余麗媖、余宗濤就任紐英崙余風采堂新屆主席

紐英崙余風采堂幹部與嘉賓合影。(周菊子攝)

                      (Boston Orange周菊子波士頓報導) 紐英崙余風采堂12月16日在波士頓華埠會址舉行就職典禮，該公所有史以來首名女性正主席余麗媖，以及新任副主席余宗濤在數十名宗親到賀，波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉出席見證中正式就任。

波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉(右)指出，余麗媖(中)是紐英崙余風采堂有史以來的首名

女性正主席，將和副主席余宗濤(左)將攜手為余氏宗親服務。(周菊子攝)

             余麗媖是波士頓社區知名人士，中國出生，香港長大，1965年移民來美，從州政府職位退休後，和朋友合開”恆業地產”，並積極參與社區服務工作，歷任波士頓華埠獅子會會長，港澳之友社社長，華人經濟發展協會執行理事。

             她從1990年開始加入宗親會，服務熱心，尤其是數年前紐英崙余風采堂遭遇火災，會所內部翻修工程繁瑣，她事必躬親的細心與認真，備受宗親讚揚。2015年時，已高票當選副主席，今年再升一級，成為正主席。

             余宗濤加入余風采堂也已多年，曾經營眼鏡行，現為帝苑大酒樓股東，行事一向低調，今年經宗親慫恿，允諾服務。

退休法官余達明(中)將加入余氏法律顧問行列。(周菊子攝)

             甫於今年當選為世界余氏副總長的余超群，剛從昆士地方法院法官一職退休，應邀加入余風采堂法律顧問行列的余達明，波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉等人，在就職典禮中由借助拼音，完美擔任司儀的余寶愛邀請出列，一一致詞。

             余超群費時一年整理，中英對照，厚200餘頁的全美余風采堂第25屆懇親大會紀念冊，詳實、精美的記載了紐英崙余風采堂於2015年承辦這次懇親大會的盛況，廣獲宗親好評。

今年甫當選為世界余氏副總長的紐英崙余風采堂元老余超群致詞。(周菊子攝)

            由於12月22日就是冬至，余氏婦女部當天特地烹煮湯圓和宗親們分享。傑出宗親，華林太極功夫學校創辦人余翠梅的母親還做了非常特別的白綠相間糕點。

余氏宗親出席就職典禮。

               2019年度的紐英崙余風采堂職員，美東總長文博，元老超群，顧問九人，包括共才，定邦，國濟，積炎，厚利，積驍，景新，國華，建興。主席為麗媖，宗濤，中文書記宗濤夫人，美玲，英文書記寶愛，婉儀，財政定邦夫人，宗濤夫人，積炎，核數國華，樓業主任國濟夫人，國華，康樂燕清，交際國濟夫人，厚利夫人，幹事國濟，法律顧問達明，文博，出席中華景新，積驍，網站主任素欣。婦女部主任艷玲，書記寶玉。(圖片已於18日發表)

僑教中心主任歐宏偉(左一)和余風采堂幹部，右一余寶愛，右三余麗媖，余超群，

余玉山夫婦，後右余建興，後左余景鑫等人圍桌享用湯圓。(周菊子攝)

             

僑教中心主任歐宏偉(左起)稱讚余玉山夫人做的點心精緻，好吃。余玉山(右)感到

與有榮焉。(周菊子攝)

一華裔女子走私人口賣淫、洗錢 法官判入獄五年

(Boston Orange)麻州總檢察官奚莉(Maura Healey)今(20)日宣佈，華裔女子陳秀(譯音，Xiu J. Chen)走私人口賣淫、洗錢，罪證確鑿，法官判入獄五年。

歷經5日審訊後，米斗塞郡(Middlesex)高等法院法官Bruce R. Henry在12月19日判38歲的陳秀犯有走私人口賣淫，經營妓院，洗錢等罪狀， 應關入麻州獄五年又一天。出獄後還有3年緩刑，期間不得和受害者或共同被告Ronald Keplin聯繫，也不准在健身房或按摩院等場所工作。

