They are coming. Who? Refugees. Every year, the President and Congress determine the arrival quota, the small percentage of refugees who will have a chance to start a new life in the United States during that year. But just because they're coming does not mean they are somehow lucky or that they are even going to make it in our land of opportunity. To have the best shot at success, they need your help. 10 MILLION TO 1 is about the help, direction, and love you can provide to refugees as they arrive in our country and take their first steps toward self-sufficiency. This book describes how you, who have likely grown up in the comfort of America, can welcome a refugee family and get them started on the path to a new and prosperous life as contributing members of our society. You will discover all the steps you need, from meeting them upon arrival at the airport to getting them housing to finding them jobs. Along the way, you will experience personal growth in ways you never imagined. In time, you may witness the ultimate heartwarming outcome when you see the decision, the steps, and the fulfillment as former refugees become citizens of our great nation. Oh, yes, the world is a better place.
10 Million To 1
REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT — A HOW-TO GUIDEBy JEFFREY KIRKBALBOA PRESS
Copyright © 2011 Jeffrey Kirk
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4525-3587-6Contents
Preface..................................................................ixAcknowledgments..........................................................xiiiYour Story...............................................................xviiChapter 1 – Who Are Refugees?......................................1Chapter 2 – Resettling Refugees....................................9Chapter 3 – Getting Started........................................15Chapter 4 – Tasks and Responsibilities.............................26Chapter 5 – Resettlement Time Line.................................67Chapter 6 – The System.............................................73Chapter 7 – Communication..........................................85Chapter 8 – Other Lessons..........................................93Chapter 9 – Refugee Reactions and Responses........................107Chapter 10 – Friendship............................................114Chapter 11 – Maintaining & Celebrating Success.....................121Chapter 12 – Things You Will Discover..............................126Closing Thoughts.........................................................129Appendix A – Frequently Asked Questions............................137Appendix B – Team Skills and Tasks Checklist......................145
Chapter One
WHO ARE REFUGEES?
I was enjoying the afternoon with some of my friends. Suddenly a bomb exploded in our midst. I was, quite literally, blown up. We were all taken away as dead.
In the morgue they discovered that I was still alive. With repeated surgeries, and over a year in the hospital, I was put back together and I was able to walk out. But then I was taken away from my family and held as a prisoner in my homeland. Eventually, with the help of my family, I was able to escape. We fled, becoming refugees. We were separated from friends and family, but at least we were together. We were admitted to the U.S. to start our lives again. With five and a half years in our new home, I became a citizen, thankful for the opportunity for myself, my wife, and my children.
Defining refugees
A refugee is a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country." – The 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention
A refugee is "any person who is outside any country of such person's nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which such person last habitually resided, and who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion." – U.S. Refugee Act of 1980
The one place most people long for is home. To summarize the above definitions, a refugee is someone who cannot go home or is afraid to go home. For refugees, their home is taken away, suddenly, and often by force. Since they must travel quickly and light, they leave the bulk of their possessions behind. They flee to a neighboring country where they may face inhospitable conditions, overcrowded refugee camps, few services, and little welcome. In a short time, they lose their previous lives, their possessions, their friends, and even their families.
There are far too many refugees in the world today. At the beginning of 2011, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recognized roughly 10.3 million refugees of concern to their organization. These refugees are found all around the world, with more than half in Asia and about 20 percent in Africa. As refugees, they live in a variety of different conditions, from well-established camps to makeshift shelters to roaming without shelter. More than half live in urban areas.
It is important to note in light of ongoing immigration discussions, that when refugees arrive in the U.S. they are not illegal immigrants. They do not sneak across our borders in the dark of night. They are not undocumented workers. They do not have to lie about their status or hide from authorities. They arrive in our country by following a lengthy, fully-documented legal process by which they receive most rights and benefits of natural citizens.
How do the refugees get to the United States?
Once the refugees are outside of their home country they are interviewed by staff of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. The UNHCR staff will determine the refugees' status. If they meet the criteria, they are officially documented as refugees and are allowed to remain in the new country. In many situations refugees can live among the people within their new country, but often, due to a large influx of refugees, or economic conditions, or population resentment, or a variety of other conditions within the receiving country, it is necessary for refugees to live in camps.
