African Law Center

As a beacon of hope, the United States attracts many Immigrants who come to start a new beginning. Upon arrival, many of them face significant difficulties, some of which they could never have imagined before coming. Worst still, before arrival, many of these immigrants had to endured significant hardships in their native countries, including war trauma, poverty, bullying, gender discrimination, violence, human trafficking, persecution and rape, before arriving the United States. However, none of these immigrants for the most part anticipated the stress waiting them in the United States. 

For the immigrant parents, the first and immediate priority is securing a job, housing, and food for the family. During this process, the inability to effectively communicate and be understood makes life for them unbearable. Whereas there exist immigration services for these new immigrants, access still remains a big problem due to transportation, language barrier, and finance. Consequently, cultural shocks settles in forcing many of them to start living in isolation, with family members, or withdraw to community sympathizers. In doing so, if they are lucky to fall into an organized community or family, they may be fortunate to access the right information and assistance. However, from our experience, this is not the case as many of them find themselves trapped in a complex maze of laws and regulations.