IMMIGRATION
Agencies aid stress-filled immigrant kids
Many of the children who immigrate here with their families have a lot
of stress. Some agencies are helping them deal with it.
BY DANIEL SHOER ROTH
El Nuevo Herald
Saray Díaz tries to forget. But she can't. Over and over again, she
recalls the times the police came to arrest her father in Cuba. Over and
over again she feels the wounds of humiliation and the repudiation of
her teacher and classmates. Only because her father did not sympathize
with the Castro regime and wanted to leave the island with his family.
It's been three years since Saray, 11, arrived in Miami. However, her
teacher has told her parents that the girl ``is in the classroom but her
mind is elsewhere.''
It is a common tragedy among refugee children.
''I have memories of that, but I try not to think about them because
they bring me feelings,'' Saray says.
She covers her eyes, lies down on a sofa and cries.
Every year, Florida welcomes thousands of children like Saray, most of
them accompanied by their parents. It is the state that takes on the
largest number of refugees, according to the Office of Refugee
Resettlement of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Here,
they face the challenge of learning another language and assimilating
into the American culture.
MAGNET
South Florida is a magnet for refugees fleeing oppression and violence
in Latin America and the Caribbean. Generally, the resettlement programs
help newcomers find jobs so their families can afford their basic
expenses. They also help them to learn English and apply for U.S.
residency and, later, citizenship. The needs of children are also their
concern.
''To find a job is our first goal, by law and by necessity,'' said Hiram
Ruiz, director of the Refugee Services agency of the Florida Department
of Children and Families. ``But our programs also help the children to
integrate into their new culture with psychological and school assistance.''
Almost 112,000 people were granted the status of refugee in Florida
between 2004 and 2007. California was a distant second, hosting 24,712,
while Texas welcomed 17,384.
The federal government provides $58 million a year for the services to
refugees managed by DCF, as well as $56 million for financial and
medical aid, Ruiz said; $11.1 million goes to children and adolescents.
If the departure from their countries occurred suddenly, the children
need structured and routine activities that will help them develop
confidence short-term, experts say.
''Many of these children have problems adapting. They show it by their
fear, their timidity,'' said Carlos Vargas, an instructor in the program
for refugee children of the Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services in Miami
Springs. ``In some cases, there are traumas. They find it hard to
believe that here they can do things without fear of repression.''
SCHOOL PROBLEMS
Saray is an example of the difficulties in adaptation. This year, her
promotion to fifth grade brought with it problems in performance and
difficulties with English. The past continues to be an obstacle,
although she has scored some achievements.
On June 20, during the celebration of the World Refugee Day in Amelia
Earhart Park in Hialeah, Saray won a poster contest sponsored by the
Miami-Dade County Program of Families and Young Refugees.
The poster she drew shows her shouting ''Daddy, daddy. Come, come,''
while agents of the Cuban State Security agency lead him in handcuffs
out of the home. A policeman is seen intimidating the girl and her
mother: ``Don't walk. I will hit you with a stick.''
With her parents, José Ramón Díaz and Dayana Rivero from the town of
Santo Domingo in the province of Villa Clara, Saray found refuge in
Miami in 2006. On the island, Díaz had been fired after working for 11
years in the Cuban railroad company because he says his brother, David
Díaz Oliver, led the opposition group Martí Youth Coalition.
The harassment increased when Díaz, following his brother's example,
applied to emigrate to the United States.
''In town, they would stage acts of repudiation,'' said Díaz, 38. 'They
would shout, `Worms! Get out of here! The streets belong to the
revolutionary people! Traitors!' ''
At school, children began to mock Saray. Her classmates would push her.
The teacher punished her. It was a stressful situation that took away
her motivation. She didn't want to go to school. She was fearful.
''She doesn't express it, but she feels lonely,'' says the mother, 37.
``It takes her too long to learn.''
Many refugee children have managed to put the nightmare behind them.
Saray Restrepo, 16, and her brothers Sebastián, 13, and Carlos, 14,
believe they have overcome the barriers of adaptation six years after
finding asylum in Miami with their parents, Sofía and Carlos.
The Restrepos had been threatened by paramilitary groups in Colombia
because Carlos Sr. had worked as an advisor for a political campaign in
the city of Valledupar. Their resettlement did not have major
complications until the problems of insecurity began to affect the three
children, who had thought they came to Miami on vacation.
Here, their lifestyle was less opulent than in Colombia. Both parents
had to work and young Carlos became ill. Saray and Sebastián were sent
to live with relatives in Pennsylvania. When the family was reunited,
the school problems began.
The Restrepos, who live in a rented home in Doral, are happy with their
new life. They regret they cannot return to Colombia to visit relatives
and friends. That, says Carlos Sr., is the price of ``enjoying
tranquillity, security and a much better future for our children than we
could ever find in our country.''
For the past five years, the family has taken advantage of various
services. Carlos and Sebastián get free tutoring at home. And Saray
signed up for a painting class offered by the Miami-Dade County
Department of Human Services, which, in addition to providing an art
education, pays her a nominal wage.
'When I tell someone that I found asylum here, they ask me, `What is
that?' '' said Saray, who has become friends with teenagers who have
gone through similar experiences. ``When you are with other refugees,
you don't have to give any explanation.''
Daniel Shoer-Roth can be reached at dshoer@ElNuevoHerald.com.
Agencies aid stress-filled immigrant kids - Miami-Dade - MiamiHerald.com
(10 July 2009)
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/v-fullstory/story/1135206.html
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