Friday was World Refugee Day and June is Immigrant Heritage Month. In South Bend, the city’s largest Hispanic advocacy group held an event to make Hispanic youth feel welcome in their community.
La Casa de Amistad executive director Juan Constantino says it’s been an anxiety-filled year for the city’s young Hispanic residents as President Trump makes good on his campaign promise of mass deportations. But on Friday youth who are involved in summer programs at La Casa met with another elected official, Mayor James Mueller. He came to the nonprofit’s headquarters and read a proclamation welcoming immigrants and refugees to the city.
Constantino said it was important to let the youth know that their local government supports them.
“There’s a lot going on here in our community and our kids are certainly hearing it," Constantino says. "It impacts maybe some of themselves, it impacts their households, their parents, their family members, and their friends. Just with all the rumors, the rhetoric, the hatred, and for them to have a moment of celebration, of calmness, of leadership, of support, of welcome, in the city that they live, reside, go to school, and are in, that’s important.”
