The journey has been arduous for the family of three Iraqis expected to begin their resettlement in Northampton this weekend.
After two years in a Turkish refugee camp, a 56-year-old widow and her two adult sons endured further uncertainty when President Donald Trump three weeks ago signed an order banning travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iraq, from entering the U.S.
The Iraqi family’s way here was cleared when federal court rulings suspended Trump’s ban, and they were scheduled to arrive at Bradley International Airport on Friday night.
There will be different challenges now as the Iraqi Kurds begin the next chapter of their journey, including finding housing suitable for the woman, who is disabled by polio.
Their way will be eased by a welcoming community in Northampton which has been preparing since last year for the arrival of the first of 51 refugees eventually expected to settle in the Valley. (The first of those, three members of a family from Bhutan, arrived Thursday and will live with relatives in Westfield.)
The Iraqi family will be supported by a “circle of care” drawn from the congregation at the Edwards Church of Northampton, whose members have been learning Arabic and researching Iraqi culture. They were told just a week ago that the refugees would arrive this weekend.
“This has been quite a sudden opportunity for everyone,” says Chris Hjelt, co-leader of the Edwards Church group. “Our main job is to provide emotional and day-to-day support for the family. We will be sure that there’s food in the house, that there’s cooked food ready for them as they arrive.”
“As a faith community, this is just the type of thing to do — you do this for people,” says Nancy Flickinger, another member of the Edwards circle of care. “Especially refugees — they need all the help they can get.”
All told, some 180 people in Northampton have made a five-year commitment to support the new immigrants with transportation, teaching them English and generally helping acclimate them to life in America. A dozen more refugees — including seven from Syria, another country on Trump’s banned list — are close to being resettled here under the program overseen by the Catholic Charities Agency of Springfield.
The U.S. State Department approved Northampton for refugee resettlement, and a contract was formally signed late last year with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, parent agency of Catholic Charities. The Northampton City Council signaled its interest a year earlier when it unanimously approved a resolution declaring that refugees would be welcome in the community.
Earlier this month, when Trump’s travel ban appeared to derail the resettlement plan in Northampton, the City Council unanimously approved another resolution – this one condemning the “unconstitutional” executive order.
Ward 4 City Councilor Gina-Louis Sciarra was moved to tears in describing Trump’s “hateful, discriminatory and life-threatening act. These are no longer abstract people. These would be my children’s classmates. It’s unbelievably heartbreaking.”
Federal judges have blocked Trump’s order, saying it is discriminatory and that there is no evidence of terrorism committed in the U.S. by any citizens from the seven banned nations.
Trump plowed ahead Thursday, announcing that he will issue a new order next week, apparently targeting only potential immigrants who have not yet entered the U.S., but no longer including green-card holders already in America or those traveling outside the country who want to return.
“I will not back down from defending our country. I got elected on defense of our country,” Trump said at a White House news conference.
Meanwhile, in Northampton preparations continued to welcome a 56-year-old disabled woman and her sons, ages 20 and 26, who have been supporting her as they fled their war-torn country.
Annie Bissett, the other co-leader of the Edwards Church group that will support them, says, “Politically, it’s really important for me to stand up for what America is.”
The kind of compassion being shown in Northampton to make a home for resettled refugees is what keeps America great.