceling the interview, which I did has no idea what was going on. I was crying so hard felt like life would remain this way called the embassy emergency said, we can not help; this is an emergency for life and death. It would be best if we waited till they decided on a new interview appointment. We got into a massive fight with my husband called my family crying nonstop, telling them how much I missed them and wanted to come back home. Covid-19 is a curse destroying our dreams. I emailed the embassy hundreds of times and called the immigration office in NYC, but nothing they could do for me. I asked them why the embassy canceled my husband's interview, and the answers were like the covid lockdown. They told me you could leave Lebanon and come back without your husband. I would never leave him behind depressed. The next day I received an email that I needed to keep checking the embassy's available interview days, and this is what we kept doing. We felt like we were hopeless and had no more powers. One day at night, my husband told me to check if anything was available for December because the rest of November days are unavailable. We were lucky enough to find one on December 9, 2021. We were so worried about getting canceled again, but luckily it did not, few days passed, and the date had come he got the visa, and obviously, they did not allow me into the embassy due to covid-19. We waited a week to get his passport back. Once we received it, it booked tickets right away and flew to New York. It was the first time for us traveling during covid-19, nothing is easy PCR test is required even though no one asked for it, we wore the face mask for almost 24hours it felt like hell. We arrived safely in the states after months of struggling. We asked not to leave the house for 15 days, filled an application with our phone numbers and address. Before and after Covid-19, nothing was the same hugging my family after a long time was like heaven. For me being by their side was all I needed during these days. I pray for better days, days without covid-19. -
2020-10-28The Minimum Wage Spotlight
The photographic story I've uploaded is about my [family member], Andres, who even with the pandemic at its worst peak, in 2020, had to continue in his job. He's an Arizona field laborer, a key worker for the farm he works in. The conditions are difficult, with a minimum wage that doesn't match the amount of work he does. As the photos indicate, his job can start at a very early time when the sun hasn't even risen. His job usually lasts 12 hours, so when it's the night shift, he doesn't come back till the morning hours. There are weeks when he has to stay inside a hot tractor for hours and there are other days when he has to do a lot of moving and carrying around. Due to the difficult weather Arizona may have, there’s a constant danger of heatstroke especially since a lot of his work includes physical labor. Looking deeper, these pictures of the work Andres does feels like a representation of the unequal power there is in the minimum wage system. Here we have a field laborer, who due to lack of education and financial resources growing up, wasn’t able to reach for higher positions that require degrees. He grew up in a poverty-stricken family and alongside being a Latino immigrant, opportunities were few and far between so in order to assure he keeps himself and his family fed and sheltered, so he’s forced to continue a job that doesn’t contain the best conditions or pay. This is only emphasized within the pandemic, minimum wage workers forced to continue working in bad conditions including the risk of getting sick because, in order to keep their head above water, they must. And yet, even with all the dangers and the long hours, their pay doesn’t reflect the job. This also connects to race, minorities most of the time stuck in these places due to the disadvantages they grew up with and continue to face. It’s the life of an individual who is input in a life in which already starts with less compared to privileged others, and then a pandemic hits which only emphasizes the disadvantages already there. Overall, the pandemic truly has put a spotlight on the many issues society already had. -
2021-07-22CDC Resources in Languages Other Than English
Information on COVID-19 must be available to all individuals if the US as a society and as a country are to successfully deal with this virus and prevent deaths and illness. This information must be available in a variety of languages other than English to meet the needs of those who are not proficient in the English language. The CDC created a website with a wealth of information and materials for individuals in languages other than English, including materials for migrants and refugees. The CDC also has a website for Spanish-speaking individuals. -
2021-06-11hermit HERALD, ISSUE 117
COVID 19 AND EVOLVING SCIENCE -
2021-06-01hermit HERALD, ISSUE 116
article -
2020-05-12Anti-immigrant protest outside of hotel that is housing migrant families
I was driving back from the library and saw this protest with no masks outside of a hotel that ICE is holding migrant families. They were waving American flags and had signs that said things like "America First", "Biden = Cartel", etc. -
