In July 2023, the Immigration Justice Committee (IJC) filed an application through Biden’s “Humanitarian Parole” program (which allows 30,000 people each month from Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, and Nicaragua to legally enter the US, access benefits, obtain work permits, and remain here for two years) for Mirian Esther Dominguez Rivero, a Cuban woman who wants to leave Cuba. Life there has become very difficult. Mirian dreams of steady employment and to be able to support her mother, brother and nephews who will remain in Cuba.

Mirian’s situation, and the situation facing the overwhelming majority of Cubans today, is dire. People are scrambling to find ways to earn money for food, but then often are unable to find food to buy. There is also a shortage of medicines. Cubans are leaving in record numbers (Why Record Numbers of People Are Leaving). According to the New York Times, “Over the last year, nearly 250,000 Cubans, more than 2 percent of the island’s 11 million population, have migrated to the United States, most of them arriving at the southern border by land, according to U.S. government data”.  

We had thought we could expect action on Mirian’s application by fall or winter, but no. The USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) doesn’t answer questions. An applicant doesn’t know what number in line they are. You wait for an email. Not knowing when Mirian would receive approval from the USCIS, we decided to make the apartment available to other new immigrants.

In January 2024, Neila and Vladimir, a couple from Port-au-a-Prince, Haiti, moved in. Neila and Vladimir arrived in Boston in October 2024, also under “Humanitarian Parole”, and found assistance through the Old Cambridge Baptist Church until BWC-IJC invited them to move into the below-market, one bedroom apartment the group has in JP. Also in January, Neila’s sister, brother, and mother arrived in Boston. 

The Immigration Justice Committee (IJC) has enjoyed helping our guests, Neila and Vladimir, adapt to and adopt Boston as their new home. It’s been time well spent, helping them enroll in English classes, providing them with rides to appointments, having meals with them, introducing them to candlepin bowling, and so much more. Neila found teaching work, first in Watertown, now as a paraprofessional in the Boston Public Schools. She is looking at Roxbury Community College’s Early Childhood Education program. This spring she and Vladimir began to cover the rent for the apartment and now they are almost totally self-sufficient. They are currently looking for an apartment to share with Neila’s family members! If you have any leads on apartments along the Orange Line or the E branch of the Green Line, please be in touch.

Vladimir completed a three-month Culinary Arts job training program run by Community Servings in August. Vladimir was trained in Community Servings’ kitchen and learned many skills needed to work in a restaurant or institutional kitchen. The program also helped the students with resume writing and job search. Vladimir just was hired by Cambridge Health Alliance to work in their kitchen.

Meanwhile, we spent the year texting and getting to know Mirian. Since her application to come to the U.S. was approved in May, our committee, with valuable help from our friends at the Catholic Charities of Boston, has been trying to help her complete the final steps required for her to actually travel to the U.S. She now only awaits her travel authorization—we will be happy to announce her arrival, hopefully soon!

The BWC-IJC has continued to raise funds to support our guests for their first two years in Boston. Over the years, we have raised close to $100,000, most of which went to immigrants during Covid in the form of cash grants. Their needs, and the needs of so many more immigrants in Boston, are vast. When Mirian arrives, BWC will again be funding rent, food, transportation, phone, utilities, etc. Please consider volunteering (ijc@circleboston.org) with us and/or making a donation (https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-our-immigrant-neighbors).