Refugee Resettlement Cities and Employment: Does Size Matter Or Is It All In How You Use It?

Large, traditional immigrant gateways are best equipped for receiving immigrants and refugees, but migration streams have moved toward smaller communities with fewer resources and no existing infrastructure for handling immigrant influxes.

Example New Gateway: Abilene, Texas

My hometown of Abilene, Texas, became one such city when it was established as a refugee resettlement community a few years ago. With a population of approximately 115,000 and a relatively new refugee population, our community is struggling to adapt and the refugees are working hard to acculturate. "We think to develop ourselves," one Burundian man said. "We want to work in business, in the community, to be a part of Abilene."

Something's Missing, Here

In March, the International Rescue Committee estimated there were about 1,000 refugees in Abilene, up from 750 in November. Of 600 total public housing residents, 48% are refugees.

A Burundian man told me "most refugees live by food stamps. We have the American vision to become like Americans soon. It is ridiculous to be an American and still need food stamp." There are wide gaps in the resettlement process, leaving refugees still dependent on the system years after resettlement.

Refugees go through hell before resettlement. They lose their homes, friends and possessions, are forced to flee their countries and many families must separate to reach safety. I've spoken to some whose mothers, brothers or daughters were killed before their eyes.

Resettlement

Upon resettlement, refugees have high expectations for their new lives, but are disappointed when they aren't met and become deeply disillusioned. The biggest two problems are learning English and finding jobs.

While taking ESL, refugees still need to feed their families, but cannot find employment because of low language proficiency. Most refugee-specific services only last for their first three months in the U.S.

A June article in the Los Angeles Times reported on an interview with Larh Larh Sin, a refugee from Myanmar. She and her family have settled in Bakersfield, but can't hold down jobs because they can't speak English well enough and are facing eviction.

She said through an interpreter, "If I had known the situation I wouldn't have come." For her, "a refugee camp is a little better situation than here because I don't have to worry about rent."

A Congolese teenager living here in Abilene said that when you arrive "you don’t know anything. The language, anything. They take you from home to other country. And then they support you for three months and then they leave you. Then you do it alone and don't know how."

They're in a new place with different rules. They do not know what resources are available or how to access them.

With resources both time-limited and scarce, fewer refugees become self-sufficient. This places strain on both them and the community at large.

Abilene refugees want to adapt to American life and become more active, contributing members of our community's social, cultural and business life.

Perhaps it is time for smaller cities like Abilene to put their heads together to solve this mutual problem. Let's help refugees help themselves. It's better for them; it's better for everyone.