2020-05-09Through the Eyes of Assimilation: Immigrant Families, Mental Illness, and COVID-19
This story is about my partner's family, utilizing both of our perspectives to talk about how his mother, and subsequently my partner, was treated due to mental illness, ethnicity, and gender identity. -
2020-06-19DACA On The COVID-19 Ward: Yesenia's Story
My name is Yesenia, and I am a DACA recipient and a nurse. As of a few weeks ago, I have been a nurse primarily in the COVID-19 unit at my local hospital in Indiana, where I live. Since COVID-19 began, my world, along with everyone else's, has been flipped upside down. It is hard to express how much my job has changed since COVID-19. I knew when I went into critical care nursing that I would have unexpected situations at work. I never thought there would be a whole floor of uncertainties. It is really overwhelming when you know that you are not enough for what is to come. But you always try your best. -
2021-03-29Senior Border Patrol officer says border migrant flow will only worsen
"Senior officer says border migrant flow will only worsen" By Lyda Longa, lyda.longa@myheraldreview.com, Mar 29, 2021 The situation with undocumented migrants flocking to the Southwest border of the United States from Mexico is only going to worsen, a senior Border Patrol agent warned Friday. The agent, who spoke to various media outlets during a conference call, said at least 380,000 undocumented people had been apprehended at the Southwest border in February and the numbers would be higher for March and beyond. The agent spoke on background with the agreement that media would not reveal his name. “I fully expect to see the numbers increase as we go into the summer months,” the senior agent said, concerning migrant crossings. In Cochise County that warning has begun to bear out near Douglas and in Willcox, where the already stretched-thin Border Patrol is arresting more single adults attempting to slip into the country or taking in and processing children who are flocking to the border unaccompanied. Douglas Mayor Donald Huish said Friday the latest information he received this week from Border Patrol agents at the station just outside Douglas is that they’re confronting and repatriating about 100 single adults daily who are trying to slip in illegally. “They are getting closer and closer to town,” Huish said. What concerns Huish even more is that Border Patrol agents from the Douglas station are being pulled out to help in busier areas such as Yuma and Tucson. “They’re siphoning them off to the western part of the state and leaving us with a skeleton crew,” Huish said. In Willcox, Mayor Mike Laws said he was told two weeks ago by the Border Patrol there were 54 unaccompanied children at the Border Patrol station. “That was two weeks go. Who knows now?” Laws said. “The station can only hold up to 81.” Laws said he was told by Border Patrol that a “third party” has been arriving at the facility and taking 10 to 20 children to Phoenix by via bus. The mayor said he does not know how often the transportation comes or who the third party is. “We have not seen anyone (undocumented migrants) running the streets so far,” Laws said. “All we have is the youths, but we don’t see them either.” Laws and Sierra Vista Mayor Rick Mueller said citizens in their respective communities would gladly help the undocumented migrants but there aren’t enough resources available to do so. Laws, Mueller and other mayors in Cochise County signed a letter recently asking the federal government for help with the matter. Last week, the town of Gila Bend, which has a population of about 2,000, declared an emergency after Border Patrol agents dropped off a group of migrant families with children in a park. Gila Bend Mayor Chris Riggs told reporters he and his wife ended up using loaned vans to drive the families to the Phoenix Welcome Center so they would have a safe place to stay. Riggs said Border Patrol agents told him to expect more of the same. Mueller said there have been no such issues in Sierra Vista, but he is worried that the municipality, if hit with something similar to what happened in Gila Bend, would have no resources to offer. Last week Arizona senators Kyrsten Synema and Mark Kelly announced they’ve been pushing for more federal resources to help Arizona cities with a sudden influx of undocumented migrants. The senators helped secure at least $110 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as reimbursement to cities that assist migrants left within their jurisdictions. Also last week, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Florida Senator Rick Scott — who sits on the Homeland Security Committee — called on President Joe Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to visit the Southwest border. Ducey and Scott, accompanied by a handful of law enforcement and other elected officials, had toured a portion of the border near Douglas. At his first press conference on Thursday since taking office in January, Biden said he would come to the border