Whether in camps or living among the citizens, the refugees may wait in limbo for months or years. Sometimes they are able to return home (repatriation). Sometimes they are able to make new lives for themselves in the country where they have taken refuge (local integration).Sometimes they may have to continue living in the harsh conditions of a refugee camp that is overcrowded, has insufficient or inadequate food and water supplies, lacks privacy, suffers from poor sanitation and medical care, and offers little opportunity for education or income generation. This confinement becomes especially problematic if the refugees have to live there for many years, unable to maintain a normal lifestyle.
But sometimes resettlement in another country is possible! While this last option is currently available for less than 1% of all refugees, it is the reason this book was written. Resettlement in a third country opens up possibilities for refugees to begin new lives.
Here is an overview of the process that is followed in the United States ...
Each year the President of the United States consults with Congress and other appropriate agencies to set a quota on the number of refugees who will be allowed to resettle in the U.S. for that year. Not only is there a limit on the total number, but the President may also set a limit on the number of refugees that will be permitted to enter the U.S. from specific parts of the world. Specific nationalities are designated, and processing priorities are established. Then the U.S. Department of State administers the refugee resettlement program. The State Department, using the established guidelines and priorities, determines which refugee cases are eligible for resettlement.
Once eligibility is established, their case moves to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and more specifically to the staff of the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). Here they review each case. Applicants for refugee admission into the United States must meet all of the following criteria:
* They must meet the definition of a refugee contained in the Immigration and Nationality Act; * They must be a member of a refugee group determined by the President to be of special humanitarian concern to the United States; * They must be otherwise admissible under United States law; * They must not be already firmly resettled in any foreign country.
Once DHS/USCIS approves a case, it goes back to the State Department. The State Department finishes reviewing all other requirementsspecifictoeachindividualcase.Thesespecificrequirements include a health evaluation, security screening, an evaluation of potential sponsorship of the refugee family, suitability for travel, and more.
Now that you have a big picture view of the process, let's dig in a little deeper. The State Department administers this program, but how does a refugee get the attention of the State Department to begin with?
It all starts with a referral. In a general sense, these referrals come about in three ways:
1. An organization can refer a refugee. In this case, usually UNHCR makes the referral. It is also possible that a U.S. Embassy or a qualified Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) can make the referral. 2. A refugee can become eligible because they are part of a group of special concern designated by the U.S. 3. A family member in the U.S. files appropriate sponsorship papers with one of the resettlement agencies or with USCIS.
Each of these three referral methods also corresponds to what the U.S. calls its processing priorities. Priority 1 is almost entirely made up of UNHCR referrals. Out of the potentially thousands of refugees resettled each year in the U.S. only a few hundred may come from Embassy or NGO referrals. Priority 1 processing focuses on individual refugees and refugee families. UNHCR may make referrals for refugees because the refugee is specifically asking to be resettled after registering as a refugee. On the other hand, UNHCR may discover a need during the refugee registration that would best be served by resettlement.
Unlike Priority 1, Priority 2 focuses on persons who are members of specific groups. The UNHCR and U.S. may work together to jointly determine these groups based on specific needs. The U.S. may also designate some groups independently. In either case, the U.S., the President and Congress make this determination. In Priority 2, it is possible that the U.S. will designate someone as a refugee even though they are still in their home country. An example of direct placement may be a Cuban resettled directly from Cuba. If UNHCR refers a group, those are always coming from the second country, the country to which the refugee fled. An example of this would be Burmese refugees within the camps of Thailand. However, just because they are part of the group does not mean they will be resettled automatically. Resettlement is never forced. In other words, an ethnic Burmese living in a Thai camp must still express an interest in resettlement before anything else can happen.
Priority 3 is rather limited. This method rarely involves UNHCR because the refugee gets into the process simply because they have a close relative in the U.S. who has filed the sponsorship forms. Since there are other immigration options for family members of those who live in the U.S., this method is limited to only a few nationalities.
When the referral comes in, the State Department uses an Overseas Processing Entity (OPE). This is often an NGO. The organization that we've seen used in every case has been the International Organization for Migration (IOM), though others are possible. The staff of the OPE prepares the cases for the DHS interview. They double-check that the case is eligible and that it fits one of the three processing priorities.
Assuming all is well up to this point, the refugees are approved, and the case moves over to DHS/USCIS for further scrutiny. During the interview process, the refugees still have to prove their refugee status is legitimate. They will have to meet all the other requirements already discussed as well. Failure to meet the criteria at any point results in the rejection of their refugee settlement case.