陳秀在貝德福(Bedford)，比樂瑞加(Billerica)，麥德福(Medford)，瑞汀(Reading)，威明頓(Wilmington)及屋本市(Woburn)等五地從事非法活動。

麻州總檢察官辦公室聲稱，63歲住在屋本市的Keplin，在威明頓經營一家身體語言店。陳秀從紐約找來婦女到那兒工作，在網上登廣告，安排所有地點的性交易，並從中獲取財物利益。

            陳秀給那些受害者安排的住處非常擁擠，她們通常都睡在地板上，床墊上，有時候甚至睡在按摩桌上。她還每天接送這些婦女到營業場所去。

            大部分的賣淫所得，都被陳秀拿走了，用來付租金，水電費，廣告費等等。她還把多餘的錢藏在一些店裏。警方在陳秀家裏發現30萬元現金。

這案件是由麻州總檢察官辦公室的人口走私小組承辦。自從2012年人口走私法生效以來，該小組已控訴40多名個人。麻州總檢察官奚莉曾經提議立法禁止在麻州開設理療店。

MEDFORD WOMAN FOUND GUILTY, SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR RUNNING EXTENSIVE HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND MONEY LAUNDERING OPERATION

Victims Slept in Overcrowded Conditions, often on Massage Tables or Mattresses on the Floor

WOBURN – A Medford woman has been found guilty and sentenced to five years in state prison for running an extensive human trafficking and money laundering operation, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today. The criminal enterprise included illegal activity in Bedford, Billerica, Medford, Reading, Wilmington and Woburn.

On Dec. 3, after a five-day trial, a Middlesex Superior Court jury found Xiu J. Chen, 38, guilty of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude (6 counts), Conspiracy to Traffic Persons for Sexual Servitude (6 counts), Deriving Support from Prostitution (5 counts), Keeping a House of Ill Fame (5 counts) and Money Laundering (4 counts).

On Wednesday, Middlesex Superior Court Judge Bruce R. Henry sentenced Chen to five years to five years and a day in state prison, with three years of probation after completion of her sentence, during which she cannot have contact with the victims or her codefendant, Ronald Keplin, and cannot work in bodywork or massage establishments.

“This defendant operated an extensive and lucrative criminal enterprise by setting up massage parlors as fronts for human trafficking and bringing victims to Massachusetts to engage in sex,” said AG Healey. “We will continue to investigate and prosecute those who exploit and prey on others to make a profit.”

Chen was arrested in May 2013 after an investigation by Massachusetts State Police assigned to the AG’s Office and agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from various local police departments. Chen was indicted by a Middlesex Superior Grand jury in June 2013.

Chen operated multiple businesses portrayed as massage parlors that were in fact fronts for an extensive human trafficking and money laundering operation. Chen characterized and advertised these businesses as providing “bodyworks” services. Those businesses were:

·         Bedford Asian Bodywork a/k/a Bedford Wellness Center – Bedford, MA

·         Shrine Spa a/k/a Billerica Bodywork a/k/a Boston Chinese Club – Billerica, MA

·         Mystic Health Center – Medford, MA

·         Body Wellness Center – Reading, MA

·         Asian Bodywork a/k/a Woburn Wellness Bodywork – Woburn, MA

The AG’s Office alleges that Keplin, 63, of Woburn, ran Body Language in Wilmington. Chen was convicted of trafficking victims at that location. 

During the course of the investigation, authorities developed evidence indicating that Chen was the leader of this operation and, through the businesses, offered commercial sexual activity between women and clients in exchange for a fee.

Chen recruited the women from New York to work in the parlors, advertised commercial sexual activity online, set up the appointments for all locations, and managed the financial aspects of the organization.

Chen arranged for overcrowded housing where the victims typically slept on mattresses on the floor, or in some instances on the massage tables at the businesses. She also helped facilitate the daily transportation of the women to and from the businesses.