soon, but thought a visit now would deflect attention from the issue at hand. The senior Border Patrol agent who spoke Friday, meanwhile, said 300 Border Patrol agents who work along the northern border of the U.S. have been “mandated” to the Southwest border to assist with the influx of migrants. He said about 2,000 family units out of the 6,000 who are trying to cross daily are being processed in Texas by the Border Patrol. The agent revealed that unaccompanied children are being kept in Border Patrol facilities longer than the 72 hours established by law because too many are showing up and agents are overwhelmed. “They’re keeping them a few days, sometimes up to a week,” the senior agent said. Once an unaccompanied child is encountered, Border Patrol contacts the Department of Health and Human Services. The latter makes arrangements for the migrant children to be taken by the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The agent also mentioned an increase in the criminal element among undocumented migrants. “The threats we see are significant,” the senior agent said. “We have seen criminal (undocumented migrants).” Additionally, he said that COVID testing for migrants is only being done in facilities in Del Rio, Texas, and soon in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. Other than that, testing is being undertaken by non-governmental agencies that are helping the migrants and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials. He said it was probable that some migrants with COVID-19 may have been released into communities. -
2021-03-27hermit HERALD, ISSUE 106
Biden $3 trillion Build Back Better plan -
2020-10-05Asian American students discuss experience during COVID-19 pandemic
Long-standing stereotypes and new pandemic-related misconceptions against Asians and Asian Americans still affect their day-to-day lives. University students of East Asian descent say they’ve felt alienated and scared during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic began, hate crimes against Asians in the U.S. have increased and stricter regulations have been enforced against international students, particularly those from China. Since the spread of COVID-19 from Wuhan, China, Asians have been strongly connected to the virus in the public sphere. President Donald Trump has called COVID-19 the “Chinese Virus” and “kung flu” — associating Asians with the spread of the virus. -
2021-03-10unaccompanied migrant children in US Border Patrol facilities, which are akin to jail cells
The number of unaccompanied migrant children in US Border Patrol facilities, which are akin to jail cells and not intended for kids, has reached dramatic highs, according to internal agency documents reviewed by CNN, underscoring the urgent challenge facing the Biden administration. More than 3,200 unaccompanied migrant children were in Customs and Border Protection custody, according to the documents dated Monday. Of those, around 2,600 were awaiting placement in shelters suitable for minors, but there were just over 500 beds available to accommodate them. The latest data comes on the heels of a trip to the US-Mexico border by senior administration officials to assess the situation on the ground amid an increasing number of arrests and indicates a rapidly increasing trend of unaccompanied children coming into the US. Less than a week ago, there were around 1,700 children in Border Patrol custody. -
2021-03-21Ilhan Omar Thread on Current Border Policy
People who lack empathy to imagine circumstances outside their own two feet is what we’re dealing with. A bunch of folks who have never left America, let alone their own state. If they did it was to the “big city” and their understanding of American politics is that it’s a game and they don’t want to lose. They don’t know why they’re playing they just don’t want to lose. They have no faith in anything other than the American myth of pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. How do we lead a horse to water who isn’t thirsty? Focus the herd towards the water and the stubborn horse will eventually drink -
2021-01-19How does the pandemic affect children?
This link provided explains how the pandemic is affecting the development of children. -
2020-04-22Understanding the Corona Virus Through the Lens of Racial and Social Justice
The Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy and the Social Justice Initiative host a conversation on the Coronavirus Pandemic through the Lens of Racial and Social Justice. Moderated by Barbara Ransby from the Social Justice Initiative, panelists include Dr. Linda Rae Murray, Aislinn Pulley from Chicago Torture Project, Ald. Rossana Rodriguez, Ald. Jeanette Taylor, Detention Watch Network's Gaby Viera and Reyna Wences from Organized Communities Against Deportations. This program was edited by CAN TV -
2020-09-21Protests against ICE, Forced Sterilization and Under Reporting of Covid-19 Cases in Detention Centers
