{"id":28,"date":"2025-03-04T14:06:11","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T14:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/?page_id=28"},"modified":"2026-03-26T06:18:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T10:18:51","slug":"new-americans","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/new-americans\/","title":{"rendered":"New Americans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2>\n\t\t\tSamaritas\t<\/h2>\n<h1>\n\t\t\tNew Americans\t<\/h1>\n\t<p><strong data-start=\"99\" data-end=\"116\">New Americans<\/strong>, one of Michigan&#8217;s largest refugee resettlement services, supports individuals and families from arrival through long-term integration. We offer <strong data-start=\"262\" data-end=\"289\">resettlement assistance<\/strong>, <strong data-start=\"291\" data-end=\"327\">employment and education support<\/strong>, <strong data-start=\"329\" data-end=\"354\">immigration legal aid<\/strong>, <strong data-start=\"356\" data-end=\"375\">case management<\/strong>, <strong data-start=\"377\" data-end=\"400\" data-is-only-node=\"\">refugee foster care<\/strong>, and alumni programming. Our efforts-guided by staff and donors-help New Americans become self-sufficient, rebuild their lives, and enrich their communities across Michigan.<\/p>\n<h2>\n\t\t\tAs one of the largest Refugee Resettlement Agencies in Michigan,\t<\/h2>\n\t<p>Samaritas has resettled thousands of people from dozens of countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Central and South America. Samaritas has been the Michigan affiliate of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service since the 1950s.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/CPsLDKg2ZDY\/hqdefault.jpg\" alt=\"youtube-video-thumbnail\"\/>\n\t<p>Refugees are people of all ages who are forced from their own countries by war or political unrest. They cannot return home for fear of persecution because of their race, ethnicity, religion or political affiliations. Many spend years in refugee camps before they are given permission to enter the United States. They arrive with little more than the clothes they are wearing. Refugees come here seeking protection and a chance to build a new life. They are eager to learn, to work and to become productive contributors to society. As they become settled, they build businesses, create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods, fuel the economy and strengthen the tax base, enriching their communities.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\" tabindex=\"-1\"  id=\"fl-accordion--label-0\">Resettlement<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" id=\"fl-accordion--icon-0\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"fl-accordion--panel-0\"><i>Expand<\/i><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Refugee Resettlement is a lifeline that the US provides for the most vulnerable refugees at a time of unprecedented global crisis. The majority of refugees are hosted in developing countries; resettlement is a relatively modest &#8211; yet lifesaving &#8211; way for America to demonstrate its support for people fleeing persecution and the countries hosting them. <a href=\"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/new-americans\/resettlement\/\"><strong>Learn More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\" tabindex=\"-1\"  id=\"fl-accordion--label-1\">Employment &amp; Education<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" id=\"fl-accordion--icon-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"fl-accordion--panel-1\"><i>Expand<\/i><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>We provide each refugee with employment and education support to obtain self-sufficiency, successful integration and become contributors to society within one year of arrival. This program can help fulfill dreams of a safe, healthy life that&#8217;s full of opportunities. <a href=\"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/new-americans\/employment-education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Learn More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\" tabindex=\"-1\"  id=\"fl-accordion--label-2\">Legal Help<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" id=\"fl-accordion--icon-2\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"fl-accordion--panel-2\"><i>Expand<\/i><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>We offer professional, immigration legal aid services in Michigan for refugees, asylees and immigrants at nominal fees, to help them in achieving independence and stability in the United States. These citizenship and immigration legal aid services include assistance with adjustment of status, naturalization, travel documents, and family visa petitions. <a href=\"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/new-americans\/legal-help\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Learn More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\" tabindex=\"-1\"  id=\"fl-accordion--label-3\">Refugee Foster Care<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" id=\"fl-accordion--icon-3\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"fl-accordion--panel-3\"><i>Expand<\/i><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Our Refugee Foster Care Program serves youth who flee from war, violence or persecution in dozens of countries. By the time they get to the United States, they&#8217;ve been separated from and often lost contact with parents and other family members who can care for them and have often suffered great traumas &#8211; and they&#8217;re not even 18 years old. <a href=\"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/new-americans\/refugee-foster-care\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Learn More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\" tabindex=\"-1\"  id=\"fl-accordion--label-4\">Alumni<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" id=\"fl-accordion--icon-4\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"fl-accordion--panel-4\"><i>Expand<\/i><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Through