After leaving Burma in 2010, a family of five moved several times before finding a community of fellow immigrants in Indiana, who helped them become citizens of their new country.
No and Deborah Thawng left Burma to come to the U.S., with stays in Michigan, Texas and Kentucky. Coming to Indiana was a blessing because of how many other Chin people have settled here, giving them a large group of fellow immigrants that they can rely on for help, No Thawng said.
The family is one of many that has fled their home country due to the threat of persecution. The Chin people are an ethnic and religious minority in Burma. The majority are Christians in a country that is predominantly Buddhist.
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Because of that, they face discrimination and persecution ranging from limits on what jobs they are able to have to mistreatment at the hands of the police and military, said Joshua Lian, a volunteer teacher at Hope for Tomorrow.
Hope for Tomorrow, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit, works to help refugees from Burma as they adjust to living in the U.S., said executive director Justin Thang. In the past year, 38 adult students in their classes have taken and passed the U.S. citizenship test, he said.
For people who have left their homes to come to a new country, gaining citizenship is an essential part of establishing their new lives in the U.S., Thang said.
Students who passed the test, and others still preparing to earn U.S. citizenship, met for a ceremony Saturday evening at Freedom Park in Greenwood. Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers thanked the new citizens for their dedication and courage in coming to their new home, saying that their experiences leave the U.S. and Greenwood better.
“I can’t tell you just how much your dedication means to me,” Myers said.
Besides assistance with obtaining U.S. citizenship, Hope for Tomorrow also provides after-school care and summer tutoring for children and works to connect Burmese immigrants with other services that can help them as they adjust to life in the U.S., Thang said.
The largest challenge Thawng faced in coming to the U.S. is the language barrier, which creates difficulties with everything from finding to work to getting services for his family, he said.
Thawng passed the citizenship test in June, and will take part in a naturalization ceremony later this summer. He credits the help he received from Hope for Tomorrow with enabling him to pass the test in his third attempt and join his wife in getting U.S. citizenship.
Being able to live without fear of persecution is one of the blessings of being in the U.S., Thawng said.
“I feel very proud of my new country,” he said.
The wait to come to the U.S. was lengthy for another family.
Jin Sing and Lalrem Leng both applied to come to the U.S. in 2007, but had to wait five years, including a two-year stay in Malaysia, as they waited for background checks to be done and for others ahead of them on the list.
Becoming a U.S. citizen was like a burden had been lifted off his back, Leng said, since he no long has to worry about having to return to Burma.