Last Monday, Dawn Wooten, a nurse at an ICE detention center in Irwin County, Georgia, revealed doctors were performing unnecessary gynecological procedures, including hysterectomies, on immigrant women being held. She also revealed the facility was underreporting the number of positive of COVID-19 cases by failing to test detainees and neglecting their medical needs. These cases of forced sterilizations are far too common in American history. After sterilization became legal and provided to Puerto Rican women for free, approximately one-third of the female population was sterilized between the 1930s and the 1970s, making it the highest rate of sterilization in the world. Health workers encouraged the procedure through door-to-door visits and employers showed favoritism towards sterilized women. I highly recommend a short documentary called La Operación available online about this US-imposed sterilization policy in Puerto Rico. -
2020-10-15Demand to Pass the American Dream and Promise Act
Last night, protestors marched from Senator Amy Klobuchar's (@amyklobuchar) office in downtown Minneapolis to the Hennepin County jail to demand she take leadership in helping pass the American Dream and Promise Act. The bill would provide permanent protections for many undocumented immigrant youth, but also for the more than 400,000 people with temporary protected or deferred enforced departure statuses who live and work in the United States. This bill passed the House of Representatives in June 2019 and has been held up in the Senate. -
2020-10-23Dance to Express Grief
It's been 39 days since Dawn Wooten, a nurse at a Georgia ICE facility, exposed mass hysterectomies were being performed on women for unexplained reasons. This week, 19 women at this facility came forward confirming Dawn's complaints and sharing doctors performed, or pressured them to undergo “medically unnecessary” surgery without their consent, including procedures that limit their ability to have children. In these photos, Ananya Chatterjea, Founder of the Ananya Dance Theatre, shares a dance piece expressing grief and resilience. -
2020-10-26Protesters Denounce Inhumane Conditions at ICE Detention Facilities
On Saturday, protesters marched through the Mill District of Minneapolis and visited the residence of James Stolley, Chief Counsel for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota. Marchers denounced inhumane conditions at ICE detention facilities locally. In the last few weeks, ICE has been criticized nationally for pressuring detainees to have invasive surgeries (including sterilizations) and underreporting the number of positive of COVID-19 cases by failing to test detainees. -
2021-01-21Progressive Activists Call on Biden Administration
Yesterday progressive activists called on the incoming Biden administration to center working people, immigrants, and BIPOC communities in their policy agenda. Their list of demands included community control of the police, no new oil or fossil fuel pipelines, and criminal prosecution of Donald Trump. -
2021-02-28hermit HERALD, ISSUE 103
Senator Murphy urges U.S. stop supporting allies in Mideast proxy wars -
2021-02-16HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 101
TRUMP,impeachment wrap up -
2020-04-12Living in a pandemic
Losing opportunities and losing family makes us think about many emotions and things that should be cherished. -
2021-01-20By Any Means
I lost a father figure during the pandemic who also happened to be undocumented. I connected his life and experience to the overall struggle that undocumented people have been facing due to the pandemic. I also emphasized on their perseverance to survive the COVID-19's financial catastrophe by using one of the few options that they have available: street vending. In general, it reveals the systemic denial of the resources that are essential to surviving the pandemic to undocumented workers, even if they are tax-paying individuals. -
2021-02-14My Story: I Got COVID-19 Because of ICE
I am sending a diary style writing where I share my experience during the pandemic. I focus on the issue of ICE during the pandemic. Before the lockdowns, my uncle was detained by ICE and was deported during the pandemic. My uncle has been living in the US for 25+ years and Mexico, my uncle's home country, has changed a lot since he last lived there. For that reason, I went to Mexico to take him home. This made me get COVID. -
2021-01-19HERMIT HERALD, ISSUE 93
Inaguration eve -
2020-11-28With its high concentration of essential workers, northeast Calgary vulnerable to COVID-19
Article on how a small town copes with the pandemic -
2020-12-01Graduation pack
Since the graduation has been canceled due to COVID-19, the graduation package had to be shipped to students and let us keep it until it is safe to hold the actual ceremony on campus. I received mine on Dec. 1st, the ceremony was supposed to be hold on Dec. 12 online. I don’t know if the ceremony will be hold in the near future, but I believe that it won’t be what we’ve imagined it. I won’t be able to see all my friends together again, some of us graduated and went to other countries because of the unfriendly policy to international students, and I don’t even know if I will ever see them again. -
2020-12-10The most memorable curation
