Nekessa Opoti, Writer

One year after an immigration raid that arrested nearly 400 immigrants, Postville is a town still torn on many fronts. The raid sent the town into economic turmoil. Agriprocessors, its largest employer, filed for bankruptcy. Schools, businesses, and churches in the town of 2,200 all felt the loss of families. MORE »

Mukhtar Osman heard the familiar tone informing him that a new text message had come in on his phone. He smiled, then chuckled before reading the message out loud: “friend is looking for a good Muslim husband. She is a good Muslim woman, hijab. 35yrs” MORE »

Steven Foldes and Washington Yonly sat two tables away from each other at the JCA’s seventh annual Freedom Seder on March 22. One is an old immigrant, the other a new immigrant. One came by ship from Europe, and another flew into the US from Africa. Different stories. Both Minnesotans. MORE »

Their faces somber, about 300 Liberians gathered in a church in Plymouth, a few miles from Brooklyn Park, on a chilly Sunday evening in January. Tension and fear sounded in their voices as they chatted, waiting to find out how they could petition U.S. legislators, to extend the temporary immigration status of about 1000 Liberians in Minnesota. They hope that they will eventually be granted U.S. residency. With about two months before their permission to remain in the U.S. expires, an immediate extension is preferred, as it would take immigration officials longer to process the paperwork needed for residency. MORE »

Two years ago, Barack Obama was a barely-known U.S. senator, the son of an African foreign student and a native of Kansas. He is now the 44th president of the United States and has become an international iconic figure. MORE »