Who is….
….a refugee?
According to the United Nations, a refugee is someone who, “owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside of his country of his nationality and is unable, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country. The refugee does not have a nationality and is living outside the country of his former habitual residence. Due to the fear the refugee is unwilling or unable to return to his/her country. Refugees are a subset in the broader designation of immigrant. An immigrant is someone who has voluntarily left his or her country to live in another. Though many immigrants choose to leave their countries in search of better economic opportunities, economic hardship is not a qualification for refugee status. Immigrants can be legal or illegal.
Stresses Experienced by Refugees
After Arrival in the U.S.
- Unmet expectations
- Low social and economic status
- Language barriers
- Identity issues
- Role loss/ambiguity/reversal
- Bad news from home
- Transportation limitations
- Discrimination/racial insults
- Values conflict
- Joblessness/underemployment
- Social isolation
- Family reunification
- Sex ratio inequalities
- Inadequate housing
- Legal status questions
- Secondary migration
- Inter-generational conflict
- Neighborhood violence
- Poor physical and mental health/lack of adequate treatment
Countries that Refugees come from:
Since 1997, the United States has accepted refugees from the following countries:
Afghanistan
Angola
Bosnia
Burma
Burundi
Central African Republic
Chad
China
Congo-Brazzaville
Congo Democratic Republic
Croatia
Cuba
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
India
Iran
Kenya
Liberia
Libya
Nepal
Pakistan
Palestine
Russia
Rwanda
Serbia
Somalia
Sudan
Syria
Uzbekistan
Arizona is 6th in the U.S. for resettling refugees. In 2016, the 3 receiving agencies, Catholic Community Services of the SW, International Rescue Committee and Lutheran Social Services of the SW, report that refugees from the following countries were settled in Tucson:
Afghanistan
Burundi
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Democratic Republic of Congo
Cuba
Ethiopia
Eritrea
Iran
Iraq
Poland
Somalia
South Sudan
Syria
Vietnam
In addition, asylees from the following countries were eligible for refugee services: Congo Brazzaville, Honduras, Mexico, Rwanda.and Sierra Leone by the agencies.
At the RISP-NET (Refugee Integration Service Provider Network of Tucson) September Quarterly Meeting, it reported the top 5 countries resettled here in Tucson:
Pima County resettled:
225 – Democratic Republic of Congo
125 – Somalia
84 – Syria
52 – Iraq
31 – Eritrea
In addition, refugees from Burundi, Central African Republic have been resettled in Tucson. Demographics change as the need changes. Resettlement is never static.