The most memorable story that I have curated was an email by the president of Washington and Lee University. In the email, President William Dudley announced that the on-campus classes will be suspended for the rest of the semester and instructions will be shifted to an online model. Students affairs, competitions, performances, and graduation ceremonies had to be canceled to ensure students’ safety. Before the pandemic, he would watch students and faculties walking to classrooms as he walked to work every morning, he would pass by and see sports teams practicing in the field in the afternoon, and now everything was gone. For graduating seniors, he expressed his sorry for what they will miss. Although professors were trying their best to learn new technologies and most of the students' events will be online, nothing will be the same. What aches me the most is a sentence from President Dudley’s email, “In June, a campus without students is peaceful. In March, it is eerie and sad.” I could not help but imagine what it is like at University of San Francisco. Is it like a ghost town? Every time I think about it, I regret that I did not look at it for the last time. I remember the last time when I was on campus, it was the day before spring break, and I walked out of theology class with my friend. We were discussing what we should do during the spring break. We had to cancel our plans to travel to Hawaii because of the pandemic. Although the U.S has not taken any precautions at that time, we learned from the news that there were several confirmed cases in travelers who have recently been to Hawaii. After debating and hesitating for days, eventually, we decided to cancel the trip although the flight tickets were non-refundable because we did not want to take the risk of exposing ourselves to the virus. Every Chinese student I knew made the same decision. What happened to our home country made us realize how harmful this virus could be. On the way walking out of the campus, I was texting and discussing should we stock some disinfectant and stay at home for the whole spring break with my friend, I could never imagine that it was the last time I walked on campus and saw USF. It hurts my heart when I try to remember what it was like to walk on campus, how the St. Ignatius Church would shine under the sunset; I hate myself for not looking at everything for the one last time because I was busy texting. Shortly, USF announced online classes for the rest of the semester and I returned to China within weeks. When the fall 2020 semester was announced to be online, I first made the decision to take a gap semester because I want to spend my last semester with friends, and most importantly, to celebrate the graduation ceremony with my friends and family on campus. However, with the U.S. government putting visa restrictions on Chinese and the conflict between the U.S and China getting more serious, I began to fear that if I do not complete my degree now, there could be a possibility that I never would. Yesterday, I finished my last class in college life and my virtual graduation ceremony is only days away. I envy those seniors who graduated before me, they had a chance to celebrate with families and friends, they had a chance to say goodbye to their college life; I envy those who will graduate in the following years, they will have the chance to celebrate their graduation ceremony on campus. Everything that has ever happened in the past months seems like a dream. Only if I know how to end this dream. -
2020-03Racism during COVID-19 for minorities
The material presents racism during the Pandemic and how it has affected people from different racial communities like Hispanic Latinos, Asians, and African Americans. -
2020-03-29
Start of 14 days of quarantine
Since March 2020, the Chinese government requires a mandatory 14-day quarantine in hotels for everyone who enters the country to ensure no cases from aboard will cause transmission within the country. This is the confirmation letter that I received after I was placed in the quarantine hotel, it indicates the date and time of my entry and the time of the end of quarantine. -
2020-10-17A Pandemic Through Bad Memes
HIST30060, this is a personal text reflection on my experience in the pandemic complemented by internet memes -
2020-10-25Trapped at the Border: Asylum seekers protest Matamoros camp conditions
On October 25, 2020, over fifty of 1000+ people in the Matamoros Border Camp gathered along the barbed-wire fence to protest their living conditions. The Migrant Protection Protocols (M.P.P.), a Trump Executive Order, requires many Spanish-speaking asylum seekers to stay in Northern Mexico until granted a court date. In March 2020, the administration sealed U.S. borders and closed immigration courts as part of the COVID-19 emergency response. Many asylum seekers trapped in the camps may never get a full hearing. Although protests could provoke retaliation from Mexican and U.S. immigration officials, these families demonstrated because they felt desperate. As in much of the southern border, cartels plague the Brownsville-Matamoros region. Many South and Central American migrants have