Thanksgiving is a holiday of gratitude, time with your family, and delicious food. It reflects the All-American dream so many citizens strive to achieve. Seeing the people you love and feeling comfortable in the frosty weather, it’s easy to be grateful. This year, at the Ardsley Motel, a Thanksgiving meal was held for asylum seekers who had fallen on hard times.
Being immigrants, struggling to find jobs and stable housing, some might say that this Thanksgiving tradition isn’t for them. The exclusive nature that has been built around much of American culture fails to satisfy the very morals that it is based upon. Unconditional love, and counting one’s blessings – these ideas thrive on community regardless of background. This Thanksgiving, that is what we decided to celebrate.
The organization arranging the event, as well as assisting with housing and job hunting, is called Rivertowns for Refugees. They work with churches, synagogues, and temples all over Westchester to provide resources for immigrants. Recently, a group of Venezuelan immigrants crossed the US border, escaping from poverty, crime, and political repression. Many stayed in Texas before a whopping 39,600 people were relocated to New York a year later in 2022. They were bused up to New York City and sent all over the state, separating hundreds of families in the process- kids put in foster care, elders left separated and jobless. Scattered randomly, people were desperate to pick themselves up with no means of doing so. Forty or so found themselves in Ardsley, Westchester, and, with the help of Rivertowns for Refugees, managed to live in the Ardsley Motel for a little over a year. Unfortunately, the Motel will not be able to serve as permanent housing for those staying there, and soon they will face the task of finding work opportunities and long-term residence. The Thanksgiving feast served not only as a celebration but as a bittersweet goodbye to the asylum seekers as they step into a new chapter.
After safely arriving in Ardsley, the group is only allowed to stay in Ardsley for a year, thanks to generous support from the Ardsley mayor Nancy Kaboolian. Due to the lack of teen programs geared towards asylum seekers in the river towns, the group mostly consisted of adults or families with young children. During this time, Rivertowns for Refugees volunteers and community members from several houses of worship worked to help them with the asylum court process, applying for jobs, and scheduling English classes outside of work hours. That’s something not every community can pull off. In fact, Ardsley has been named a model community for assisting immigrants because of their actions over the past two years. During this period, many family members held two jobs, sometimes even in the kitchen of two different restaurants.
Traveling to a foreign country and acquiring a decently paying job is easier said than done. Communication is essential to job hunting, so English lessons have been an ongoing resource at the motel. An English teacher we spoke with, has been working with the families since their arrival and could not be more proud of their tremendous progress over the months. Originally the program was for adults only, but as time passed, many parents attended classes and she ended up teaching children as well. “Eventually one young lady came in, and she was very bright, she had studied English on her own. I don’t know how old she was, but she was young. She had two young children, one that was maybe eighteen months and one that was three. She arrived later in the season, and when I asked why she hadn’t come earlier her response was that she had no one to take care of her children. After all of the trauma that they had been through, she was too scared to leave them alone. But she took the chance, showing up to class, hoping I wouldn’t throw her out, which I did not. There were some interns taking care of the children during the classes, and eventually, a kind of daycare center formed during class hours. Things just escalated from there.” She admits to growing very attached to her students, young and old. Many of the children have taken their first steps at the motel, learned English at the motel, and watching them grow makes seeing them leave all the more painful.
Although the status of asylum seekers in American politics seems foreboding, the people we spoke to were optimistic- but realistic- about their options for the future. Niall Cain, president of Rivertowns for Refugees, proudly stated that the majority of the families have secured more permanent housing and jobs. Most of their hopes revolve around healthcare, employment, and staying together.
We spoke to many groups about their American dreams. A common thread? Access to healthcare. One elderly man, laughing after ten effortless pushups, seemed unbothered by such problems, however. His secret? As a pastor, he directly spoke to God.
This dinner proved that you really can’t assume much about people unless you directly talk to them. We spoke with new mothers, fathers, sons, and grandparents- all with a unique story to tell. “There is nothing like interacting with people, to really know what they are like.”
How to help:
Donate to Rivertowns for Refugees