WASHINGTON (May 2, 2011) – Next week, on May 12, the State Department will host a public meeting on the appropriate size and scope of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for next year. This is an opportune time, then, to take a hard look at problems besetting this component of our immigration system.
To that end, the Center for Immigration Studies has published “Refugee Resettlement: A System Badly in Need of Review,” authored by CIS Fellow Don Barnett. He finds that our refugee resettlement system has failed refugees, both by diverting limited resources from overseas assistance and by the sheer neglect of those resettled in the United States by their “sponsors.” In addition, the program is rife with fraud, profitable for hundreds of “non-profit” organizations, and is a potential channel for terrorism into American communities.
The report is online at http://cis.org/refugee-system-needs-review. Among its findings:
- Security Matters. Meaningful background checks are difficult to obtain for refugees admitted from countries without reliable government records.
- U.S. Taxpayers Without Borders. The U.S. welfare system is a global magnet, which has been instrumentalized by the international refugee industry.
- Exploitation for Profit. Refugee resettlement is very profitable for some non-profits, who consistently refuse to commit any of their own resources for the resettlement effort.
- American Community Impact. Some American towns have been overwhelmed by the arrival of refugees. At no point are these communities consulted.
- Non-Assimilation. The USRAP is increasingly bringing in groups that have stated openly they do not intend to assimilate into American culture.
- Chain Immigration. The initial admission leads to exploitation of the chain immigration system.
- Abandonment upon Arrival. Despite PR about supporting refugees, NGOs routinely abandon their charges after four months or less, moving on to the next, more profitable, cycle of recent admissions.
- Globalized Disease. Refugees and those arriving on various “following-to-join” programs are bringing in HIV, hepatitis, TB, malaria, and other diseases.
