Immigration under the Biden Administration
On Zoom – register here. On the occasion of “Comunidades Visibles: The Materiality of Migration,” join the Albright-Knox and Journey’s End Refugee Services for a free virtual conversation about changes to immigration policy under the Biden Administration. Hear from the organization’s legal team, resettlement director, and refugees to learn about the United States’ immigration process and how communities can help to welcome new arrivals.
About the Speakers
Irene Rekhviashvili, Esq.
Senior Staff Attorney, LDP Legal Counsel
Journey’s End Refugee Services
Irene Rekhviashvili is an immigration lawyer working at Journey’s End Refugee Services. Rekhviashvili primarily works out of Vive, a shelter for asylum seekers located on Buffalo’s East Side. Working out of this location has allowed her to meet, evaluate, represent, and advise hundreds of asylum seekers over five years. Rekhviashvili’s work has included assisting individuals with asylum, citizenship, adjustment of status, removal proceedings, and family reunification.
Senior Staff Attorney, LDP Legal Counsel
Journey’s End Refugee Services
Irene Rekhviashvili is an immigration lawyer working at Journey’s End Refugee Services. Rekhviashvili primarily works out of Vive, a shelter for asylum seekers located on Buffalo’s East Side. Working out of this location has allowed her to meet, evaluate, represent, and advise hundreds of asylum seekers over five years. Rekhviashvili’s work has included assisting individuals with asylum, citizenship, adjustment of status, removal proceedings, and family reunification.
Hana Mirach
Director of Resettlement and the Refugee School Impact Program
Journey’s End Refugee Services
Hana Mirach is Director of Resettlement and the Refugee School Impact Program at Journey’s End Refugee Services. She is responsible for all aspects of resettling new refugee arrivals in Buffalo, including securing safe, affordable housing; supervising case managers assigned to refugee families and individuals to provide them the necessary services and support they need in their first 90 days upon arrival; and ensuring refugees’ access to other services at Journey’s End, such as employment, legal, and adult education. She also supervises RSIP academic coaches who work with refugee students and their families in the Buffalo Public Schools system. Mirach is a refugee from the Northeast African country of Eritrea.
Director of Resettlement and the Refugee School Impact Program
Journey’s End Refugee Services
Hana Mirach is Director of Resettlement and the Refugee School Impact Program at Journey’s End Refugee Services. She is responsible for all aspects of resettling new refugee arrivals in Buffalo, including securing safe, affordable housing; supervising case managers assigned to refugee families and individuals to provide them the necessary services and support they need in their first 90 days upon arrival; and ensuring refugees’ access to other services at Journey’s End, such as employment, legal, and adult education. She also supervises RSIP academic coaches who work with refugee students and their families in the Buffalo Public Schools system. Mirach is a refugee from the Northeast African country of Eritrea.
Sarah Kattan
I am Sara Kattan, and I am currently majoring in biology on a pre-med track at Canisius College. I was the Valedictorian of my senior class, president of the National Honor Society, vice president of the Student Council, Bank of America student leader, and Scholar of Social Justice at PS 198 International Preparatory School in Buffalo. I was always a refugee. My family and I escaped from Syria to Lebanon and then to Jordan, and eventually found sanctuary in the United States. I may carry scars from all I’ve seen and experienced, but I also carry a strength of spirit that was forged by growing up in war. Optimism and a sense of resilience helped me learn my hardest-won lesson that I must never give up on hope. To succeed in life as a refugee, strength, perseverance, and determination are very significant. The Tunisian Arab poet Al-Shabbi once wrote, “Whoever fears climbing the mountains, shall live forever between the ditches.”
I am Sara Kattan, and I am currently majoring in biology on a pre-med track at Canisius College. I was the Valedictorian of my senior class, president of the National Honor Society, vice president of the Student Council, Bank of America student leader, and Scholar of Social Justice at PS 198 International Preparatory School in Buffalo. I was always a refugee. My family and I escaped from Syria to Lebanon and then to Jordan, and eventually found sanctuary in the United States. I may carry scars from all I’ve seen and experienced, but I also carry a strength of spirit that was forged by growing up in war. Optimism and a sense of resilience helped me learn my hardest-won lesson that I must never give up on hope. To succeed in life as a refugee, strength, perseverance, and determination are very significant. The Tunisian Arab poet Al-Shabbi once wrote, “Whoever fears climbing the mountains, shall live forever between the ditches.”
Bashar Kattan
My name is Bashar Kattan, and I attend Canisius College, majoring in biology on a pre-med track. One day I hope to become a doctor to help people with their major health issues. I left Syria, my home country, to seek safety because of the civil war. I traveled to Lebanon, Jordan, and then finally to the United States, the land of opportunities and education that everyone dreams of. The experience I gained while being a child who lived in very difficult circumstances shaped my character and made me aware of how valuable those opportunities are. As a new refugee who came to Buffalo in 2016, I am proud of my accomplishments of becoming the Salutatorian, National Honor Society treasurer, Student Council representative, and Bank of America student leader at PS 198 International Preparatory School in Buffalo. The quote that inspires me in my life is from Nelson Mandela, who said to not be put off by life’s difficulties: “It always seems impossible until it is done.”
My name is Bashar Kattan, and I attend Canisius College, majoring in biology on a pre-med track. One day I hope to become a doctor to help people with their major health issues. I left Syria, my home country, to seek safety because of the civil war. I traveled to Lebanon, Jordan, and then finally to the United States, the land of opportunities and education that everyone dreams of. The experience I gained while being a child who lived in very difficult circumstances shaped my character and made me aware of how valuable those opportunities are. As a new refugee who came to Buffalo in 2016, I am proud of my accomplishments of becoming the Salutatorian, National Honor Society treasurer, Student Council representative, and Bank of America student leader at PS 198 International Preparatory School in Buffalo. The quote that inspires me in my life is from Nelson Mandela, who said to not be put off by life’s difficulties: “It always seems impossible until it is done.”
