Many small towns in New England are eager to welcome refugees from the war in Syria, but that doesn’t seem likely under President Donald Trump’s […]

Many small towns in New England are eager to welcome refugees from the war in Syria, but that doesn’t seem likely under President Donald Trump’s […]
Pious Ali earned his U.S. citizenship almost a decade ago, but his emphasis on the importance of voting is easy to understand. On the same day Donald Trump was elected president, Ali was elected to Portland’s City Council, continuing the political rise of the one of the first African-born Muslims to hold public office in Maine.
The nonprofit, Jetpac, trains potential candidates regardless of party affiliation, with a goal of increasing civic engagement within Muslim communities.
by: Kathleen Masterson, VPR
In 2014, the Obama administration issued a federal memo aiming to put an end to random deportations of people living illegally in the U.S. who aren’t criminals. But a closer look finds that there are still cases where immigration authorities are ignoring these policies, including in Vermont.
by: Nina Keck, VPR
Next month, a mix of Syrian and Iraqi refugees will begin arriving in Rutland, Vermont. They’ll be the first of 100 that will be resettled there over the next year. Though there’s been loud opposition to the plan in the aging, blue-collar city of 16,000, proponents remain optimistic — and many have been volunteering long hours to ensure the plan succeeds.
by: Shannon Dooling, WBUR
And as New England’s baby boomers grow older, and live longer, the need for health care workers also grows.