The US Refugee Resettlement Program

THE US REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM

JENKINS D. MACEDO

Refugees Awareness Week (RAW)

Mount Holyoke College,

South Hadley, MA

12 April 2011

Krisan Refugee Camp (International) Buduburam Refugee Camp

1. What was life before you go to the US?

Poor Health FacilitiesPoor Housing Lack of Clean Water Supply

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Security Issues Unemployment Education

Human Rights Activists

Vegetables Garden Cleaning Up Campaigns

The Presidential Determination

Discuss the reasons for believing that the proposed admission of refugees is justified by humanitarian concerns, grave humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest.

Review the refugee situation or emergency refugee situation.Project the extent of possible participation of the United States in resettling refugees.

2. How were you selected for refugee resettlement and what was the journey like?

Priority 3

Family Reunification Cases (spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of persons lawfully admitted to the United States as refugees or asylees or permanent residents (green card holders) or U.S. citizens who previously had refugee or asylum status

The United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)

Priority 1

Cases that are identified and referred to the program by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a United States Embassy, or a designated non-governmental organization (NGO). 

Priority 2

Groups of special humanitarian concern identified by the U.S. refugee program.

United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) Partners & Roles

Department of State/Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) – PRM has overall USRAP management responsibility overseas and has lead in proposing admissions ceilings and processing priorities. 

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – UNHCR refers cases to the USRAP. Resettlement Support Centers (RSC), previously referred to as Overseas Processing Entities (OPE) – Under cooperative agreement with the Department of State, RSCs consist of international organizations or non-governmental organizations that carry out administrative and processing functions, such as file preparation and storage, data collection and out-processing activities. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – Within DHS, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has responsibility for adjudicating applications for refugee status and reviewing case decisions; the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) screens arriving refugees for admission at the port of entry. Department of Health and Human Services/Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) – ORR administers domestic resettlement benefits for arriving refugees. International Organization for Migration (IOM) – Department of State contractors serve primarily as the travel agent for the USRAP and the OPE in certain locations. Non-Governmental Organizations – Provide resettlement assistance and services to arriving refugees.

US Refugee Resettlement ProcessT

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Refugee resettlement to the United States by region, 1990-2005

Source: Migration Policy Institute

3. What were your expectations of the US before you got here?

Family Reunion

Safety (Security , Peace & Freedom)

Education

Adequate Health Care

Self-Sufficiency

Helping my siblings

Service; that is, giving back to humanity locally and globally.

No, I am on track ….Thanks to the limited internet access I had.

Did they change after you came?

4. What was expected of you as a new refugee arrival?

US Cultural Orientation Program

Pre-Arrival Processing

The Resettlement Agency

Community Services

Housing***

Transportation

Employment***

Education***

Health***

Money Management

Rights and Responsibilities***

Cultural Adjustment

5. What were the initial and immediate challenges of resettling in the US?

Cold Weather

My “Liberian” Accent

Transportation

Time: “The African-Time Syndrome.”

Just getting use to common things “eating three times a day.”

6. How was your experience with maneuvering through the health care system?I was on the Welfare Program for 2 Months

Food Stamp Medicare Cash Assistance for Rent Lived with my month for two weeks.

I started working during the 3rd Month after my arrival with the Worcester Public Schools as a “Paraprofessional.”

I became disqualified from the Welfare Program because of my income.

Have yearly health insurance. Rented my own apartment.

General Access to Health Care System

Very easy for me Make appointments with my PHCP Take the bus/drive to my appointments Pay my co-pay and pay for prescription if my coverage

doesn’t cover it.

6. If you could improve anything about the refugee resettlement program, what would it be?

The Immigration Officer(s) doing the INS face-to-face interviews should be familiar with individual refugees stories.

The issue of Fraud within the Overseas Processing Entity (OPE) is also rampant.

Age limitations for the Priority III program is unnecessary.

Airfare Loans should be waived for refugees admitted in the US with special needs, such as, pre-existing health conditions.

Refugees should have a “choice” based on recommendations form the Resettlement Agency where they want to initially stay upon arrival in the US (if they don’t have a family already in the US).

US-based Refugees Resettlement Agencies should be proactive in assisting refugees access to local community resources and they should also create strong networks with other agencies to see what is working in their areas and what isn’t working.

Since most refugees especially from Sub-Saharan Africa are farmers, there should be programs to assist refugees use their “existing skills” to foster self-sufficiency through sustainable gardens.