experienced kidnapping, theft, extortion, and rape on their journeys through Mexico. In the camps, bounded by a fifteen-foot fence and heavily armed security forces, they face daily threats from poisonous snakes, hurricanes, flooding, and unsanitary conditions. Because the Mexican government does not give camp occupants sufficient resources, nonprofit organizations like Catholic Charities and Team Brownsville provide food, water, and medical care. On the day of the protest, two U.S. citizens from a Methodist ministry stood with demonstrators inside the camp. The asylum seeker who organized this demonstration sent her two daughters (ages 9 and 11) across the Rio Grande, accompanied only by a cartel-affiliated coyote (guide), to turn themselves into Customs and Border Protection (CBP). While she misses her daughters every day, she believes that separation is safer for them than remaining in Mexico or returning to Honduras. She trusts that God will protect everyone in the Matamoros camp because their cause is just. After the protest, I held her hand through the gate’s wire diamonds and promised to pray. Some protesters held signs with Bible verses like Matthew 25:35-40, while others called for the protection of LGBTQ+ migrants and an end to MPP. Many protesters addressed the U.S. presidential election. Voten inteligentemente, one sign reads – vote intelligently. Joe Biden promised that, if elected, he would repeal M.P.P. within the first hundred days of his presidency. Asylum seekers realize that without a leadership change, they have very little chance of entering the U.S. I witnessed this reality while I stood in an hour-long customs line, waiting to cross the International Bridge back into Brownsville. The line held a mix of Mexican and U.S. citizens, including a family carrying spider-shaped piñatas and orange-frosted cupcakes for a Halloween party. A group of two adults and three children passed me in line. I watched them approach CBP officers, a journalist following close behind. Five minutes later, a security officer was escorting the family back to Matamoros. The journalist noticed me watching and stopped to explain: “They asked for asylum, but CBP said no. They have to wait in Mexico.” “No somos malas personas. Solo queremos vivir.” The mother repeated this phrase like a mantra as she passed us, holding her six-year-old daughter’s hand. We are not bad people. We just want to live. *This is a photograph that I took on my cell phone outside the Matamoros, Mexico border camp on Sunday, October 25, 2020. Faces are blurred to protect their privacy. -
2020-07-26Presenting a speech for the Australia-Cuba Friendship Society (social activist group), via Zoom - commemoration of 26th of July Revolutionary movement
HIST30060 -
2020-10-16Worrying for future scholarships
I'm worried about applying for a future scholarship called the MEXT scholarship because supposedly international students are still not allowed to enter Japan. While this will likely change, I'm fearful that due to many governments around the world losing tax revenue due to the pandemic, that they'll will cut extraneous programs such as the MEXT scholarship. The pandemic prevented people taking the JLPT language assessment last July as well. That makes it harder to get certifications to help boost my current resume. They say that there will be a test date in December, but like many events during the pandemic, it's up in the air. -
2020-10-07ビジネス帰国の日本人対象 14日間の待機免除で調整(2020年10月8日) – Adjustment of 14-day quarantine period for Japanese returning to business (October 8, 2020)
This news is about if the Japanese citizen who have business trips outside of Japan meet certain requirement, the 14-day quarantine will be exempted. 政府は新型コロナウイルス対策で実施している入国者の14日間の待機措置について、ビジネスから帰国した日本人が条件を満たした場合には、免除する方向で調整していることが分かりました。 待機措置の免除には、帰国時に検査をするほか、帰国後14日間の行動計画の提出、公共交通機関を使わないことや移動を自宅と勤務先に限定することなどが条件となります。ビジネス上の妨げとなっていた帰国時の14日間の待機措置だけでも免除することで、海外出張しやすい環境を整え、経済活動の再開を後押しする狙いがあります。政府は引き続き各国と出入国制限の交渉を続け、ビジネス往来の要件緩和を目指す方針です。 As a method to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus by having a 14-day quarantine period, the government is moving in the direction of exemption of this period for Japanese immigrants returning from business if they meet certain conditions. The conditions include taking the test when returning to Japan, submission of an action plan for 14 days after returning to Japan, not using public transportation, and limiting the traveling to only between home and work. By exempting the 14-day quarantine period when returning to Japan, which has been a hindrance to business, the aim is to create an easier condition that allows overseas business trips and to bring back the economy. The government will continue to negotiate immigration restrictions with different countries, aiming to ease the requirements for business travels. -
2020-09-27The effects of pandemic on my life.
The pandemic ruined all my plans for this year and I could not get to enjoy the amazing senior events that I was looking forward to. I learned that things don't always go as planned but we still need to be courageous. -
2020-09-27How covid-19 changed my life.
