Shooting Rampage at Immigration Center

It is a tragic day. In a small town with few immigrants, in a small building where immigrants went to get help, a gunman opened fire and took the lives of at least 12 people, then his own.

Binghamton, a small community in upstate New York,  now has to handle a massacre like this. With a population of 43,000, 80 percent white and only 8 percent foreign born, it will take a long time to heal.

Fox News reported the shooter was Jiverly Voong, of Asian descent. Early indication suggests that he was rather familiar with the center. Nobody knows why he did it. And there is a chance we will never know.

American Civic Association in Binghamton offers citizenship classes, family reunification, translators and other services to new immigrants and refugees. According to a page at refugees.org:

The American Civic Association (ACA) was founded in 1939 by a group of immigrants to provide aid and support to refugees, immigrants, and the community as a whole. ACA is a not-for-profit member agency of the Broome and Tioga Counties’ United Way. ACA is the only organization in Central New York State recognized by the Bureau of Immigration (BIA) to provide immigration assistance.

Our hearts go out to the victims and their families.

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