How many bosnians in utica

After decades of decline — the city lost a third of its population when its factories closed — Utica is growing again, back up to 62, people, thanks in part to its reputation as, quote, the town that loves refugees, who now make up one out of every four residents. Thousands are Muslims from Bosnia, refugees of the war there in the s.

Sakib Duracak, who trained in Bosnia as a construction engineer, started a small business in Utica rehabbing cheap, often crumbling, houses for refugees looking to build a new life. A huge opportunity, because, at the time when we came in Utica, it's a relatively very dead and poor city. Bosnians have visibly spruced up Utica's east side and beyond. But there's an even more basic reason to welcome refugees to a town like Utica.

The influx of refugees to Utica allowed us to retain some smaller industries that were looking for highly motivated labor. An ethnic Karen, a persecuted minority in Burma, she spent 23 years starting at age four in refugee camps in Thailand.

When she was 14 —. Burmese army, they just shoot our refugee camp and make it burn. My sister's best friend, she burn alive. Paw came to Utica nine years ago, worked as a nursing home aide and housekeeper while studying English, then as a medical interpreter. Four years ago, she joined the direct sales firm Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Within months, she'd worked her way up to the coveted pink Cadillac. Utica was close to Syracuse, and Tom Cruise is from Syracuse. So I thought I was going to see Tom Cruise. With those dollars, says executive director Shelly Callahan, the refugee center rents an apartment, furnishes it, gets the utilities turned on, and starts teaching the basics. And for those who can drive, the all-important class in parking tickets, a veritable auditorium of Babel. But within a few months, they're on their own.

They actually come here owing their airfare back to the federal government. So, they are expected to get a job as soon as possible. Although there are no hard statistics on how many refugees do or don't find jobs after their aid ends, some qualify for public assistance.

Ibrahim Rosic was literally torn apart in the Bosnian conflict. In , I stepped on a landmine. I lost my left leg, and my right leg was severely damaged. I have no knee. I can't bend it. In this Jan. Utica has been a refugee "oasis" for decades. Vietnamese, Bosnians, Somalians and Burmese have each found shelter in the city that has benefited from the infusion of house-proud residents who work in hospitals, factories and their own businesses.

But now President Donald Trump's executive order crimping the flow of refugees has sent a shudder through the city. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Refugees have had an incredible economic impact in the United States and in Utica.

We invite you to learn more about the demographics and trends of refugees and how they have positively impacted the Utica community. In , the foreign-born population of Utica constituted Utica experienced a sharp population decline from , in to 60, in Lawsuits have been joined.

In Utica, where Mayor Robert Palmieri calls refugees the "next evolution," some light manufacturing has returned and the downtown shows signs of life. Behind the counter of a busy cafe on a recent morning stood a rare breed: a Utica native who moved to New York City but has returned to start the business. They recognize what's happening isn't so different than their own story a few generations ago," said Shelly Callahan, executive director of Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees.

Today, nearly a quarter of the 62, Utica residents are immigrants, providing a stabilizing force. Between and , the U. He saved up money as a cab driver in Boston and this year bought a small market in Utica called Golden Halal. He is working on a GED. The transition has not been easy. The school district struggles to keep up with an influx of students, many of whom arrive with little or no English and varying degrees of education.

Last year the district settled a lawsuit that accused it of diverting refugees from the city's lone public high school to alternative programs. Refugees are eligible for public assistance and stores across Utica prominently advertise that they accept "EBT," debit-like cards that can be used for food, and longtime residents grumble about their neediness.

The presidential election brought animosities to the surface, with a handful of reports of people yelling at women in hijabs or online commenters inveighing about a city overtaken by Muslims. Even among those who welcome the newcomers, security concerns persist. The night before at one of Utica's Italian restaurants, Fox News played coverage of the attack, carried out by a Uzbekistan man who arrived on a diversity visa. The owner complained about newer refugees "from the jungle" being on welfare and how they can't drive well and wear flip-flops during winter.

But he also credited Bosnians for "saving" the city. Bosnians arrived in Utica after the Balkan conflict in the early s, and have most successfully integrated into the community, buying and rehabbing hundreds of homes. Their stucco work has brightened up parts of the city. They make me feel like Americans are lazy compared to them," said Tricia Curran, 47, who grew up in an Italian family.

She is not fearful of the new arrivals, which include some Syrians. You can't call all Americans terrorists because of one person. At the same time, her sister blames refugees for why she can't find a job as a bank teller. The question of jobs is steeped in the immigration debate, one side accusing refugees of taking paychecks from Americans, the other saying Americans don't want tough, low-paying jobs.