Refugees and Local Sanctuary City Status

Earlier this month, WCIA had a video segment that highlighted the potential increase of refugees to the area due to the Trump administration wanting to divert asylum seekers to "sanctuary cities" like Urbana. The term "sanctuary city" can mean different things depending on the legal situation of any particular city and even more dramatically from ideological points of view. USA Today attempted to give the subject a  fair overview here. The News-Gazette highlighted a local organization helping refugees settle in the Champaign County area today:

Newly renamed, relocated Refugee Center seeing increase in clients
...
The local organization providing services to immigrants and refugees in Champaign-Urbana, newly renamed The Refugee Center, has been serving growing numbers of people, according to Executive Director Lisa Wilson.

The growth is likely linked to immigrants already in Champaign County who are letting friends, family members and others in their native countries know they're feeling welcome where they've resettled, she said...

In the last 12-month period, from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018, The Refugee Center served 2,100 people in more than 540 families, Wilson said.

From July 1 to Dec. 31, 2018, the number of clients the center served had grown by 17 percent, she said.

The Refugee Center has seen a large influx in the community of immigrants from Guatemala, along with an increase in unaccompanied minors from several countries, Wilson said.

Founded nearly four decades ago, The Refugee Center provides refugees and immigrants help with translation, assistance pursuing citizenship, tutoring for children, connections to social services and assistance adjusting and resettling...

Most immigrants coming to Champaign County are settling in Champaign-Urbana, Rantoul and Savoy, she said. Many looking for affordable housing wind up living in mobile-home parks, she said.

More information at the full article here. More information about The Refugee Center from their about webpage:

The Refugee Center was created in 1980 by Vietnamese refugees as a way to help other newly arrived refugees acclimate to American culture and provide commonly needed services.  Since then, The Refugee Center has expanded its scope to assist all refugees, immigrants, and political asylees, regardless of country of origin.

Support for the Center comes from community members' contributions, Champaign County United Way, the Champaign County Mental Health Board, private grants and donors, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement...

The Refugee Center serves and advocates for all immigrants—regardless of their background or status—through translation and administrative services, education, and advocacy.

We open the door to new community members, help them get settled in Central Illinois, and encourage our community to understand and embrace its new members.

More at their website and facebook page.