Buffalo is one of the U.S. cities selected as a landing spot for a recently accepted white South African, or Afrikaner, immigrant.
A representative from Jericho Road confirmed the organization has been working with the new Buffalo resident in the capacity of a community health center equipped with a variety of language services, but not for resettlement assistance.
"Jericho Road will open our clinic doors to care for the folks from South Africa who have recently arrived in Buffalo," Jericho Road CEO Dr. Myron Glick said in a press release.
Jewish Family Services of Western New York CEO Molly Carr declined to discuss any connection to their agency, under the reasoning that the agency does not release any client information without personal approval.
According to a JFS statement, no new funds are expected to be allocated to agencies to offset any additional costs of working with new Afrikaner residents.
Despite the select number of people recently admitted into the country, thousands of people have been waiting to enter the U.S., Carr said. President Donald Trump suspended the country’s refugee resettlement program, but that’s now been blocked by a judge, leaving the situation in limbo.
“It means 12,000 people who had given up the very small amount of things that they had, they'd sold them," she said. "Given up their place to live, given up if they were working, given up what little jobs they had because they were going to come to the United States.”
Glick and International Institute Executive Director Jennifer Rizzo-Choi also stress desires to work with any immigrants or refugees since they are “our neighbors,” but express disappointment that they feel there’s a racial aversion by the federal government not to allow in non-white populations.
"These families escaped persecution and went through the refugee process of coming to America 'the right way.' Still, they got shut out but are just as worthy," Rizzo-Choi said in a press release. "These individuals are also ready to fulfill America’s promise, and we look forward to the day they will be allowed to do so.”
"We think of those in the (Democratic Republic of the Congo), South Sudan, and Afghanistan who are black and brown and who have been unjustly cast away, excluded, and forced to remain in dangerous conditions," Glick said.