help from our dedicated staff and donors, we&#8217;ve worked with thousands of refugees who are now alumni of our Michigan refugee resettlement programs. We at Samaritas are so proud of our New American alumni and their accomplishments. <a href=\"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/new-americans\/new-american-alumni\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Learn More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/donate-new-americans\/\"  target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDonate\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/volunteer\/\"  target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVolunteer\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/gift-catalog-copy\/\"  target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDetroit Refugee Network\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/gift-catalog-copy-copy\/\"  target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMichigan Refugee Network\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/refugee-crisis\/\"  target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRefugee Crisis\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<iframe allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/x6Lq7y-tzsA?feature=oembed&amp;start&amp;end&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;loop=0&amp;controls=1&amp;mute=0&amp;rel=0&amp;modestbranding=1\" title=\"Rising From Ashes: The Incredible Story of How One Woman Survived A Genocide\"><\/iframe>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPlay Video\n\t\t\tRising From Ashes: The Incredible Story of How One Woman Survived A Genocide\n\t<iframe allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/mtb2vBhQGgM?feature=oembed&amp;start&amp;end&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;loop=0&amp;controls=1&amp;mute=0&amp;rel=0&amp;modestbranding=1\" title=\"Trans refugee starts new chapter in Detroit | ClickonDetroit.com\"><\/iframe>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPlay Video\n\t\t\tTrans refugee starts new chapter in Detroit | ClickonDetroit.com\n\t<iframe allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/b5SG8-SCFCw?feature=oembed&amp;start&amp;end&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;loop=0&amp;controls=1&amp;mute=0&amp;rel=0&amp;modestbranding=1\" title=\" Giving Ukraine Refugees a Merry Christmas | Samaritas and Amazon Partnership\"><\/iframe>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPlay Video\n\t\t\t Giving Ukraine Refugees a Merry Christmas | Samaritas and Amazon Partnership\n\t<iframe allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/p0U7phrRGzw?feature=oembed&amp;start&amp;end&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;loop=0&amp;controls=1&amp;mute=0&amp;rel=0&amp;modestbranding=1\" title=\" The Mounts Family | A Story of Love and Reunification | Refugee Foster Care \"><\/iframe>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPlay Video\n\t\t\t The Mounts Family | A Story of Love and Reunification | Refugee Foster Care \n\t<iframe allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/uqdjS9-c30s?feature=oembed&amp;start&amp;end&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;loop=0&amp;controls=1&amp;mute=0&amp;rel=0&amp;modestbranding=1\" title=\" From Syrian Refugees to Living the American Dream, The Al Zoubi Story\"><\/iframe>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPlay Video\n\t\t\t From Syrian Refugees to Living the American Dream, The Al Zoubi Story\n\t<iframe allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/fk_mKwemugk?feature=oembed&amp;start&amp;end&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;loop=0&amp;controls=1&amp;mute=0&amp;rel=0&amp;modestbranding=1\" title=\" Flory, Elodie, Abigael, and Benedicte: Coming to America\"><\/iframe>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPlay Video\n\t\t\t Flory, Elodie, Abigael, and Benedicte: Coming to America\n<h2>\n\t\t\tThe Official Affidavit of Relationship Process\t<\/h2>\n\t<p>Do you have refugee relatives overseas that you would like to bring to the US? The New Official Affidavit of Relationship (AOR) process allows Resettlement Agencies such as Samaritas to help reunite families (free of charge).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Please contact Lucy Mourad at Samaritas<\/strong> to see if your AOR case is eligible at: <a href=\"tel:(586) 276-9126\" data-gc-link=\"tel:(586) 276-9126\">(586) 276-9126<\/a> or email <a href=\"mailto:lmour@samaritas.org\" data-gc-link=\"mailto:lmour@samaritas.org\">lmour@samaritas.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>You may also contact Omar Abdul-Satar at Samaritas<\/strong> to see if your AOR case is eligible at: <a href=\"tel:(248) 663-0652\" data-gc-link=\"tel:(248) 663-0652\">(248) 663-0652<\/a> or email <a href=\"mailto:oabdu@samaritas.org\" data-gc-link=\"mailto:oabdu@samaritas.org\">oabdu@samaritas.org<\/a><\/p>\n<figure itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/donate\/\"  target=\"_self\" itemprop=\"url\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/donate-2.gif\" alt=\"donate-2\" height=\"500\" width=\"500\" title=\"donate-2\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/figure>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Samaritas New Americans New Americans, one of Michigan&#8217;s largest refugee resettlement services, supports individuals and families from arrival through long-term integration. We offer resettlement assistance, employment and education support, immigration legal aid, case management, refugee foster care, and alumni programming. Our efforts-guided by staff and donors-help New Americans become self-sufficient, rebuild their lives, and enrich&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-28","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2439,"href":"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28\/revisions\/2439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samaritas.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}