This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
New Jersey’s Department of Community Affairs has fully disbursed its initial $625 million of federal Emergency Rental Assistance funds to renters impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Beneficiaries included 67,880 households who received $608 million. The remainder is being used to administer the State’s COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has also allocated $87.3 million more in ERA funds for New Jersey, which will be used to help households on the emergency rental assistance program waiting list. New Jersey is also administering a $500 million Eviction Prevention Program, which is focused on helping households pay their rent for up to two years.
In other local immigration news…
How Homeland Security Investigations Work
📍Documented Original
Documented’s latest glossary resource takes a look into Homeland Security Investigations, the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a sub-component of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. HSI is in charge of investigating more than 400 U.S. laws, primarily relating to transnational crime. It is the second largest criminal investigative agency in the U.S. with more than 7,100 special agents and is responsible for investigating threats that affect “America’s travel, trade, financial and immigration systems.” Read more on Documented
ICYMI: Afghans help each other start over in Albany
📍Documented Original
About 1,800 Afghans of the 76,000 who fled their home country last summer ended up in New York state. For most, the exit was traumatic, and the adjustment to life in the United States adds layers of complication for those who resettled. They face challenges including learning a new language and a different education system, as well as difficulties finding employment, housing, transportation, and health insurance. Fariba and Mohammad Khwajazada are among those who resettled, and have been in Albany for three months with seven of their eight children. Though they are grateful for the sense of safety they now feel, the family said in a recent interview with Documented’s Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio that the transition has been tough. Read more on Documented.
