Struggling in the U.S., some Iraqi refugees now want to go back
With few good job prospects in depressed Lansing, Mich., many yearn for their old life in Baghdad.
from the January 10, 2008 edition
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The refugee-processing system wasn't able to handle all the requests, explains an official of the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), who requested anonymity because of bureau policy. Also, Syria denied visas to officials of the Department of Homeland Security, who must interview all refugees before they can enter the US, he says.
Now that those issues have been resolved, the State Department has pledged to admit 12,000 Iraqi refugees during the 2008 fiscal year. But as of Jan. 2, three months into the fiscal year, only 1,057 Iraqi refugees had been processed into the country. Despite the slow start, US officials remain optimistic that they can meet the goal, though the PRM official says they may reduce the goal midway through the year if other challenges persist.
In the US, many new arrivals say life hasn't improved much. Most subsist on food stamps, housing supplied by refugee services, and get whatever medical care they need from Medicaid.
While PRM helps with initial arrangements, refugee-service groups like CWS contract with the government and provide social services, such as employment counseling, for new arrivals. Mr. Roberson says the goal is to make refugees self-sufficient within 180 days of their arrival.
Unlike immigrants, refugees are not people who choose to come to the US. During the relocation process, refugees can list their top preferences, but ultimately the UNHCR decides where they will be relocated. The organization tries to place refugees in countries where they have family, but ultimately a variety of "practicalities on the ground" will dictate where a refugee goes, says UNHCR spokesperson Tim Irwin.
With the third-largest Arab population in the US, Michigan is a popular resettlement location for Iraqi refugees. Still, many refugees who arrive here say they're unable to navigate the system.
Once in the US, for example, refugees must over time reimburse the government for the cost of their plane ticket, usually well in excess of $1,000. Though some are given small stipends, they lament that they start life in the US already in debt.
Duriid, who asked not to use his last name, complains that the economic prospects in Lansing, in particular, offer little hope. "We face some difficulty in the US," he says. "They brought us to a cold state, and this state has the highest unemployment rate in the US," 7.4 percent as of November.
In Lansing, Iraqis say the only work available pays $7 an hour and requires manual labor. Those wages are not enough to support refugees with families, they say.
To make the transition, many depend on locals like Gabi Jahshan, a Lansing grocer and a Palestinian refugee who's been in the US for over 30 years. Now, he steps in to help new arrivals find their lost luggage or look for jobs.
In the early 1990s, Mr. Jahshan says he watched many Iraqi refugees from the first Gulf War encounter a number of the same problems.
"Some are still living on food stamps … [and] some of them got ahead," he says. "Life is not easy, but there are opportunities."
After almost two months in the US, Hydar Ali says he's not considering returning to Iraq. He says he'll do just about any job in Lansing. He recently applied to work as an Iraqi villager at a military training center in California that prepares US troops before they deploy to Iraq, by running them through mock Iraqi villages complete with authentic locals.
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