Refugee Resettlement in the US: An Examination of Challenges and Solutions

Photo: http://www.theirc.org/our-work/resettling-refugees#

Key Terms

 Refugee: A person who has fled from his or her home country and cannot return because he or she has a well-founded fear of persecution based on religion, race, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.

 Resettlement: Less than 1% of refugees are resettled. UNHCR determines if an individual qualifies as a refugee and, if so, works toward the best possible durable solution for each refugee: safe return to the home country, local integration, or third-country resettlement.

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Key Facts

UNHCR estimates there are currently 15.4 million refugees  U.S. takes in around 2/3 of resettled refugees  In 2012, U.S. accepted more than 62,000 refugees  Top arrival groups: Bhutan, Burma/Myanmar, Cuba, Iraq, Somalia, DRC, Iran, Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia  UNHCR anticipates that refugees from Afghanistan, Colombia, the DRC, Myanmar, Iraq, and Somalia will be among the populations with the greatest resettlement needs in 2013  A persistent gap exists between global resettlement needs in 2013 (181,000) and places available (81,000)

Refugee flees home country Refugee registers with UNHCR UNHCR, US Embassy, or NGO refer refugee to USRAP Resettlement Support Center (RSC) Prepares Case File DHS/USCIS interview refugee to determine he/she qualifies as a refugee under US law Case approved, applicant and family undergo medical exam, security clearance, cultural orientation PRM works with resettlement agencies and ORR to plan for location Depart for US where local resettlement agency/volag staff meet them

STRENGTHS OF USRAP

 Partnership between government agencies and non governmental organizations  Immediate reception of refugees  Provision of language assistance during refugees’ first 90 days in the U.S.  Programs such as Matching Grant

CHALLENGES

 Conflicting policy goals  Obstacles to coordination and planning between agencies, both domestic and international  Insufficient pre-departure orientation  The “Lottery effect”, i.e. lack of uniform set of services provided to refugees  Lack of adequate funding  Lack of systematic monitoring and evaluation

 Commission a comprehensive analysis of the domestic resettlement system .

 Ensure that information collected overseas is passed on to receiving resettlement agencies.  Make projections about the needs and assets of receiving communities, and use that information to make proactive decisions about placement.

 Monitor and assess outcomes indicators other than employment, such as mobility, housing, education, health status, social connections, and language skills.  Expand employment services to include recertification, job-specific employment training and extended language training.

 Establish a long-term and comprehensive orientation program that takes place while refugees accepted for resettlement to the U.S. await departure.

 Implement existing policy to allow secondary migration among without loss of services.