Around the world, 68.5 million people have been forced from home. About 25.4 million of those people are refugees, 40 million are internally displaced, and 3.1 are asylum seekers. Unsettled explores travel done out of necessity, not choice.
The last few years have seen the worst humanitarian crisis of our time, and the biggest displacement since World War II. The world is at an all time need for refugee resettlement due to conflict and climate, yet there has been a steep decline in refugee arrivals over the last two years. “This can be attributed almost directly to the administration’s travel ban and executive orders,” says Jims Porter, Communications and Policy Coordinator at RefugeeOne, the largest refuge resettlement agency in Illinois. The travel ban he’s referring to is President Trump’s executive order banning immigrant and nonimmigrant visas to applicants from five majority-Muslim countries, plus North Korea and Venezuela.
The ceiling for refugee resettlement in the United States is currently set at 45,000, which is the lowest in U.S. history. Because of the travel ban, it looks like the nation will settle around 20,000 people this fiscal year. President Trump is now considering lowering the ceiling again–to only 15,000. This has of course directly impacted RefugeeOne’s work. The organization expected to welcome 415 refugees this year, but only ended up resettling about 200 for the fiscal year that ended June 30. Previously, Syrians were the largest group of refugees the organization was working with, and now they’re one of the smallest. This is reflective of the national average. In 2015, the U.S. welcomed more than 10,000 Syrian refugees, a number that plummeted to less than 50 this fiscal year.
“That’s with the backdrop of civil war and violence in Syria continuing to escalate,” Porter says. “It is unacceptable and shameful for the United States to implement this ban.”
Now, most refugees who come to Illinois are Rohingya Muslims from Burma, though there are still quite a few people from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Horn of Africa. “We have seen a steep decline in Muslim refugees, and an increase in the number of Christians being resettled,” Porter says.
Regardless of where they come from, RefugeeOne helps. Since the organization was founded in 1982 it has resettled about 18,000 refugees from every major world conflict. Staff members and volunteers work with refugees from the moment they arrive at O’Hare International Airport, helping them adjust to life in the U.S. with English classes, mentorship programs, and work assistance.
When refugees arrive in the U.S., RefugeeOne greets them at the airport and has a hot meal from their home country waiting. They provide an apartment and help pay for expenses, and enroll every newcomer in English classes. “Learning the language is the single most important skill to become self-sufficient,” Porter says. RefugeeOne’s English program is open to all refugees and has four levels.
The next stage is the workforce development program. “The goal is to help refugees become self-reliant as quickly as possible,” Porter says, adding that most refugees who go through the program are fully financially self-reliant within six to nine months of arriving.
The program helps people develop resumes, apply for jobs, and prepare for interviews. RefugeeOne partners with more than 100 employers in the Chicagoland area who hire refugees. “In addition to bringing in new culture and ideas, refugees also benefit the economy in the U.S.,” Porter says. “So we try to help them find a place where they can grow and thrive and flourish.”
There’s also a youth program designed to help refugee youth catch up with their peers both socially and academically. It includes an after school tutoring program and a six-week summer camp where kids explore Chicago, visiting the zoo and beach while still keeping up with the academic side of things.
RefugeeOne’s wellness program is one of its most unique initiatives. The organization is one of very few refugee resettlement agencies that offers mental health services for all ages. “Often, people arrive after having experienced significant trauma or loss and because of that often have mental or physical health needs that need to be addressed, otherwise they become obstacles,” Porter says.
The organization has on-site psychiatrists, therapists, and social workers who have decades of experience working with people of all backgrounds, and partners with physical health specialists off-site. There are 38 languages spoken among the 35 members of the RefugeeOne staff, and more than half of the staff are refugees or immigrants themselves.
RefugeeOne is the largest resettlement agency in Illinois, and it exists thanks largely to volunteers and donors. It’s both private and publicly funded, but public funding is given on a per capita basis, so with lower levels of resettlement, it has decreased. “It’s really difficult to operate when you have planned the year with a level of funding in mind, and less than half is met,” says Porter. “We rely heavily on private support and generosity.”
Aside from donating dollars, people can donate time. There are mentorship, tutoring, and other volunteer opportunities available. Possibly the most important thing though, is advocacy. “Calling your legislators and telling them how important the resettlement program is, or why you value refugees in communities,” Porter says. “Asking them to increase the numbers, because we have the capacity and infrastructure to do so, but a powerful few people in Washington are preventing this program from going forward, though it has been working well for 35 years.”
President Trump has until October 1, 2018 to set a new cap on refugee resettlement. “So we have just over a month left to increase that number,” says Porter. “Getting in touch with representatives and asking them to pressure the administration to pick up the pace of refugee resettlement is one of the most important things people can do to help.”
Curious how to get in touch with your representatives? Click here. Don’t know what to say? This will help.
