Buffalo’s history is marked by waves of immigrants from places, such as, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Italy, Hungary and Ukraine, and more recently, from Burma, Somalia, Bhutan and Iraq. Many come as immigrants seeking opportunities. Others come as refugees escaping persecution and violence.

Today, Buffalo is still the home of immigrants– and a growing number of refugees. Refugees are changing the face of our community and are a key part of why our population is growing again after a 60 year decline. More than 16,000 refugees have settled in Western New York since 2002.

To share this story, Buffalo Toronto Public Media is producing Making Buffalo Home, a two-year long in-depth digital engagement initiative, to inform and raise awareness of this topic for our entire community. The project aims to help the region develop a better understanding of the shared opportunities and challenges we face together as long-time residents and new immigrants and refugees.

Through this project, we’ll meet some of the newest members of our community through their words, experiences and ideas. We’ll then engage the wider community to have a voice and share their personal perspectives on what it means to live in this country.

The hub for Making Buffalo Home content is this interactive website. Here you’ll find a series of digital-first videos, details on community conversations and Facebook Live events. We’ll highlight food traditions and cultural celebrations, showcase WBFO stories on the subject and explore the larger impact on our community. We’ll also be producing WNED PBS television specials and have an ongoing social media presence.

Together we’ll explore the rich diversity of people who are Making Buffalo Home!

Making Buffalo Home is funded by Rich Products Corporation and Rich Family Foundation.

An immigrant is someone who chooses to come to a foreign country to live permanently. If someone comes to a country without the proper documentation/permission they are referred to as undocumented/illegal immigrants.

A refugee is someone who has fled their country because if they returned they would face serious harm. This person has a documented or "well-founded" fear. Often, they have already been granted asylum as well, although they did not apply as would an actual "asylum seeker."

An asylum seeker is someone who comes to a foreign country who has applied for asylum (protection) due to the fear that if they return to or stay in their home country they will be persecuted or killed. They have to prove that their claim is true, and that they are indeed facing harm if they return.

Immigrants come to America for lots of different reasons. All refugees have come because it's not safe to stay in their home countries and they were invited to resettle in America.

Immigrants have many different residency statuses. All refugees are legal, fully-documented, permanent residents.

Immigrants have varying degrees of work authorization. All refugees are authorized to work and pay taxes.

All refugees are immigrants. Not all immigrants are refugees.

The distinction between a refugee and an asylee is that refugees apply for entry to the U.S. from abroad, and asylees are already in the U.S., legally or illegally, when the application is made. The distinction generally requires that refugees apply for protection from outside their home country, though in some instances the U.S. accepts applications from people while still in their homeland.

Muzamil's Day | PBS FRONTLINE and Firelight Media
In this special episode for kids, FRONTLINE follows a day in the life of Muzamil, a 12-year-old Somali boy growing up in Kenya’s Dadaab Refugee Camp. Producer Bianca Giaever and Reporter Roopa Gogineni bring him questions from American kids about what it’s like growing up in a refugee camp. Are there dentists? A fire department? What is your dreamland? Muzamil takes us through his daily life, answering questions from American kids along the way.

The Capital Pressroom took a snapshot of the issues facing new immigrants and refugees in upstate New York. From how national policy is changing America’s place in the world, to the economic revitalization being pioneered by refugees in Syracuse, we explored how new Americans are creating communities; overcoming challenges and bridging the cultural divide with a panel of experts. What immigration looks like right here, right now.

The panel of experts include:

Sarah F. Rogerson, Associate Professor of Law at Albany Law School and Director of the Immigration Law Clinic;

Abdul Saboor, Match Grant Coordinator at Interfaith Works CNY/Center for New Americans;

Stephen Yale-Loehr, Professor of Immigration Practice at Cornell Law School, and Co-director of the Cornell Law School Asylum Clinic;

Haji Adan, Executive Director of RISE: Refugee & Immigrant Self-Empowerment

Making Buffalo Home is collecting stories of people in our community who have come to America an set roots in Western New York—whether your great grandfather was the first to arrive 100 years ago, or you just began the Buffalo chapter of your story 100 days ago. We want to hear your story too!

We invite you to share a personal photograph or video and write a short narrative to add to our Making Buffalo Home mosaic.

Making Buffalo Home is a two-year, in-depth Buffalo Toronto Public Media engagement initiative to inform and raise awareness of immigration for our entire community. The project aims to help the region develop a better understanding of the shared opportunities and challenges we face together as long-time residents and new immigrants and refugees.

Making Buffalo Home is funded by Rich Products Corporation and Rich Family Foundation.