It is important because it affected my employability. -
2019Far Away
A couple months ago, the world knew nothing of COVID-19. We were going about our daily lives — going to school, sitting on the subway for way too long, hanging out with our friends, and seeing our loved ones regularly. Some went to work everyday to provide for their families while others took long walks in the park. Many of us looked forward to the summer, where we’d go to faraway places for vacation or visit the beach for a nice day in the sun. However, all of that was taken away from us. People were laid off, given fewer working hours, and paid less money. Small businesses went into a crisis, as they relied on their customers for their well-being. Everyone was ordered to stay inside for their safety as well as others. We can’t see each other anymore and have to communicate through phone screens and video calls. It’s a difficult time. Since my father is somewhat of a clean freak, he disinfects everything in our house every single day, from top to bottom. With the exception of my mother, who’s a Kindergarten teacher, everyone stays inside most of the time. I am sure we won’t contract the virus, but the same can’t be said about my family members in Bangladesh. Although I am proud of my country, it’s the truth that it’s a poor country with limited resources. Furthermore, there isn’t an equal distribution of the resources they do have, with most of it being consumed by the rich. This pandemic has proven to be a disaster for the poor in Bangladesh. A couple months ago, three of my uncles passed away from the virus. Each had a family and were the sole breadwinners of their families. They went to work almost every day to provide for their families. This has left all three families devastated, as they’re left with little to no way to support themselves on top. Events like this help me realize how lucky I am to be able to afford necessities such as disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, gloves, and masks. My family and I constantly worry about my relatives living in Bangladesh who can’t afford these things. We’re far away from each other, so we can neither deliver what they need to them or be with them when they’re sick. This is one of the hardest things I’ve experienced during this pandemic. Only my immediate family immigrated to the U.S., so everyone of my relatives are still in Bangladesh. It’s not safe to travel, so we won’t be able to fly over there in the case of an emergency. It’s a very bad situation, and we don’t really know what to do. I hope a vaccine will come out soon, not only in the U.S. but all around the globe. -
2020-09-15Arizona nonprofits boost aid to help refugees deal with the pandemic
By Sarandon Raboin/Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship -
09/20/2020Andrew Small Oral History, 2020/09/20
This interview shares the early-on Covid-19 quarantine experience of Andrew Small, a second-year Asian studies major at Northeastern University. Andrew talks about where he was in the middle of March when universities started to shut down and send their students home, where he went, how quarantine and at-home learning affected his first year at Northeastern and touches upon what his reaction to how the state of Maine and how America responded to the pandemic. He also speaks briefly on how he thinks this will affect the future actions of Americans and what the pandemic has revealed about America. This interview was conducted as an assignment for HIST 1215: Origins of Today, instructed by Molly Nebiolo. -
2020-08-22‘We don't turn anyone away’: As virus forces some nonprofits to cut hours and services, refugee aid group works overtime
by Jessica Myers for the Luce Foundation: Southwest Stories Fellowship -
2020-08-31From Ahuehuetitla to Brooklyn: Life under the COVID-19 pandemic and the Trump Administration
Using autoethnography as the method of research, this paper explores the fears and anxieties exacerbated in the Latinx community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through narrative snapshots, I depict how the pandemic worsened due to policy meant to limit undocumented Latinx immigrants’ access to health services. By focusing on the evolution of the public charge, this project depicts the ways the Trump administration’s hateful rhetoric and racist policies exacerbate the fear, life-threatening conditions, and long-lasting trauma on undocumented Latinx immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Closing in on one Brooklyn family’s navigation of the 2020 political climate, worsening pandemic, working-class realities, and immigration system, I take you through the present realities often left unseen by mainstream media. -
2020-09-16Somali American United Council
The Somali American United Council of Arizona, a non-profit organization, was developed in 2006 in response to the growing need to connect Somali communities in Arizona with each other and the rest of the American society. The Somali American United Council of Arizona fills a critical need by helping newly arrived families adjust to their new lives, location, language and culture. The Somali American United Council of Arizona exists to promote better understanding between the Somali refugee community and other American communities. The Somali American United Council of Arizona serves as a model for other non-profit organizations working with refugee communities and immigrant populations. By building a and structure of best practices, The Somali American United Council of Arizona shares this knowledge with other to help them build designed to address cultural barriers and emotional trauma. Vision and Mission Somali American United Council of Arizona, a non-profit Qualified Charitable organization within the State of Arizona, whose mission and vision are to facilitate and improve communication channels and contribute to the wellbeing of the Refugee/ immigrant community, assisting them in becoming productive law-abiding citizens that can properly integrate for a great patriotism. Our is to become the premier institution that offers high quality services to the Somali-American & multi-ethnic Community and prepare individuals of the highest moral fiber. The Somali American United Council's working philosophy includes the encouragement of the Somali American and multi-ethnic refugees to actively seek to find sound solutions to the needs and aspirations of their community in Arizona.