Idaho, District 2

Russian Immigrant Builds a School for Newcomers to Strengthen America
Andrey Dolbinin came to the United States from Russia as a college student in 1997. Now he is helping new arrivals adapt, while still maintaining ties to their culture. In 2003, he founded a private bilingual school called Slavic Christian Academy. “I saw the youngest students getting discouraged when they… Read More

Petition for Rulemaking Requests New Regulations Governing Access to Counsel
This petition, jointly filed by the Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, seeks to provide access to legal counsel for the following individuals. Read More

PhillyVoice: “Philadelphia reveals local immigrants’ stamp on ‘Map the Impact’ campaign”
Last Thursday, members of Philadelphia’s immigrant community made their presence felt through their absence, joining thousands in cities around the country for a walkout that forced the closure of businesses that rely on their labor. Then Tuesday, as fierce debate continued to swirl around the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict travel… Read More

Priest: Love ‘the God We Cannot See by Loving the Neighbor We Can’
To Father Phil Egitto, the Bible is crystal clear about immigration. “The message of the Gospel is entirely about loving the God we cannot see by loving the neighbor we can,” he says. “That includes the immigrant, and the refugee, and the foreigner, as our scriptures remind us that we… Read More

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Systemic Denial of Entry to Asylum Seekers at Ports of Entry on U.S.-Mexico Border
A coalition of immigrant and civil rights groups filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties on behalf of numerous adult men and women, families and unaccompanied children who, over the past several months, were denied entry to the United States at ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border despite having asserted a fear of returning to their home countries or an intention to seek asylum under U.S. law. Read More

Immigration Makes Boise a More Exciting Place to Live, Says Idaho NGO Founders
More than 25 years ago, Laura and Nick Armstrong moved to Java, Indonesia. A big motivation was their Christian faith. “We wanted to work with marginalized people,” Laura explains. “We wanted to reach out to those who are in need.” Laura, who has a background in education, taught abroad. Nick,… Read More

Ethiopian Refugee and Business Owner Is Grateful for Welcoming Idahoans
Kibrom Milash and wife, Tirhas. In April 2015, Kibrom Milash opened Kibrom, one of Boise, Idaho’s few Ethiopian restaurants. It was part of the Boise International Market, a place where customers could buy food and products from countries around the world. A fire gutted the market the following September, but… Read More

Iraqi Refugee Helps Bring Much-Needed Doctors to Rural Idaho
In 2015, Marwan Sweedan, a former U.S. Army medic and infection control specialist in Boise, Idaho was named a White House Champion of Change. After receiving the honor, he penned a short essay about his work helping fellow refugee and immigrant professionals find employment in the United States. “My efforts… Read More

National Volunteer Week: How Much Do Immigrants Volunteer?
Yesterday marked the beginning of this year’s National Volunteer Week (#NVW2016), which was first established in 1974. Volunteering has had a rich history in America, with the United States boasting one of the highest rates of volunteerism worldwide. Volunteering has long been shown to bring stability to… Read More

Idaho Veterinarian Sees Troubling Labor Challenges in Clients’ Businesses
Elizabeth Kohtz grew up on a family farm in Idaho where her father relied on migrant workers to keep the dairy running. Immigration policy limited his access to workers. Today, Kohtz works as a dairy veterinarian and sees the same troubling labor challenges play out in her clients’ businesses. When… Read More
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