By ALAINE GRIFFIN Hartford Courant HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ Amid growing debate over the country’s immigration policies in the aftermath of recent terrorist attacks, Connecticut is preparing for a new wave of refugees who will arrive here in 2016. “There’s been overwhelming support recently from churches, mosques, individuals, people calling saying, `We want to help with the Syrians,’ “ Paula Mann-Agnew, director of programs for Catholic Charities in Hartford, said. Donors are offering money, apartments, furniture and other items as well as asking if they can help refugees complete their immigration paperwork and learn English, she said. Catholic Charities is among a handful of agencies in Connecticut that work with the domestic resettlement agencies used by the U.S. Department of State’s reception and placement program preparing for the increase, which will include Syrians, considered now to be one of the most vulnerable refugee groups. “We’ve had to develop a committee just to take in the calls and respond,” Mann-Agnew said. “It’s almost like they see it as a revolution. And they want to be part of it. I think it speaks to the true nature of people.” In New Haven, calls, packages and checks also have been streaming into Integrated […]
By ALAINE GRIFFIN Hartford Courant HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ Amid growing debate over the country’s immigration policies in the aftermath of recent terrorist attacks, Connecticut is preparing for a new wave of refugees who will arrive here in 2016. “There’s been overwhelming support recently from churches, mosques, individuals, people calling saying, `We want to help with the Syrians,’ “ Paula Mann-Agnew, director of programs for Catholic Charities in Hartford, said. Donors are offering money, apartments, furniture and other items as well as asking if they can help refugees complete their immigration paperwork and learn English, she said. Catholic Charities is among a handful of agencies in Connecticut that work with the domestic resettlement agencies used by the U.S. Department of State’s reception and placement program preparing for the increase, which will include Syrians, considered now to be one of the most vulnerable refugee groups. “We’ve had to develop a committee just to take in the calls and respond,” Mann-Agnew said. “It’s almost like they see it as a revolution. And they want to be part of it. I think it speaks to the true nature of people.” In New Haven, calls, packages and checks also have been streaming into Integrated […]