Roma say they came to Pa. to flee persecution

CALIFORNIA, Pa. — The arrival of about 40 Romanian asylum seekers to this small Monongahela Valley community remains the talk of the town a day after more than 150 residents packed a borough council meeting to voice questions and concerns about their presence.

The new arrivals, meanwhile, were keeping a low profile Friday, saying in interviews that they came here to seek freedom from persecution in their

homeland and are now undergoing the legal process of seeking asylum.

They call themselves Roma or Gypsies, a group distinct from ethnic Romanians. The Roma are a minority in many European countries, where they often experience prejudice and culture clashes.

Ali George, 24, a native of Bucharest, said they were drawn to California by the same things that might attract anyone — a friendly, inexpensive place to live.

“We left our country, not because we are poor,” said a friend of Mr. George, who did not want to give his name. “We left because of racism and we’re seeking political asylum.”

The number of them staying in California temporarily swelled when Roma from other states gathered to mourn the brother of a new resident here who was killed in an accident in Romania. One of the visitors said they are Orthodox Christians and that it’s important for them to gather family together to pray in times of tragedy.

The influx of visitors, though, has alarmed some residents, some of whom spoke at the Thursday night meeting.

Somecomplained of public defecation by the children and said they had seen the newcomers killing chickens and committing traffic violations. Borough police said they could not confirm most of the alleged nuisance crimes.

In borough shops Friday, people were still bringing up the issue, with one man saying, “Where’s Charles Bronson when you need him?” a reference to the movie vigilante.

One lifelong California resident, Geno Tarquinio, said his ancestors immigrated from Italy but they honored the local ways.

“I support refugees,” he added. “It’s just, respect the people who live here.”

A store clerk had a different take.

“When they first came in, I was like, whoa,” she said. “Once you get to know them, not at all” is it a problem.

She said the children are “super sweet” and that Roma are learning local customs. For example, at first they kept using the back door of the store because they couldn’t read “emergency exit only,” she said. Once a sign was put up in their Romani language, “nobody’s touched it since.”

The new arrivals are neither immigrants nor refugees but are in a different legal category, asylum seekers. They are legally present under U.S. law while their cases are processed.

One of the Roma said he and his family traveled from Romania to Mexico and appealed for asylum upon reachingthe U.S. border.

They were processed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and have been released as part of the government’s Alternative to Detention program. Many asylum seekers must await their day in court in detention centers, but others, such as some of the Roma men, can be free while wearing electronic anklets that allow authorities to monitor their movements.

Matthew Lamberti, an attorney with the group Friends of Farmworkers, which works with immigrant communities in Western Pennsylvania, said he isn’t personally involved with the Roma but is familiar with the asylum process.

Unlike refugees, who are resettled from other countries, asylum seekers come to a U.S. point of entry and declare their request for asylum based on persecution in their homelands.

The backlog for cases involving those in detention may be four to six months, longer if a case is appealed, Mr. Lamberti said. For those in Alternative to Detention programs, he said, the wait is longer, with some getting court dates for 2019.

“These people are following the rule of law” by seeking asylum, he said.

According to the most recent figures available, only 10 people from Romania received asylum in 2014. The statistics did not specify their ethnicity.

Nearly all the local Roma are renting apartments from local real estate agent Vito Dentino. The first few Romanians arrived in midMay and contacted Mr. Dentino about renting some of his apartments. Others quickly followed.

Mr. Dentino said after he has spoken to them about keeping trash cleaned up, they have done so.

“I think people around here are just overreacting.”

Mr. Dentino and other residents said that after they had interacted with some of the Romanians, they found them to be pleasant but unaware of American culture and customs.

Several suggested organizing a group of town officials and others, perhaps from CaliforniaUniversity of Pennsylvania, to initiate an outreach andeducation effort.

As many as 100 more Romanians may move to California in the months ahead, Mr. Dentino said.

Anne Sutherland is an anthropology professor at the University of California at Riverside who has studied American Roma since 1968 and has written multiple books about them.

She estimates that 1 million Roma are in the U.S., many of whom are citizens.

Romanian Roma are relatively new arrivals, she said, because they were prohibited from leaving that country until the fall of Communism in 1989.

“They have been very disadvantaged and there is tremendous prejudice against them in Romania,” Ms. Sutherland said.