Lincoln: Host for Refugees The World of Refugees

1. Lincoln: Host for Refugees The World of Refugees Marvin Almy, OLLI Member Angela Gunther, Fusion Project

2. Definitions Refugee - Any person who’s outside his or her country of nationality and who’s unable or unwilling to return to that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution. Persecution or the fear thereof must be based on the person’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Immigrant - A person who voluntarily leaves his/her country to work, study, or live in another country. Immigrants aren’t eligible to receive benefits or services from the Refugee Resettlement Program. Asylee – A person in the United States or at a port of entry who’s unable or unwilling to return to his or her country of nationality, or to seek the protection of that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution. Persecution or the fear thereof must be based on the person’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Secondary Migrant - A refugee who has lived in the U.S. for three years or less and has moved to another state.

3. Definitions Amerasian – A person born in Vietnam after January 1, 1962, and before January 1, 1976 and whose father is a U.S. citizen. Cuban/Haitian Entrant - 1) Cubans who entered illegally or were paroled into the United States between April 15, 1980, and October 10, 1980, and 2) Haitians who entered illegally or were paroled into the country before January 1, 1981. Victims of Severe Forms of Trafficking - A child victim is a person under 18 who’s been subjected to a severe form of trafficking and an adult victim is a person 18 or over who’s been subjected to a severe form of trafficking and has been certified by Health and Human Services. To receive a certification, an adult must be willing to assist with a trafficking case AND must have made a bona fide application for a T visa or be a person whose continued presence the Attorney General is ensuring to help a prosecution. A-Number: Alien registration number. An alien registration number is assigned to an alien when s/he enters the United States. The number is shown on the refugee's Form I-94.

4. United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees 1951 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Appointed 1950 Geneva, Switzerland Current High Commissioner – Antonio Guterres Nobel Prizes awarded 1954 and 1981 http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home

5. Refugee Situation http://www.unhcr.org/pages/4ac9fdae6-page5.html

6. United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees Protocol 1967 – expanded definition beyond Europe U.S. is not a signator of the 1951 Convention Currently 144 nations have signed Ratified November 1, 1968 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) http://www.unrwa.org/

7. Who is a refugee? “A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.” -- Article 1 of the Convention as amended by the 1967 Protocol

8. UNHCR 2008 Global Trends Category of forced displacementTotal (in mil.) Refugees under UNHCR mandate 10.5 Refugees under UNRWA mandate 4.7 Total number of refugees 15.2 Conflict-generated IDP’s 26.0 Natural disaster IDP’s 20-25 Total number of IDP’s 46-51.0 Stateless People (estimate) 12.0 IDP = Internally Displaced Person 16 June 2009

9. UNHCR 2008 Global Trends

10. UNHCR Durable Solutions 2010-11 (Expected Numbers) • Voluntary repatriation to the home country 3 million • Resettlement in another country (actual vs. submitted) 79,500 747,000 are estimated to be awaiting resettlement this year while only 79,500 places are offered. (iii) Permanent integration in the country of asylum unknown 1 June 2009

11. U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration FY 2010 = 79,500 refugees* Africa = 15,000 East Asia = 17,000 Europe & Central Asia = 2,500 Latin America/Caribbean = 5,000 Near East/South Asia = 35,000 Unallocated Reserve = 5,000 *+ 10,000 Iraqi & Afghani SIV’s

12. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Refugee Resettlement Mission: Founded on the belief that newly arriving populations have inherent capabilities when given opportunities, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) provides people in need with critical resources to assist them in becoming integrated members of American society. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/

13. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Refugee Resettlement 10 Voluntary Agencies (VOLAG’s) contracted to provide resettlement services • Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service • United States Conference of Catholic Bishops • U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants • State of Iowa, Bureau of Refugee Services • Ethiopian Community Development Council • International Rescue Committee • Episcopal Migration Ministries • Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society • Church World Service • World Relief

14. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Refugee Resettlement The Refugee Act of 1980 – authorize financial and medical assistance to refugees in the United States. The program is funded completely by federal funds.

15. Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services The Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP) - provides assistance to refugees who are not eligible for a categorical program to achieve economic self sufficiency as quickly as possible and to assist with refugees’ financial and medical assistance during their initial resettlement in the U.S.

16. Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services/ Refugee Resettlement Program Catholic Social Services 100 families/year (Lincoln and Hastings) http://www.cssisus.org/services/social/refugee.html Lutheran Family Services 150 individuals/year (Lincoln and Omaha) http://lfsneb.org/community/refugee.asp Southern Sudan Community Association (Omaha) http://www.sscaomaha.org/ssca_home.html Welcomes refugee and assists with housing, employment and education to become self-sufficient.

17. Refugees in Nebraska

18. Fusion Project An Ethnic Self-Help Grant Lincolnites helping welcome their new refugee neighbors

19. Fusion Project Background http://lincolnasiancenter.org/fusion/index.php Funded through a grant from the Office of Refugee Resettlement Ethnic Self-Help Grant, Fusion Project was a 3 year project in Lincoln, Nebraska which began in October 2006.

20. The purpose was to connect new refugees and their communities with local community resources.

21. Fusion targeted four refugee ethnic communities: African; Asian; Eastern European and Middle Eastern.

22. is the proud home of the Fusion Project!

23. Fusion’s Goals #1: The refugee communities to work together to share and learn about developing vibrant ethnic communities #2: Each refugee family to achieve self-sufficiency and social and civic integration into their new country and community #3: Lincoln’s mainstream community to be better equipped to work with refugees

24. New American’s Task Force Vision Statement: We strive to welcome all newcomers, assisting them in building the lives they seek through the removal of barriers and the provision of culturally competent support services http://www.newamericanstaskforce.org/

25. Psychological Adjustment

26. Phases of Psychological Adjustment Fascination Stage • Open to new experiences, meeting new people • Intrigued with new culture • Willingness to explore new environment, to “learn the ropes,” get oriented • Greater risk taking Flight Stage • Feeling inadequate, unworthy, lonely, and isolated • Unexpected and excessive mood swings • Taking unusual amounts of time for sleeping, grooming, and staying in your room or apartment

27. Phases of Psychological Adjustment Fight Stage • Avoidance of local people, and staying more with those from your own culture group • Minor health problems may arise, usually stress-related • Constant comparison of life here with life back home Fit Stage • Feeling more productive in academic and social life • Less annoyance with host culture • Develops an ability to appreciate the positive and negative aspects of this new culture • Displays greater sensitivity to the host culture an understanding of what is going on around them

28. Immigration Permanent Resident Status • If you were admitted to the US as a refugee you are eligible and required to apply for permanent residence (a green card) 1 year after entry to the US. Citizenship • You must have been a permanent resident for at least 5 years and meet all other eligibility requirements to become a citizen (3 years if married to and living with a US citizen). • You must pass an English language test and a test of knowledge of US history and government. (Certain medical conditions may qualify individual for an exception to this requirement) http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis