Most of the selected texts for this course have focused on the movement of people around the world and its impact on the education experience. So often, the story and details of why immigrants leave their homeland for new opportunities leaves out the nuanced sacrifices individuals make everyday. This particular article struck me as interesting because of the detailed account of what immigration looks like in reality. Nasema is not thinking about transnationalism or her contributions to globalization, but the safety of herself and children.

Houston, Texas has felt the impact of emergency immigration, at twice the normal rate this past fall (Lawrence, 2022). This influx of immigration is attributed to the end of the longest war in US history, where the American military has been present in Afghanistan for the last 20 years. We have read and discussed a good bit about what transnationalism and globalization look like in practice. This account from Nasema is an example of the transnationalism “from below,” meaning the individual effects of immigrants’ navigation. As we study and further consider transnationalism and this process of immigrant movement, we (America) are forced to think about the impact of immigration and its impact on education; for both Americans and immigrants students.

This article speaks to the assistance of resettlement agencies, those that aid in the transition for immigrants into the US and to access  basic resources for living (i.e: housing, food, clothes, etc.). YMCA International Services of Greater Houston is led by director Dario Lipovac and he explains the process of working with each individual immigrant to set up their resources (Lawrence, 2022). This article doesn’t go into detail about the introduction of immigrant children to the US educational system but we are learning about the challenges that come with adequately supporting students in navigating successful language, social, and cognitive development. 

The most significant takeaway from reading this article is better understanding the harsh realities that immigrants who are fleeing dangerous situations are doing so at the sacrifices of personal health, separation of families, and the large amount of trust in others to survive.

Reference

Lawrence, D. (2022, February 5). Afghan mom had to decide whether to forgo escape — or leave      

some of her kids behind. CNN Politics. https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/05/politics/afghan-refugees-us/index.html