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 KIRK

BALBOA PRESS

Copyright © 2011 Jeffrey Kirk
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4525-3587-6

Contents

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...