refugee
ref·u·gee | \ ˌre-fyu̇-ˈjē , ˈre-fyu̇-ˌjē\
: one that flees
especially : a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution
One person becomes displaced in the world every 2 seconds.
What is a Refugee?
“A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so. War and ethnic, tribal and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries.”
84 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced. Less than 0.1% will have a chance to start a new life.
The Process of Resettlement:
The process of refugee resettlement to the U.S. is a lengthy and thorough process that takes several years and involves numerous U.S. governmental agencies.
Refugees do not choose the country in which they would like to live. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency identifies the most vulnerable refugees for resettlement and then makes recommendations to select countries.
Once a refugee is recommended to the U.S. for resettlement, the U.S. government conducts a thorough vetting of each applicant. This process includes:
Screening by eight federal agencies including the State Department, Department of Homeland Security and the FBI
Six security database checks and biometric security checks screened against U.S. federal databases
Medical screening
Three in-person interviews with Department of Homeland Security officers