Finally, after waiting, and interviewing, and waiting some more, those approved for admission into the U.S. are assigned to one of the 11 resettlement agencies that have agreements with the U.S. Department of State. The agencies that participate in the Refugee Admissions Reception and Placement Program under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. State Department are:
* Church World Service (www.churchworldservice.org)
* Episcopal Migration Ministries (www.ecusa.anglican.org/emm)
* Ethiopian Community Development Council (www.ecdcinternational.org)
* Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (www.hias.org)
* International Rescue Committee (www.theirc.org)
* Kurdish Human Rights Watch (www.khrw.org)
* Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (www.lirs.org)
* State of Iowa, Bureau of Refugee Services (www.dhs.state.ia.us/refugee)
* United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (www.nccbuscc.org/mrs)
* US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (www.refugees.org)
* World Relief Corporation (www.wr.org)
These 11 agencies, often called Volags (for Voluntary Agencies), receive some of their funding through the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM). Typically, this funding lasts for the first 90 days of the resettlement process. The Volags may also contract with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for a variety of social services funding. This funding can extend for up to five years.
The assigned agency will decide where the refugees will go within the U.S. The organization must abide by State Department supervision and rules, but within those guidelines, the agency has freedom to choose. They will look at things like where others in their ethnic group are located, whether they have relatives already in the U.S., where housing and employment are available, where appropriate services can be obtained, and even where volunteer support is ready to help.
Individuals and families that are ultimately granted refugee status by the U.S. are provided medical examinations, inoculations, and any necessary treatments to prepare for their departure. The Department of State strives to ensure that refugees accepted for admission to the United States are prepared for the significant changes they will experience during the resettlement process. It is important that, prior to departure, refugees have a realistic understanding of what their new lives will be like, what services are available to help them, and what their responsibilities will be. All refugees should have this basic information before stepping onto U.S. soil.
In the end, only a small number of refugees (less than ½of 1%) make it to the United States. Since the enactment of the Refugee Act of 1980, annual admissions to the U.S. have ranged from a low of 27,128 in Fiscal Year 2002 to a high of 207,116 in 1980. The average number admitted annually since 1980 is about 83,400. While these numbers are significant, our efforts are small compared to the very large problem. Yet, even a single successful resettlement is an accomplishment worth celebrating!
At the U.S. port of entry, USCIS admits each refugee to the United States and immediately authorizes employment, a necessary step to help ensure self-sufficiency. After one year, a refugee is eligible, and required, to apply for a change of status to lawful permanent resident. That is, they can obtain a Green Card. Four years and nine months after admission, a refugee is eligible to apply for citizenship via naturalization.
Chapter Two
RESETTLING REFUGEES
A bomb exploded in our kitchen. My husband and son were killed. I was injured. Suddenly I was a single mom with four daughters. It's not safe for women without husbands here, especially a pregnant woman with young girls. So we fled to a neighboring country. My new son was born in the refugee camp where we then lived for four years before coming to the United States.
Why Resettle Refugees?
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am awesomely and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:13-14a
Look at the faces of refugees, study them, and see the uniqueness that is theirs. Look into their hearts to see what life was for them before, and what it is now. Look into their souls and you can still see the beauty that God put there. Look into their eyes now, and odds are you see a look of hope. While unfortunate circumstances made them refugees, that does not change the fact that God made them as wonderful individuals.
Refugees are people who have been denied the chance to live a "normal" life. Things in their lives have gotten so bad that they have felt forced to leave their own country. A person does not wake up one day and decide to become a refugee. Rather, they feel their life depends on fleeing their home, possibly their family, and everything they've ever known.
Most refugees are good people, willing to do anything they can to establishnormalcyintheirlives.Iftheycangetawayfromthepersecution, and threat of persecution, they can develop into contributing members of society. Yet, while they maintain refugee status in the overburdened countries they have fled to, there is little opportunity. When another country steps in to resettle a refugee or refugee family, a problem is reduced. Anxiety is diminished. A step toward peace is taken. Poverty, hunger, and disease are lessened. With every refugee that can find a new home, the world is a slightly better place.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from 10 Million To 1by JEFFREY KIRK Copyright © 2011 by Jeffrey Kirk. Excerpted by permission of BALBOA PRESS. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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