Bridging Blocks: The immigration debate comes to Northeast Philly

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Northeast Philadelphia includes many immigrant-dominant neighborhoods. In some communities, about half the population is foreign-born, according to the U.S. Census estimates in 2022.

About a dozen neighbors discussed the topic of immigration during a Bridging Blocks community conversation with WHYY News at the Northeast Regional Library on Tuesday.

For residents like Allyson Batista, it’s personal. She married a person born outside the U.S. about 20 years ago.

And yet, her spouse has yet to obtain a green card through no fault of his own. Batista said the system is broken and it’s not discussed enough that immigrants aren’t guaranteed to see a ruling in their cases.

“I think what’s missing is a real understanding of how immigration policy affects real families,” she said.

Batista is also a board member of American Families United, an advocacy organization that promotes a transparent and predictable immigration process.

She said she was interested in the discussion because not all neighbors are welcoming to immigrants.

“I personally love different cultures and different people so I enjoy having and experiencing different foods and customs,” she said. “But I do think depending on where you live in the city these individuals can face criticism.”

Batista said she was pleasantly surprised that most of her neighbors who attended the event were interested in welcoming immigrants and appreciate diversity of culture in the community.

Northeast Philly native Melanie Menkevich has watched her community change “more restaurants, food from different cultures. Different languages are being spoken in schools.”

For Menkevich, that change brought her back to the community since she’s a longtime teacher of English as a second language. She’s now the executive director of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Center for Literacy.

Menkevich said she’s experienced being an outsider in a community when traveling and living abroad. She’s been in situations when the word for something in a foreign language simply escaped her mind.

She hopes that more Philadelphians will offer extra patience and empathy for their neighbors in public in an otherwise fast-paced city — or even help if someone is struggling with directions or trying to purchase something at the store and can’t figure it out.

“Think about how hard it is to be in a place where you don’t understand the cultural norms or the everyday language that is used,” she said.

The next Bridging Blocks conversation, which will also tackle immigration, will take place ono Tuesday, Aug. 20 at the Central Library.