Refugees in America - Research Paper Example

Refugees in the United s Refugees in the United s For a long time in history, the United s has had a history ofbeing generous when it comes to providing asylum to those who are in the possibility of persecution. However, the United States government has become less receptive of refugees. They have established more restrictive refugee practices. These new practices include stricter border enforcement, detention of law breaking asylum seekers, and the introduction of expedited first instance determination processes. The strict rules aim at minimizing the number of people on grounds of seeking refuge due to the causes best known to them. Many of those who are offered asylum by the US apply from abroad. They are the ones referred to as refugees. Loescher and Milner (2009) define refugees as people who flee their country due to persecution, violence or war. A refugee is one person who has a well-founded fear derived from persecution because of race, religion and religious activities, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. Their view remains contradicting to those wanting to prosecute them. In most cases, they cannot coming back home simply because they are afraid and timid to do so. According to Daley (2009), ethnic, war, tribal and religious violence have been known to be among the leading causes of refugees fleeing their native countries. Refugees differ from normal immigrants in that they do not have a choice or will to go back to their countries. There is a limitation for refugee admissions to the United States set by the American President. Additionally, there exist a much smaller percentage of refugees who apply form within and are granted asylum. They are referred to as ‘asylees. They may be granted asylum on a permanent or temporary basis. Each year, America receives and welcomes refugees. It does not matter whether the refugees come from Nepal, Sudan, Iraq, Burma or Somalia. All refugees share a similar journey. Many refugees can spend months and even years in substandard camps. Less than 1% of refugees are able to flee their camps and get a chance to live in America, Sweden, Australia, or Canada or any other country that resettles refugees. It the responsibilities of the US department of state, Migration and Refugees and Bureau of Population to oversee the American support of refugees overseas and abroad, as well as the selection and transportation of the refugees to the Unites States, and their assignment to a local settled community for resettlement. The US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants forms one of the 11 national Voluntary Agencies that contract with the PRM to resettle the refugees. USCRI members are dispersed across the country from Miami to Boise with programs in the large Cities including New York and Los Angeles, midsized metropolitans such as St. Louis and small towns like Bowling Green, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Erie. The international institute of St. Louis forms part of USCRI network with over thirty agencies and field offices throughout the United States. Challenges facing refugees There are many connections in the stories that immigrants together refugees share about the challenges they face when living in America. It captures attention that such diverse groups that constitute the refugees identify similar needs and challenges they encounter. According to some studies conducted in the recent past, it is clear that refugees can be extremely difficult. Most participants that were in the study claimed that all that most refuge do not fancy working. They tend to value sleep and idle talk to everything else. Common tasks in a society such as doing grocery shopping, taking the bus ride home, or finding a good doctor can be overwhelming for them. Their families suffer from many daily strains. Parents feel that they a falling apart from their children. However, most of them maintain optimism, believing that their lives are going to get better with time. The following are roughly some of the major challenges that refugees go through in America: Language barrier Language barrier is a significant hurdle, not only for refugees, but for immigrants, as well. The barriers stop them from making important social connections in line with other people in the community; this makes simple basic tasks such as taking a bus ride or doing grocery shopping overwhelming for them. According to Daley (2009) study, one Arab in New Jersey said he could not ask a simple question of an employee in a local grocery store. Refugees are not able to communicate. They reported facing language barriers when going to the public library, their children’s schools, to see a doctor and when seeking directions in case they lost direction towards their respective destinations. According to Garrett (2006), most of the refugees showed motivation to overcome the challenge since they believed they could not fit in the society unless they did so. Sine learning English is a priority for the refugees, they English as Second Language programs are very important to them. Most refugees know about the program in their community. Many of them have in the actual sense attended the classes. According to Loescher and Milner, in their (2009) research, some of them claim that they learn English so as to get a job, language is their main thing. Even when they find learning English is very difficult, they still persist and attend the classes. Some of them claim that they even study on their own since they do have time to go to classes. Lack of identification can stand in the way of getting an education. For example, one refugee claimed that she went to America with a teaching degree, learned English and then was unable to take her GED without a Social Security Number. Such barriers impede the rate at which a refuge can develop both socially and economically. Education Many of the refugee parents have expressed their concerns over the issue of schooling in the United States. They value education highly and believe that good education is essential to the development of their children. For this reason, any