Who is a refugee?
“A refugee is a person who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reason 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, unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.”
Each year, refugees from war-torn regions around the world become our new neighbors in Oklahoma City. Refugees in Oklahoma have arrived here through the Federal Resettlement program after being vetted and selected by United States security agencies. The journey for each of these individuals begins with a traumatic displacement from their home due to violence and/or persecution and often includes a stay of more than 20 years in a refugee camp before being resettled to a third country like the United States.
SIX MYTHS ABOUT RESETTLED REFUGEES:
MYTH #1: Refugees want to leave their home country.
Refugees are forced to flee their homes due to war, violence, or persecution. Refugees leave their country because they have no other choice. They fear for their lives and those of their families when their governments will not or cannot protect them from war, sectarian conflict and serious human-rights abuses. Leaving their home country is a last resort.
MYTH #2: We have never faced a refugee crisis like this before.
Since the birth of the United States, we have shown leadership during world crises and have been welcoming to refugees. Most recently, some 1.3 million Southeast Asians fleeing conflicts in the mid-twentieth century were resettled in countries around the world, including more than 800,000 in the U.S.
MYTH #3: Refugees are not highly vetted.
Refugees considered for resettlement in the U.S. are subject to the highest level of security checks involving the National Counter-Terrorism Center, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Defense Department, the State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security, among other intelligence, security, and law-enforcement agencies.
MYTH #4: Refugees are mostly men.
Fears that most refugees are young men who support terrorism are unfounded. Nearly half the world’s refugees are children, that’s nearly one in every 200 children in the world, and the United States predominantly admits refugee families.
MYTH #5: Refugees take more than they give.
The U.S. has proudly played a leading role in welcoming people in need. Refugees like former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Google co-founder Seregy Brin, and Nobel Peace Prize winning Physicist and IRC founder Albert Einstein came to the U.S. to rebuild their lives. The vast majority of newly resettled refugees quickly find jobs. Refugees start businesses, pay taxes, and contribute to their communities.
MYTH #6: Refugees come here illegally.
Refugees are people who cannot safely return to their homes and are seeking protections from dangerous situations. The term “refugee” comes with a specific legal context that does not apply to all migrants. It is a political status issued by the UNHCR. When someone arrives in the U.S. under this status, they are 100% legal residents under the authority of the United States Government.