Chen received the majority of the profits from these sexual encounters and used that money to perpetuate the criminal enterprise, including supporting the daily operations of the businesses like paying rent, utility bills, and for advertisements. Chen also hid excess cash in the some of the parlors, and police found over $300,000 cash in Chen’s home. 

The case against Keplin is ongoing.

This case was handled by the AG’s dedicated Human Trafficking Division, which focuses on policy, prevention and criminal prosecutions. Through that division, the AG’s Office has charged more than 40 individuals in connection with human trafficking since the law went into effect in 2012. AG Healey has proposed legislationto close the current “bodyworks loophole” in Massachusetts. 

The trial was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Nancy Rothstein and Kristy Lavigne, through the AG’s Human Trafficking Division, with assistance from Victim Witness Advocate Rebecca Quigley, Director of the AG’s Financial Investigations Division Sallyann Nelligan, Digital Evidence Laboratory Analyst Kenneth McCarthy, Paralegal Sindhu Kadhiresan and Special Assistant Attorney General Samuel Parnell. The investigation was conducted by Massachusetts State Police assigned to the AG’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and investigators with the Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure. 

FORMER BOSTON POLICE OFFICER SENTENCED IN CONNECTION WITH STRAW PURCHASES OF FIREARMS

FORMER BOSTON POLICE OFFICER SENTENCED

IN CONNECTION WITH STRAW PURCHASES OF FIREARMS

BOSTON – A former Boston Police Officer was sentenced today in federal court in Boston with illegally purchasing two firearms on behalf of acquaintances. 

Adarbaad Karani, 38, of West Roxbury, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to three months in prison and one year of supervised release. In September 2018, Karani was convicted following a five-day jury trial of two counts of making a false statement during the purchase of firearms and two counts of making a false statement in a record.

On two different occasions, in November 2014 and September 2015, Karani acted as the “straw purchaser” of two firearms, a Glock, model 27, .40 caliber pistol and a Glock, model 30S, .45 caliber pistol, which he purchased for two acquaintances. Karani purchased the firearms, which cannot be acquired by civilians, using his police identification and falsely certified that the firearms were for his official police use. During one purchase, Karani also indicated that the firearm was not for resale. One of the firearms that Karani purchased was subsequently stolen from the person on whose behalf Karani bought the gun. The firearm was recovered by law enforcement during the arrest of Desmond Crawford, an alleged member of the Columbia Point Dawgs.

Straw purchases interfere with firearm regulation and recordkeeping, and federal law prohibits making false statements to a firearms dealer in connection with the sale of a firearm.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Kelly Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner William Gross made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia M. Carris of Lelling’s Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case.

MAYOR WALSH RELEASES OFFICE OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL REPORT OUTLINING RESULTS AND NEW INITIATIVES

MAYOR WALSH RELEASES OFFICE OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL REPORT OUTLINING RESULTS AND NEW INITIATIVES

Over 100 community organizations provided workforce development programming to Boston residents

