When I started working at City of Refuge, I had very limited knowledge about refugees and the refugee process in the United States. My experience was mostly in non-profit leadership. The world of refugees, however, was a steep learning curve for me. It’s a learning curve that is constantly changing and evolving, especially now.
And because immigration is such a hot topic, surrounded by a lot of political passion, I really just want folks to be aware of what refugee resettlement is and what it isn’t. Because, I fear, lots of people don’t actually know. And I only say that because I didn’t… it took me actually doing the work to learn about it.
A refugee, by definition, is someone who had to flee their home country and cross an international border due to war, persecution, or violence. Don’t let that be a definition that you glaze over quickly. Let it be something that sits with you for a few minutes. It’s a reality many of us will, most likely, never know. A reality we will never truly understand. Families come to us fragmented — loved ones have been lost crossing borders, the violence someone managed to escape leaves wounds that will never fully heal, both physically and emotionally.
Many of these folks didn’t leave because they wanted to. They left because they had to. They aren’t merely looking to make a go at the “American Dream” – they are just trying to start over in a safe place for their families.
And so most wind up in a refugee camp in a bordering country. They apply with the UNHCR (an organization established in the aftermath of the Second World War to help the millions of Europeans who had fled or lost their homes) — and that gets them into the resettlement process. This is where, if determined eligible to meet “refugee” status, they hope to be admitted into a country that agrees to accept them. The process can take years (sometimes even 10-15 years). Literally some children are born in a refugee camp and get resettled in a new country as a teenager.
The timeline is lengthy because the process is not only thorough but the sheer number of people seeking refuge is high. And so, annually, a small percentage of those people are admitted into the United States. That number changes from year to year – based on the Presidential Determination. Some years it’s as low as 18,000… other years it’s as high as 125,000.
Once someone has been vetted, interviewed, screened, health-checked, approved… they are then able to be admitted, usually coming through a local resettlement agency. Refugees sign a promissory note for their travel expenses that must be paid back, usually payments starting within 6 months of arrival in the US (but don’t worry, it’s interest free!).
And so, after all of that…
A family or individual might arrive in the United States! Now they are thrust into a society, a culture, a language, a life that is so drastically different from their own and their primary goal is “self-sufficiency”. Local resettlement agencies have historically provided case workers and initial funds to help get people into homes, jobs, the ability to get around town, enrolled in schools, English Language Learning opportunities, and more. Critical services for a critical time period.
City of Refuge, while not a resettlement agency, has been able to assist with many of these critical components after a refugee has been resettled in Missouri. Because, so much of it takes time. There are so many differences to an existence in America vs. a refugee camp in Africa. From the way you get food, to how you cook, to what you wear, to technology, to how you get somewhere, to the varying social norms and expectations.
A core value of ours has always been “relationship”. Beyond tangible assistance, the heartbeat of our very existence has been friendship. And it’s been beautiful to witness the way that friendships form and flourish over time and cross over anything that threatens to divide.
There are people from over 40 countries living in mid-Missouri — isn’t that wild? You just have to be invited in for tea at a new friend’s house to experience the hospitality of another culture, to taste food from across the world.
I’ve seen, firsthand, the many ways our city is richer because of the presence of our refugee friends. I catch truer glimpses of the Kingdom of God every day as folks from varying tribes and languages gather together to learn, to laugh, to be known.
And yet…
We’re living in weird times.
An immediate halt was put to the Refugee Admissions Program on January 24th. This 90 day review not only canceled flights and travel plans for those who had gone through all of that waiting, vetting, and fleeing… but it effectively stopped a specific funding source to refugee resettlement agencies for reception and placement of refugees who are already here. Think initial housing, utilities, case management. And while many agencies are working hard to figure out how to make ends meet and help families through other funds, not all of them have been able to. There have been thousands of lay-offs and furloughs.
Just a few weeks ago, a family was brought to Columbia from another state — alone in a hotel room because a resettlement agency didn’t have the capacity to keep helping.
I wrote to our constituents about how it’s alarming. Because, it is. And now, we’re working to stand in the gap. We are uniquely positioned to do something in the midst of the chaos that brings hope and change to people’s lives.
Right now we’re looking for more and more monthly donors to help us increase our budget to help new neighbors and to fill in the deficit as we anticipate federal funds coming to an end. It’s upwards of $50,000/month that we need to raise.
It’s a daunting number.
But it’s a worthy cause.
This is just a very quick overview of a complicated, lengthy process… but it’s important for you to know. It’s important for you to know that there are real humans, real souls, who have done everything “right” and are now back in a world of uncertainty. And it’s not their fault.
There’s more to say, but mostly I want to implore you: What role do you need to play in the solution?
We don’t get to turn a blind eye. Each of us has a meaningful way to contribute, to care for, to be part of making things better. It may not be refugees, it may not be this particular cause… but it ought to be something.
What’s yours?