parents are frustrated that their children fall behind when it comes to US schools. They claimed that schools lacked bilingual teachers and aids and that they are unable to help their children succeed. Some parents claimed that their children faced discrimination due to their ethnic differences. Additionally, schools are institutions where the children’s ethnic culture and traditions get challenged. Therefore, they start to adapt the American culture, which is against the parents’ wishes. Refugee children seem to be failing at school. According to Garrett (2006), their children have stayed out of school for a lengthy time; therefore, find it hard to adjust to the learning activities. In addition, some of the children have faced war, traumatizing them for a long time in life. The resultant trauma has led to schools to work in hand with parents in pursuit of a comfortable mind for the depressed children and other adults. Another problem highlighted by researchers is they lack parents who can help children who are undoing stress lacking bilingual teachers and counsellors who can help them deal with their situations. The parents claim that the children of these families hardly ever finish one year in one school. They move from school to school for the entire year. Particularly, high school is harder for the children. Due to the sense of isolation in the school community, some of the children are not able to fit in and result to joining gangs. According to Garrett (2006), half of these children end up dropping out by the age of 16. Some of the parents claim that they are not able to help their children homework. They main reason is that some of the children are more proficient in English than the parents are. Many parents admitted to feeling helpless in helping their children deal with their homework. In some cases, in addition to the language barrier between parents and children, lack of parents’ education gets in the way. Parents also claimed to have difficulties in communicating with the school officials when they are concerned about how their progenies are doing in school. Parents sometimes feel intimidated to talk to the respective teachers. Refugee parents claim that their children face discrimination at school, from classmates as well as teachers. The children seem to feel as if they do not belong and, therefore, do not fit in. Language barriers and academic struggles only add to the problem. Some claim that the teachers’ pay more attention to American students than Hispanic students. Job opportunities and housing One of the most important priorities of refugees is to securing the next better job. As they appreciate their jobs, they say that they are enthusiastic to take anything in the form of work in order to start earning an income. Their challenge is moving to a better paying job with more responsibilities after they have been in the hosting country for a while. There are barriers that deter them from getting a better job. Firstly, they are insufficient of language skills and education. Even the low income jobs require one to be good in English. Despite the jobs being abundant in urban areas, such as packaging in industries, the employers claim the most important thing, to get the job, the applicant has to speak and write English. The conventional language of communication has to be learnt. The situation makes it difficult for the refugees to find a job. Other refugees believe that the lack of a good education background stops them from getting a job. Others even believe that the lack of American education might stop them from getting employment. The areas where they intend to apply for jobs emphasize on the American experience. To make the situation worse, refugees who come to America educated and equipped with either diplomas or degrees are no more immune to the challenges of finding employment. Lacking identification and social security number also holds them back in finding a job. In Garrett (2006) research, one participant claimed that if they were legal, they would be employed. Some even go to the extreme extent of borrowing other people’s documents to cheat their way into getting a job. According to Garrett (2006), many refugees hope to get their own businesses, however, few of refugees know of any employment training programs or other ways to enhance their skill levels to get better jobs. The main way they seek advancement is through enrolling in the ESL programs in their community and learning English is their main aim. Few of the refugees seek a GED. Many depend on their networks based on friendship to get jobs. Many refugees lack good housing Refugees finding and housing for themselves and their families can be very challenging. The main barrier to this is the limited income that they receive. Most of them have low paying jobs in their first years and cannot afford a suitable home. Zoning laws also is a problem for them. For instance, in Minneapolis limits the number of people who can live in one place. In another case, in the Loescher and Milner study of (2009), a Somali refugee hid his child when while undergoing inspection one day since if they found out he had a child, they would have forced him to rent a three bedroom house, which he would not afford. In most cases, the refugees end up looking for houses that are cheap. To find such housing, they end up in living in areas where there is poor security. Most refugees reported having experienced vandalism. Isolation from government services Undocumented refugees awaiting asylum find it hard to get access to social services. Lack of the relevant legal status and documents, while in the country, stops the refugees from acquiring any help sought. Some of the refugees complained that the legal problems stop them from even getting to the first step of getting social services. Instead, they hide and stay low to prevent themselves from getting into trouble with the state authorities. In so doing, they remain vulnerable to exploitation and extreme poverty. The fear of risking deportation stops them from seeking support that might be available. For example, there are programs that could help them with housing