BOSTON - Thursday, December 20, 2018 - The Mayor's Office of Workforce Development (OWD) channeled over $14 million to more than 100 local organizations that provided job training, education, career coaching, English instruction, youth programs, and apprenticeship opportunities to Boston residents from July 2017 to June 2018, according to the newly-released Fiscal Year 2018 OWD Annual Report. "All Boston residents deserve the opportunity to participate in our city's growing economy," said Mayor Walsh. "The Office of Workforce Development has carved pathways for workers to develop their talents, practice job-specific skills, and advance in the workforce. Through programs like these, we will continue to create opportunities for everyone in our city." "This year's annual report shows how much we can accomplish through partnership and innovative thinking," said Trinh Nguyen, Director of the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development (OWD). "Over the past year, we've worked with nonprofits, public sector institutions, and private companies to create a variety of different career ladders for hard-working Bostonians." The report, FY18 Annual Report: A Better Boston for Everyone, features many of the different participants who strengthen Boston's workforce development system, including employers, workers, students, researchers, and public servants. Also highlighted are several new OWD initiatives of the past fiscal year: City Academy - a job training program to prepare residents for quality careers with the City of Boston Facilities maintenance apprenticeship - a paid apprenticeship for maintenance technicians with property manager WinnResidential Boston Builds Credit - a series of free credit-building workshops for Boston residents EMT apprenticeship - a paid apprenticeship for emergency medical technicians with Boston EMS BostonHires - a hiring campaign to place Boston residents in living wage jobs with benefits The report also includes results of ongoing programs. For example, the Boston Tax Help Coalition - a division of OWD - provided free tax preparation services that returned $24 million in refunds to more than 12,000 workers in Fiscal Year 2018. The MassHire Career Centers in Boston, under OWD's financial oversight, served more than 15,000 job seekers with such career services as workshops, networking events, and job fairs. Those clients placed in jobs earned an average wage of $21.61 per hour. Che Robinson is a Mattapan resident who started a new career this year as part of the facilities maintenance technician apprenticeship with WinnResidential. "I have been trying to get in jobs like this for a while," said Robinson. "But I didn't have enough experience. I was getting overlooked." In his apprenticeship, he's able to earn a living wage and benefits while picking up new skills in areas ranging from HVAC to carpentry to electrical - skills he hopes to share with his teenage son. "The possibilities are on me and how far I want to take it," said Robinson. "That's why I'm excited." OWD is an affiliate of the Boston Planning & Development Agency. About the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development The Mayor's Office of Workforce Development (OWD) is an innovative agency within the Boston Planning & Development Agency that seeks to ensure the full participation of all Boston residents in the city's economic vitality and future. The OWD funds and oversees programs that promote workforce development through education, jobs training, apprenticeships, financial coaching, career pathways, literacy initiatives, and the like. Please visitOWD.Boston.Gov to learn more about the OWD's work.

Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Announces End of Term Report

Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Announces End of Term Report

BOSTON – Today, Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Polito, Chair of the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, released an end of term report highlighting goals, accomplishments and next steps for the Council. The Council was launched in April 2015 through Executive Order 563, to advise the Governor on how to help residents of the Commonwealth live a life free of sexual assault and domestic violence by improving prevention and enhancing support for individuals and families affected by sexual assault and domestic violence.

“As a Commonwealth, we must keep working to end domestic violence and sexual assault, and I applaud the Council for the strong recommendations in this report that will bring awareness to this issue,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “I thank Lt. Governor Polito for her leadership, outstanding work and dedication as chair of the Council.”

“I am proud of the progress the Council has made in challenging the tragic reality of sexual assault and domestic violence that so many individuals and families endure,”said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “I look forward to continuing to work with members of the Council to implement more strategies to prevent sexual assault and provide support services for survivors.”

In August 2016, the Council announced five work groups based on identified priorities – Assessment and Response; Child Trafficking; Military, Veterans and Families; Housing Stability and Self-Sufficiency; and Prevention and Education. In December 2017, Lt. Governor Polito announced a 2018 Action Plan and deliverables for each of the five Council work groups. The report released today details the 2018 accomplishments in partnership with the five work groups with a status update on all action items and provides an overview of the development of the first statewide public awareness campaign in almost 20 years which is expected to be launched in the Spring 2019.

Assessment and Response Work Group: Goals: Provide recommendations for a Law Enforcement Domestic Violence (DV) Toolkit pilot program and create guidelines/best practices for domestic violence high risk teams (including law enforcement, District Attorneys, and intimate partner abuse organizations). Accomplishments include:

• Developed domestic violence assessment and strangulation tools to be used by law enforcement on all domestic violence responses, which incorporate national best practices and align with Massachusetts statutes.

• Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) led the original pilot program with four communities—Greenfield, Foxboro, Quincy, and Woburn—in 2017. Worksheets were also imbedded into MPTC annual in-service trainings for veterans officers as well as the updated Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Guidelines.

• Identified opportunities for improvement resulting in the creation of the Toolkit; Toolkit includes DV Assessment Worksheet, Sample Memoranda of Understanding (MOU), Sample Roles and Responsibilities, Sample Policies and Procedures, and Strangulation Worksheet. The Toolkit expanded into Barnstable, Hampden, Berkshire, Norfolk, Worcester and Bristol Counties in October 2018.

• Completed Guidelines for Massachusetts’ 28 domestic violence High Risk Teams.

Next Steps: In partnership with the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) and MPTC, coordinate attendance for Regional Chief’s meetings across Massachusetts to discuss the Toolkit in 2019 and determine the final draft of the guidelines and best practices for domestic violence High Risk Teams and establish a distribution process.

Child Trafficking Work Group: Goals: Research best practice child trafficking policies and programs across the United States and provide updates on the work of the Massachusetts Child Welfare Trafficking Grant (MACWTG); explore opportunities to expand Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) training, policies, and practices to Department of Youth Services (DYS) and Department of Mental Health (DMH); improve and identify opportunities for collaboration between High Risk Unit and State Police Specialty Units under the new Massachusetts State Police (MSP) 5^th Division; identify opportunities to expand training in identification, response, and supports for CSEC cases. Accomplishments include:

• In partnership with the MACTWG and Northeastern University, Dr. Amy Farrell conducted research on best practices across the U.S. emphasizing child trafficking responses within state child welfare/protection systems due to an outgrowth of questions arising from the work of the grant.

• The Department of Youth Services (DYS) established an internal Human Trafficking Training and Policy Work Group with representation from each of the five regions of DYS operation. The Work Group is comprised of regional representatives with clinical, residential and community-based expertise with a specific interest in working on human trafficking issues and prior or current involvement in the Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDT) and/or human trafficking- related activities in their regions. The Work Group also includes members of the DYS Executive Team (General Counsel) and Senior Staff (Director of Victim Services and Employee Support Services).

• The Department of Mental Health’s (DMH) Division of Child Youth and Family Services created an Internal CSEC Work Group comprised of staff from all five regions, representing a range of expertise and disciplines, including clinical social workers, a coordinator of family driven practice, and two child psychiatrists. All members of the Work Group have previously attended the “Understanding and Responding to the CSEC” training provided by My Life My Choice, which focuses on CSEC girls.

• A MSP Commonwealth Fusion Center (CFC) Intelligence Analyst has been assigned to assist the High Risk Victims Unit (HRVU); analysts can provide all types of specialized case support including toll analysis. Additionally, the HRVU works closely with the MSP Cyber Crime Unit regarding evidence extraction.

Next Steps: Transition stewardship of the various established MACWTG meetings over to Massachusetts Children’s Alliance (MACA) who will also be managing the Victim of Crime Act (VOCA) grant-funded CSEC Coordinators in each county. The DYS internal work group is working towards finalizing language for amended policies and establishing a training plan and schedule. The DMH internal work group will review the landscape analysis and full report of national research on Specialized Residential Placement for Child Trafficking by Northeastern University to identify interventions, responses and characteristics of specialized residential programs. Every County MDT and CSEC Steering Committee will have a DMH and DYS representative. The DMH internal work group will plan a Spring 2019 CSEC Conference for state agency and providers to educate staff about needs of CSEC, the availability of specialized resources and to share best practices. When the online training course is finalized, MSP HRVU will collaborate with MPTC to disperse the training to all law enforcement and plan a one-day training seminar for law enforcement in 2019.

Veterans, Military and Families Work Group: Goals: Have a military representative in attendance at annual trainings and meetings for civilian intimate partner abuse education programs and collaborate with the Office for Victims of Crime for technical assistance (OVC TTAC) in creating best practice military-civilian sexual assault and domestic violence training. Accomplishments include:

• As of October 2018, all four trainings were completed. The trainings were held in Springfield, Framingham, Chelmsford and at Otis Air Base.

• As of October 2018, all four Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center (OVCTTAC) Training were completed

• Created Regional Resource Booklet to serve as a guide for updated contact information throughout the Commonwealth, which will better assist in supporting community collaborations. Each training attendee received a copy of the Regional Resource Booklet.

• Due to identified need for collaboration, military representatives from the Family Advocacy Program attended the annual Intimate Partner Abuse Education Program (IPAEP) meeting.

Next steps: The Department of Public Health will work with military representatives to ensure continued attendance at future IPAEP meetings, advance policies and procedures, and partner with military supports. The Work Group will discuss future collaboration amongst Departments within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), EOPSS and Jane Doe, Inc. to explore opportunities for policy development, training and best practices, enhancing community collaborations and supports for military-affiliated survivors.

Housing Stability and Self-Sufficiency Work Group: Goals: Increase collaboration between sexual assault and domestic violence and shelter/housing systems and subsidized housing models to promote existing best practice solutions and expand housing options and review implementation of 2013 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization. Accomplishments include:

• Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and co-chairs began discussions surrounding collaborative summits as a possibility for 2019.

• DHCD included SADV-related questions in their program listening tours and internal work group efforts.

• MassHousing and local providers took the lead in conducting cross trainings regionally; there have been 6 trainings to date.

• MassHousing partnered with Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) to include Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Emergency Transfer Waiting List Preference information on MassAccess Affordable Housing Registry.

Next Steps: MassHousing is finalizing a VAWA Handbook for use by private and public housing providers and victims service providers and will incorporate the handbook in future trainings. MassHousing is planning regional resource forums for housing management staff to learn about domestic and sexual violence services and a conference in June.

Prevention and Education Work Group: Goals: Complete sexual and intimate partner violence prevention and awareness “Skills Chart” across educational sectors and develop plan for adoption and implementation. Accomplishments include:

• Compiled and reviewed existing research and resources both nationally and locally.

• Designed a skills chart with a focus on student skills, ranging from pre-kindergarten through higher education.

• Submitted the group’s final draft of Skills Chart to Council and the Executive Office of Education (EOE), who are currently editing the document.

Next Steps: EOE is currently reviewing the final draft of the Skills Chart.

Public Awareness Campaign Steering Committee: Goals: Gather a small panel of experts from around the Commonwealth to work with a vender to assist in developing an awareness campaign; identify the campaign’s target audience and resources for support; and assist in monitoring the quality of the project as it develops. Accomplishments include:

• In June 2018, Council’s Executive Director worked with EOHHS and DPH to draft a campaign timeline.

• DPH selected MORE Advertising, a female-led organization

• Members of the Public Awareness Campaign Steering Committee were selected in Fall 2018

• First official meeting with the Work Group and MORE Advertising was held on October 19, 2018

Next Steps: The Steering Committee will present research findings at the next meeting in January. The campaign will be launched by Spring 2019.

For the full report, click here.

The Council will further partner with the Baker-Polito Administration as implementation of these accomplishments continues and new initiatives develop.

The Council is chaired by the Lt. Governor, and membership consists of up to 30 individuals appointed by the Governor and Lt. Governor, plus more than 80 work group members. Council members represent advocacy organizations, direct service providers, criminal justice agencies, and reflect the state’s geographic and cultural diversity. The Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Housing and Economic Development, Public Safety and Security, Education, and Labor and Workforce Development each appoint staff members to the Council. The Governor and Lt. Governor appointed an Executive Director, who is responsible for the administrative functions of the Council, organizing work groups, and executing the Council’s responsibilities.

CAPAC Members Lead Letter to Sec. Nielsen Demanding End to Detention and Deportation of Southeast Asian Refugees

CAPAC Members Lead Letter to Sec. Nielsen Demanding End to Detention and Deportation of Southeast Asian Refugees

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), CAPAC Immigration Task Force Chair, led 53 Members of Congress in sending a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen demanding an end to the detention and deportation of Southeast Asian refugees and families.

“We are concerned that the recent retaliatory visa sanctions from the Trump Administration pressuring Cambodia and Laos to accept deported people have propelled these mass detentions and deportations. Additionally, we are also concerned that the Administration’s reinterpretation of the 2008 bilateral agreement between the United States and Vietnam will also lead to increased detentions and deportations of Vietnamese Americans,” said the Members.

“It is troubling to see Southeast Asian American families being targeted at unprecedented levels. We urge you to reexamine policies on the arbitrary detention and deportation of Southeast Asian Americans who prove no threat to public safety, are interwoven into our communities, and support U.S. citizen families. We urge you to use prosecutorial discretion to ensure that our finite resources are not being wasted to tear families apart and deport individuals who have transformed their lives after serving their sentences,” the Members continued.

CDFI Fund Announces Nearly $25 Million in Bank Enterprise Awards for Increased Investments in Highly Distressed Communities

December 19, 2018

Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) announced nearly $25 million in awards to 119 banks for increasing investments benefiting economically distressed communities across the nation. The awards were made through the fiscal year (FY) 2018 round of the Bank Enterprise Award Program (BEA Program).

The BEA Program is a performance-based grant program that provides monetary awards to FDIC-insured depository institutions that successfully demonstrate an increase in their investments in mission-driven lenders, known as Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), or in the depository institutions’ own lending, investing, or service activities in highly distressed communities.

“These banks are lending in the most highly distressed communities – where at least 30 percent live at or below the national poverty level and where the unemployment rate is at least 1.5 times the national average,” said CDFI Fund Director Annie Donovan. “This round, BEA Program award recipients provided $56.9 million in equity investments, loans, certificates of deposit and/or technical assistance to 53 certified CDFIs, which is nearly 2.5 times the amount provided the last round.”

Collectively, during the one-year assessment period, these 119 depository institutions increased their loans and investments in distressed communities by nearly $578 million; increased their loans, deposits, and technical assistance to CDFIs by $38.6 million; increased their equity and equity-like loans and grants to CDFIs by $16.7 million; and increased the provision of financial services in highly distressed communities by $6.8 million..

Furthering this impact, the nearly $25 million awarded today will be re-invested into highly distressed communities, as well as CDFIs. Of the 119 depository institutions awarded funding, 86 have committed to deploying approximately $3.4 million, or 13.6 percent of award dollars, in Persistent Poverty Counties which exceeds the Congressional mandate of 10 percent.  Under the FY 2018 round of the BEA Program, the CDFI Fund received 124 applications from FDIC-insured depository institutions across the nation that requested $218.1 million in funding, the highest amount requested in program history. 

MAYOR WALSH APPOINTS NATALIA URTUBEY AND CELINA BARRIOS-MILLNER TO LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

MAYOR WALSH APPOINTS NATALIA URTUBEY AND CELINA BARRIOS-MILLNER TO LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

