The Newcomers


Penny Schwab, Mexican-American Ministries
"Banks are extremely intimidating to newer arrivals in this country," said Penny Schwab, executive director of Mexican-American Ministries. "Most of them use pawn shops as their bank. The credit union and banks have worked to make themselves accessible, but it's difficult. Fidelity State Bank worked with a contractor to build affordable housing, but it was still out of reach for most immigrants, who live in trailer parks and in substandard housing."

"Banks are extremely intimidating to newer arrivals in this country."

United Methodist Western Kansas Mexican-American Ministries Care Centers and Clinic serves persons of all races, colors, and faiths through six Care Centers in Western Kansas. The family health care clinic in Garden City Care had more than 15,000 patient visits in 1997. In addition to health care, the center provides food, clothing, emergency assistance, and general assistance to new immigrants.

"I hope Seaboard doesn't come to Garden City," said Schwab. "We've learned a lot from our experience with the meatpacking plants, and it's not all bad. Growth builds upon itself, and economic growth and vitality have come from the plants. Seaboard does offer health insurance to employees after 90 days, as opposed to after six months for IBP. That means more people would come to us and to the hospital emergency room for health care.

"The majority of our clients are from Mexico, but people come to Garden City from everywhere, because they know they can get a job here," said Schwab. "People don't need to speak English to live in Garden City. Seventeen languages and dialects are spoken in the public schools.

"I grew up in Oklahoma and came here almost 30 years ago, kicking and screaming," said Schwab. "Now I know I'll never go back to Oklahoma, and that's all right. If you want to raise your children and grandchildren in the America of the future, Garden City is what it looks like. And I love my work here. After twelve years of doing this, I'm still having fun at it."

"If you want to raise your children and grandchildren in the America of the future, Garden City is what it looks like."

Levita Rohlman, Catholic Agency for Migration and Refugee Services
"The immigration system is difficult and complex," said Levita Rohlman, director of the Catholic Agency for Migration and Refugee Services. She has recently dealt with people from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Belize, but overall the numbers of individuals seeking political asylum in the United States are down.

"Refugee status is granted outside of the United States to individuals who have fled from persecution in their homelands. Persecution covers ethnicity, religion, race and political philosophies," said Rohlman. "Congress sets the numerical limits for refugees arriving into the U.S. each year, as well as the number of immigrants who will legally immigrate to join family members. Immediate family members of U.S. citizens have the highest priority and shortest wait to legally immigrate. Other family members often have a five- to ten-year wait for an immigrant visa.

"Things tend to move in cycles--in the early '80s we had lots of Southeast Asian refugees here. Asians have a great bamboo network, and for a while we had lots of fishermen who came and worked for three or four years and saved money. Then they went to the Texas or California coast, where the geography and climate felt more familiar. They bought boats and started fishing businesses.

"Becoming a citizen is a five-year process with a lot of hoops," said Rohlman. "People have to read, write and speak English, and know about the history and government of the United States. People who come here with a third or fourth grade education and who don't speak English have a hard time with it.

"Becoming a citizen is a five-year process with a lot of hoops."

"Most Asians who come here want to become citizens. Southeast Asian refugees know that they're never going home. They break their ties and emotional attachment to their home country, and psychologically immigrate. Many Mexicans come here to earn a living, and feel that home is still just across the border."

Kam Virachack, Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association
Kam Virachack's office is in the trailer park on the east side of town. "It's a tough neighborhood," he said, "but it's getting better." Virachack is program director of the Southeast Asian Mutual Assistant Association, which provides aid to refugees. He estimates that about 90 percent of the Southeast Asians in Garden City live in the trailer park. "Rent is $350 per month, and people can save money here," he said.

The Southeast Asians are from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, countries that have a long history of being enemies. "When the meatpacking plant first opened, it was difficult," said Virachack. "People who had to work next to one another didn't trust one another, but that's changed. We had a Laotian and a Vietnamese person working in my office, and at first they hated each other and had fights. Now they have become friends.

"People need to be educated to use the banking system here. When they first came, no one put their money in banks. They came from a place where there was corruption, where people would run away with their money. Asians pool their money in family groups. One Laotian group bought 24 new Toyotas all at once. They borrowed money from a bank and paid it back in a year and a half. Here, the banking community has let it be known that they care about the Asian community.

"People need to be educated to use the banking system here."

"There are fewer Asians here now than in the past," said Virachack. "Some have moved to Wichita to work in technology assembly plants. Some moved to Texas, for jobs with less pay but also less pressure than at the meatpacking plants. Some who went to Texas have come back to Garden City, though--they liked it better here.

"Southeast Asian people are excited about the idea of Seaboard coming to Garden City," said Virachack. "The competition could result in better places to work and a better community. For families who care about education, this is a good place to live. The schools are good, and they accept refugees really well. I respect that.

"The Asian and Mexican communities don't get along with one another particularly," Virachack said, "but they don't fight, either. They have different priorities, different tastes. The Mexican people get more involved in the community. Vietnamese and Laotian people don't get involved. There are some Chinese who get involved in politics, but they've been here longer, 100 years.

"People from Southeast Asia feel that we have come to live in someone else's house," said Virachack. "We know we have a right to speak, and many are becoming citizens, but we must respect the ways of the place to which we have come. I'm glad to be here, and I want to do the best I can at whatever I can, and be the best that I can be."

"We must respect the ways of the place to which we have come."