RMA Presentation on Immigration by Dr. Anka Badurina

By Arnold J. Gordon from the RMA

The weekly presentation of the Retired Men’s Association of Greenwich on January 26 featured Gerald Pollack introducing Anka Badurina, Ph.D., the Executive Director of the non-profit Stamford organization Building One Community – Center for Immigrant Opportunity (B1C) that is dedicated to advancing the successful integration of immigrants and their families.

Since its inception, B1C has served over 13,100 immigrants from 112 different countries, providing free services that educate, employ, empower, and engage immigrants and the broader community.

Dr. Badurina has an undergraduate degree in modern languages, an MA in Commerce, and a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Kyoto University. During her presentation, Dr. Badurina addressed the following aspects of immigration: myths vs. facts: why migrants flee their home countries, the immigrant situation in Connecticut and Fairfield County, and the local reality. The immigration issues Dr. Badurina addressed were:

• Our parents and grandparents came to the U.S. legally
• Immigrants steal jobs from Americans
• They are a burden on our public benefits system
• They do not pay taxes

According to the B1C, legal immigration is limited to those with approved work visas, family reunification, or to asylum seekers. For the vast majority of those wishing to immigrate into the U.S., there is no easy legal pathway to enter and stay in the U.S. or to legalize their status when they are here.