America's Syrian Refugees: Hardship, Hope and Challenges
By mai abdul rahman
American Palestinian
Those who oppose the entry of immigrants whether from Syria or South America have forgotten that the United States, as we know it today, is the product of immigrants and refugees. During WWI, the US government refugee resettlement program supported hundreds of thousands of German citizens, Russians, Italians, and Holocaust survivors. In recent history, the US welcomed more than 1.6 million refugees from Cuba, the Balkans, and Vietnam. The presence of these immigrants in local communities reduced American hostilities towards Catholics, Jews, Confucians, and Buddhists, paving the way for the full acceptance and inclusion of these minority groups into the social fabric of our country.
The plight of the Syrian refugees has moved some Americans, but is most acutely felt by Arab and Muslim Americans. While Syrians comprise many faiths, Americans largely assume that all are “Muslim” fanatical radicals. Many have called for rejecting Syrian refugees for fear that members of terrorist groups may use the refugee resettlement program to enter the country and harm innocent Americans. Never mind, our core values or noble ideals, the US is directly responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Syria. While the US is not the only nation contributing to the global Syrian refugee crisis, we bear much of the responsibility for fueling the flight of Syrian refugees throughout Europe and the Middle East, far more than most are willing to recognize.
According to a report published by the Congressional Research Service, since 2011, the US has committed more than $7.7 billion to the war in Syria. The US daily spend at least $3 Million to conduct air strikes in the Syrian territory. Whether we wish to acknowledge our role in the Syrian civil war or not, our daily air strikes are partly responsible for driving more than 4 million people from Syria into Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. We are equally responsible for the 232,000 desperate Syrians who made it to Europe on foot or by boat. Meanwhile, the US has only accepted 1,434 Syrian refugees. This accounts for less than 0.04 percent of the 4 million people who have fled the country to settle in the tent cities that spread across the Middle East, for the very conflict that the US is partly responsible for.
President Barack Obama intends to admit at least 10,000 Syrians by September 2016. While it is common sense to call on federal agencies to put the appropriate safeguards in place to ensure that immigration officials vet the Syrian refugees who enter this country, it is also important to remember that those who flee the war in Syria are by and large families, who desire a better future for their children.
Meanwhile, the likelihood of accepting more Syrian refugees requires federal agencies responsible for resettling the new arrivals to put in place the necessary support systems to ensure the families’ full integration, economic inclusion, and socialization in the US.
Nine U.S. Refugee Resettlement Agencies will be responsible for settling the 10,000 new Syrian refugees into local communities across the US. Except, for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), all are faith-based groups (8 Christian, 1 Jewish), and none are Arab or Muslim American. The vast majority of the resettlement agencies elicit the support of local church groups to help settle the new Syrian refugees regardless of their faith. The faith community involves thousands of private American citizens, who volunteer their time to help refugees resettle in the United States. By and large, their efforts are successful.
Not all refugee settlement programs are equal. Arab and Muslim Americans are concerned that many of the newly arrived Syrian refugees are being settled at Parkview Garden Apartments, an IRC refugee camp where hundreds of resettled refugee families from Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia reside. Some live in rat infested homes, and all are without access to public transportation, or nearby job opportunities. Before arriving to the US, these families were told they would settle in close proximity of Washington, DC, in Silver Spring, Maryland. Instead they were placed in Riversdale, Maryland. They are tucked away from the local community in a confined area that is inaccessible. They live in a community that is without the minimum infrastructure to support those willing to venture outside their closed compound by walking or biking to seek jobs in neighboring towns. According to a recent report, hundreds of recent resettled refugees residing in Parkview Garden Apartments struggle to find permanent employment or pay for basic needs. The State Department’s director of refugees Larry Bartlett is quoted as saying that he is aware that many recent Iraqi and Afghani refugees have returned back to their war torn countries- well aware that their personal safety is in jeopardy.
In fact, within a month of the arrival of a Syrian family of five, IRC informed them that if they are unable to secure rent by the end of December they will be evicted and risk becoming homeless. Apparently, becoming homeless is highly probable among newly resettled refugees. In 2009, a study concluded that a considerable number of recent refugees end up homeless.
According to IRC, the federal funds extended to the Syrian family were spent by program caseworkers on the purchases of two broken and used sofas, three beds, four chairs, three of which are broken, a small dining table, and few kitchen supplies. Meanwhile, the remaining $150 was given to the family of five courtesy of the US resettlement program.
Source: americanpalestinian.wordpress.com