Service barriers and respectful practice

Many Eritrean Minnesotans are well established, with long work histories, businesses, churches and community organizations. Others arrived more recently after years in camps or cities in Ethiopia, Sudan or elsewhere. Barriers vary. Some people have limited formal schooling because national service interrupted their education. Some had schooling and professions that are not recognized here. Recent arrivals may be adjusting to housing, work and the benefits system all at once, while also sending money to relatives abroad.

Caution toward government processes is understandable. The Migration Policy Institute reports that the Eritrean government requires members of the diaspora to pay a two percent tax on income, and that people may be asked to sign letters of apology to obtain documents from Eritrean consulates. Eritreans abroad hold a wide range of views about their government, and diaspora politics can be tense. Some people may worry about who will see their information or whether it could reach officials or community members with ties to them. They may be reluctant to discuss where they have lived, how they left, or who their family is.

For DHS staff, the answer is clarity and restraint. Explain why you are asking for information and who will see it. The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act governs how DHS classifies and protects the data it collects, and your program's notices explain people's rights. Collect immigration status only when a program rule requires it. Do not ask about political views, national service, or how someone traveled to the United States. Many people experienced detention, trafficking or loss along the way, and asking them to retell it can cause harm. If someone shares on their own, listen, acknowledge it, and bring the focus back to what they need.

Good questions help: Which language would you like us to use? Would you like the same interpreter next time, or a different one? How would you like your name written? Who would you like involved? Offer Eritrean-led organizations such as the Eritrean Community Center of Minnesota as an option, and refer status questions to immigration legal services.

Fictional case: Freweini, a woman in her twenties who arrived recently after several years in Ethiopia, is applying for services with help from Mark, a county worker. When Mark asks for her previous addresses, she hesitates and asks who will see the information. Mark's form also has an optional comment box where a previous worker had noted a client's reasons for leaving Eritrea. Mark is unsure what to say.

Find the data practices notice (often called a Tennessen warning) that applies to one form you use. Practice explaining it in two or three plain-language sentences, and ask your data practices contact if anything is unclear.

How confident are you in explaining who can see the information you collect? Where would you check if you were not sure?