Refugees are welcome

  

The population of USA grew at the slowest rate in the U.S. in 2021 since the country's founding. 

Reduced refugee and immigration intake have much to do with it. We need more refugees, not less. 

The Biden administration set the limit to 125,000 refugees a year, the actual intake was fewer than 26,000 refugees. 

Although refugees contribute a range of skills and diverse experiences to their host countries there are many misperceptions and a lack of understanding about the refugees. 

Refugees go through more scrutiny, contribute substantially to the U.S. economy. There seems to be a lack of awareness and education in the U.S. about the level of scrutiny refugees go through compared to other immigrants.  Refugees must go through a rigorous background and medical checkup as well as obtain security clearance. The U.S. security process involves several agencies including the State Department and Homeland Security. The entire process can take upwards of two years.  and are more committed than any other immigrants to make America their home. 

A common misbelief is that Western countries host the majority of refugees. This is not surprising, given that much of the news and media coverage focuses on refugees flooding into Europe and the perceived ongoing immigration crisis at the US southern border. It is a lesser-known fact that approximately 83 percent of refugees are hosted by low and middle-income countries and 72 percent live in neighboring countries. Currently, Turkey hosts the highest number of refugees. 

In the USA support is only provided for a three-month period, after which refugees have to navigate the system on their own. Comparatively, the US spends less time and money on refugee resettlement than other countries like Canada (where refugees receive a full year of support).

While they do receive initial financial assistance, in subsequent years, refugees contribute $20.9 billion in taxes in 2015 alone and display more entrepreneurship than any other immigrant group. A recent study found that a 10% reduction in refugee intake relative to 2019 cost the US economy upwards of 1.4 billion dollars.

Opinion | Common Misperceptions About Refugees | Dr. Jyotika Saksena (commondreams.org)