and healthcare. For example, some of the refugees claim that they could not go to health workers since even the health workers have started asking for social security numbers. Since many refugees are in America illegally, most of them believe that they have no rights. Even through their illegal status, some of them believe that they will not receive fair treatment due to widespread prejudice and discrimination. This stops them from taking any legal action against landlords, employers and law enforcement. Some of the refugees claim they get scared when the police stop them. Other refugees claim that they find it difficult to keep up with the dynamic and perpetual changes of in immigration law. There are many barriers to obtaining health services. Most of the factors mentioned earlier contribute to the laxity of the refugees to seek medical services. Most refugees need health insurance. For most refugees, preventive care is not a concept they prioritize. In most of the conditions that the refugees lived in, they mostly practiced curative care, especially in countries such as Somali. If one had medical issues, one gets in a queue to see a physician. Physical isolation According to the Singer (2009) study, most participants in their study reported having limited transportation options. Many of the refugees tell of walking long distances sometimes late at night from work to the limited transportation they have through dangerous neighborhoods. Even after spending years in America, the refugees still depend on their friends for transportation to their homes. For instance, one Mexican in Dallas had an aunt who would always drive him home from work and when she moved, he had to walk home every night Garrett (2006). To complicate the transportation problem further, refugees reported that obtaining a driving license is difficult for them. Navigating the Department of Motor Vehicles is hard particularly for those with limited English proficiency. It takes educating the refugee to take the DMV classes, pass, and go for learners permit, pass and learn how to drive. Surprisingly, few of the refugees use the public transport. It can be because it is unavailable in their communities or because schedules are limited. Therefore, the public transport is not the answer to their transportation problems. Options are more limited for those who travel to the suburbs. According to the Loescher and Milner (2009) research, the participants reported that the bus schedules do not accommodate their erratic work schedules. Transportation difficulties have a significant impact. Limited transportation has implications that extend beyond their work and school. Although refugees fear the loss of their employment, other important aspects of their lives are affected, as well. It is a problem for the refugees to get to the nearest medical Centre, accessing medical services, or any basic service. Parents claim that it is difficult for their children to participate in school activities. They are not able to take tutoring classes after school and just head back home. Family isolation While this is not something that immigrants and refugees complain of directly in their comment, insights show that these families are under enormous pressure. Long work hours, with both parents working, cramped living quarters often in unsafe neighborhoods, children left alone after school, financial worries, long commutes to and from work, daily language barriers, and other challenges are taking their toll. Many are discouraged. They say they have no time to relax, socialize with other neighbors, or to help each other. These pressures lead to fractured relationships within families, increased stress, and serious health issues. Perhaps the biggest strain on families is the ever growing gap between immigrant and refugee parents and their children who acculturate much more quickly. Parents have claimed their children have become less respectful to the authorities since coming to America. Additionally, they have grown increasingly uninterested in their own culture. They voiced serious worries and concerns about their children joining gangs and using drugs. They do not know their children’s friends and do not know what happens at their children’s schools. This saddens them but also frustrates them since they do not know how to reconnect with their children. Prejudice, discrimination and lack of cultural and social understanding Mexican refugees, as well as Central and South American immigrants, recount many stories of harassment, inconsistent wages, poor treatment and health and safety violations at work. Yet they said they do not complain. They claimed that their bosses always think that they don’t have any rights because and that they are in America illegally. They don’t know how to complain or whom to complain to. The problem, said many immigrants and refugees, is that they do not know and are not aware of their rights and fear that if they were to press legal charges, they would lose their job and probably be sent back home Singer (2009). While some migrant farm workers may be familiar with the local Legal Aid’s Farm Workers Unit, they are too afraid to use it. A connector who provides legal assistance to migrant farm workers in North Carolina said although he can help a client get back-pay owed to him, the worker will be fired and probably be sent back to Mexico. Therefore, he gets few requests to pursue legal means to obtain back-pay. Ultimately, this connector said that it is easier for the farmer to replace a troublesome employee with another Mexican immigrant who will appreciate the job Garrett (2006). Immigrants and refugees report negative interactions with law enforcement. Many in this study said that they feel profiled by law enforcement officers and unfairly harassed. Some told stories of being victims of crime and how the police were not helpful. Language issues cause frustration around access to health care services. Immigrant and refugee patients can have a hard time understanding medical correspondence, whether it is over the phone, on paper (e.g., children’s vaccination records for schools), or verbal directions given in the doctor’s office. Public hospital emergency rooms, where the uninsured in this study say they usually go for medical care, can have lengthy waits for an interpreter if there is even one available. In addition, some pointed to a lack of cultural sensitivity from providers as an obstacle to seeking care. Some immigrants and refugees also have expectations about health care providers that are at odds with the American system. Many male immigrants and refugees tell us that they prefer a provider who shares their background. On the other hand, women from some cultures, particularly the Somali and Arab women in the focus groups, prefer to visit only another female provider, and yet this rarely happens. Many also anticipate being cared for by a doctor and dislike the widespread use of nurses in the U.S. health system. A Somali refugee in Portland, Maine, for example, recalled a visit to a local emergency room where she felt insulted when treated by the nurse instead of a doctor Garrett (2006). Recommendations 1. Continued and Expanded Service Delivery for Refugee Integration • It is recommended that at a minimum current assistance for refugee integration programs in the U.S. be continued and expanded. Meanwhile, additional resources will allow for establishing a standardized set of core integration-focused elements into all related programs to support refugees. If more long-term resources were made available, programs could be designed to address cultural orientation, continuous information services to refugees, manageable workloads for case management services, as well as allow flexibility building skill sets in English language, employment, professional certification and job upgrading. • There needs to be a deliberate close focus on the long-term, needs-based integrated approach and provision of a holistic package of services, e.g. all agreed upon basic core program elements should be available at the resettlement location. • In addition to having a standardized set of core program elements, it is recommended that funding also be made available to test new pilot innovative programs and replicate other successful refugee integration programs. This funding will provide the flexibility to meet 2. Continued and Expanded Federal, State and Local Advocacy Efforts • It is recommended that advocacy needs to be done at both the national together with the local levels by all associated stakeholders to establish integration as a key goal and to promote a more comprehensive approach to refugee integration under the USRP. • The recent developments in the sector clearly indicate that there is a political will to redefine the USRP as a program. Therefore, it is recommended that the USRP be reformed to take a more long-term approach, broaden the number of stakeholders, especially at the local level, and expand access to the resettlement program. • There should be more individual attention provided to refugees during the various stages 3. Multi-Stakeholder Engagement, Participation and Collaboration • It is recommended that efforts are expanded for increased inter-agency collaboration and information sharing. A good start was the creation of the IWG, which could be expanded to engage more related stakeholders. • A standardized set of core integration focused program elements should be created by a multi-stakeholder approach, including government agencies and civil society organizations, and funded by ORR. • It is recommended that information collection and sharing among all related stakeholders be improved and tailored to effectively and efficiently support refugee integration. Information collection during the pre-arrival stages can be more inclusive to support information needs during post-arrival. Also, affiliates can identify key needs, list and share these needs through seminars. • There has to be a broader base of stakeholders collaboratively engaged in supporting refugee integration, including, but not limited to, community-based organizations, faith-based groups, and volunteers, social networks, MAAs and community leaders/members. 4. Coordinated National Leadership & Resources for Dynamic Knowledge Management It is recommended that the federal government creates a mechanism that can provide national leadership on integration initiatives. The two major national initiatives on refugee and immigrant integration are the New Americans Task Force and IWG. ORR participates in both of these initiatives. It is recommended that ORR be elevated to the national level of leadership and be provided the authority and resources to act in this role. At this capacity, ORR will function as the national central point of contact as both a donor and a repository of learning and knowledge. ORR should be given the authority and resources to fund not only refugee resettlement and integration, but also short, medium and long-term studies to build the knowledge base, upon which national policy and best practices can be formulated. Hundreds of immigrants continue to come to the United States each year in the form of refugees. They move to the US due to various reasons. Some get involved in greasy venture that extremely risk their lives by traversing several miles either on foot or any other means available. When they get to America, the challenges are still many. However, they do not despair as there is always a hope of something better happening. References Loescher, G. and Milner J. (2009). Understanding the Challenge. Forced Migration Review 9-11. Georgetown Law School. (2009). Refugee Crisis in America: Iraqis and their resettlement experience. Research. Washington D.C Daley, Clare. (2009). Exploring community connections: community cohesion and refugee integration at a local level. Community Development Journal Vol 44 No 2 158-171. Hirschman, P, and Kasinitz J., (1999) The Handbook of International Migration: The American Experience. New York: Russel Sage Foundation, Garrett E. (2006). Living In America: Challenges Facing New Immigrants and Refugees. Research. Singer, A. (2009). The New Geography of United States Immigration. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution, Read More