BOSTON - Wednesday, December 19, 2018 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the appointments of Natalia Urtubey as Director of Small Business, and Celina Barrios-Millner as Director of Equity and Inclusion in the Mayor's Office of Economic Development.  Under the direction of Chief of Economic Development John Barros, Urtubey will continue implementation of the 2016 Citywide Small Business Plan to ensure that Boston is an attractive and accessible place for small businesses to grow and thrive. Barrios-Millner will oversee the newly created Inclusion and Equity Unit, which leads the implementation of the Economic Inclusion and Equity Agenda to create access to opportunity for women and people of color by focusing city policy on income and employment, wealth creation, business development, and economic mobility. "Ensuring a thriving, equitable economy that benefits all Bostonians has always been a top priority for this administration. Since creating the Economic Development office in 2014, we have been able to foster economic inclusion and equity by eliminating barriers and creating opportunities for residents to build wealth and a sustainable future here in the City of Boston," said Mayor Walsh. "Through Natalia's leadership and creativity on Imagine Boston 2030, and Celina's breadth of knowledge and successful policy track record, I am very confident these two units will work hand-in-hand on implementing smart, innovative policy and remain strong advocates for opportunity for all Boston residents and businesses." Urtubey's extensive knowledge of Boston's neighborhoods and small business community will complement her experience in creating growth strategies and building partnerships across community stakeholders. She will manage a 12-person staff focused on tracking and producing research on local and national trends to inform decision making about small business development tools, coordinating with local residents and existing businesses to ensure that there is a strategic and policy-driven approach to growth without displacement, and working with residents and other city officials to remove any barriers to do business in the City of Boston. Through initiatives aimed at supporting small businesses and neighborhood wealth creation, the Small Business Unit works with small businesses throughout the city via direct services and a strong partnership with the Boston Main Streets Foundation and its 20 neighborhood-based 501(c)3 organizations. Urtubey will manage and oversee the distribution for over $3 million in small business resources under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, over $3 million in investment in small businesses within and outside of the 20 Main Streets Districts, and direct and implement Mayor Walsh's 2016 Small Business Plan to provide coordinated service delivery and economic opportunity for Boston's 40,000 small businesses. Previously, Urtubey served as the Executive Director of Imagine Boston 2030, working to implement the first citywide planning process in over 50 years, and was responsible for ensuring it was representative of Boston residents' vision and concerns. In this role, Urtubey was instrumental in keeping the process visible and accessible to all Bostonians, bringing community leaders together, and identifying opportunities for collaboration. Originally from Colombia, Urtubey helped launch the City's first Latinx Employee Resource Group. Celina Barrios-Millner will lead the new Equity and Inclusion Unit within the Mayor's Office of Economic Development, and is tasked with implementing Mayor Walsh's Economic Inclusion and Equity Agenda and overseeing the City's efforts to connect local residents, veterans, and people of color to economic opportunity through the Boston Resident Jobs Policy (BRJP) and the Certification and Contracts programs. In this role, Barrios-Miller's two decades of experience in creating opportunities in disenfranchised communities through community engagement and strategic policy development will guide her 17 member team in managing and enforcing BRJP on City of Boston and BPDA construction projects to ensure local residents can benefit from the over $15 billion in development in the pipeline and connect minority and women-owned enterprises (MWBEs) to millions of dollars in economic opportunities through procurement. "The work of our Equity and Inclusion Unit is not only key to achieving a just society, but it's also a strategic imperative for our economy. Boston is growing, and the work Celina will be leading is essential to ensuring shared prosperity in every corner of our city," said Chief John F. Barros. I look forward to strategically shaping these two units' work to ensure broad, sustainable economic inclusion and believe Celina and Natalia will work side-by-side to create access and implement smart policies." Originally from Venezuela, Barrios-Millner most recently led Immigrant Integration efforts for the City of Boston where she provided strategic direction to departments to ensure that immigrant residents and their needs are at the forefront of policy and program design. Previously, she led Partnership Development for the State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance (SOMWBA) to generate business opportunities and resources for certified woman (WBE) and minority-owned businesses (MBE). Created in 2014, the Mayor's Office of Economic Development is a one-stop resource for all businesses in the City of Boston, which promotes policies that help businesses grow while fostering economic inclusion and equity. Divided into three focus areas, the office also includes the Business Strategy Unit, which is focused on attracting, engaging, and retaining global organizations and partnerships, as well as managing and expanding Boston's light industrial and manufacturing sector. Milestones include the development of the city's first ever Economic Inclusion and Equity Agenda, publication of the city's first Small Business Report, launch of the Small Business Resource Center, passage of an updated Boston Residents Job Policy with elevated develop standard for hiring and building in Boston, and new Neighborhood Business Access Loans. The Economic Development Cabinet includes the Boston Planning and Development Agency, Office of Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment, the Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing, and the Office of Workforce Development. Together, these offices work together to ensure Boston an appealing and accessible place for working families, entrepreneurs, businesses, and investors to innovate, grow, and thrive in a way that fosters inclusion, broadens opportunity, and shares prosperity, thereby enhancing the quality of life for Bostonians and the experience for all visitors.