Today, the same immigration programs that Black immigrants have used to come to the United States are under attack by critics who wish to dismantle or completely end them. These programs are at the heart of diversity within the Black immigrant population.
Ayuong is a former refugee from Sudan, whose family was resettled to Utica, New York, more than 20 years ago; she is now in her third year of dental school at Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry. It is important to protect access to immigration programs across the board that Ayuong and countless others have relied on, from the refugee resettlement program to the Diversity Visa Program, Temporary Protected Status, and the asylum system.