World Refugee Day

#WithRefugees

Today, June 20, is World Refugee Day. UNHCR is the UN’s refugee arm and responsible for refugee placement around the world. The past few years have been especially tumultuous for refugees. Refugee re-settlement in Europe and the United States has invoked resistance from Europeans and Americans. Syrian and Middle-Eastern refugee resettlement seemed promising in Germany, but Germany has since soured on allowing refugees and neighboring countries have been vociferously defiant in permitting resettlement. A multitude of problems in European countries have been blamed on refugees. Political parties that tout refugee restrictions have gained in popularity to unheralded heights. They have developed from fringe parties to moving the national dialogue and receiving substantial portions of votes. States in the United States have sued the federal government, demanding that refugees not be re-settled in their states. Migrants escaping from North Africa and the Middle East have been stranded at sea and drowned in the Mediterranean.

In the midst of worldwide controversy on refugee resettlement, the UN is celebrating World Refugee Day. Cities through the US are celebrating their local communities. For example, Columbus has a large Somali refugee population. Central New York is home to many refugees from the Yugoslav civil war. The UN is promoting stories of refugees who have seized their opportunities in their new countries and have excelled. The UN is also collecting signatures for a petition it will deliver to the UN General Assembly when it meets in New York City on September 19. The petition is requesting that governments around the world:

  • Ensure every refugee child gets an education

 

  • Ensure every refugee family has somewhere safe to live.

 

  • Ensure every refugee can work or learn new skills to make a positive contribution to their community.

Refugees Go to Tim Horton’s

Welcome to Canada: Refugees Go to Tim Horton’s

The issue of Syrian refugees has caused legislators and voters in the United States to push the boundaries of immigration law in preventing their resettlement. States have written legislation in selective prevention of resettlement, and they have sued the federal government over the issue.

In Canada, this was the scene for Syrian refugees at a Tim Horton’s, Canada’s iconic doughnut and coffee shop.

Click here for CBC video.

International Migrants Day

The UN Celebrates International Migrants Day

“On International Migrants Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to shape diverse and open societies that provide opportunities and lives of dignity for all migrants.”

Ban-Ki Moon and the United Nations celebrates International Migrants Day today. This is the sixteenth celebration of International Migrants Day, and it is in recognition of the increasing number and importance of immigrants and non-immigrants to countries and communities around the world. The United States has prided itself on having thriving immigrant communities, but the rest of the world has been experiencing its own migrant experiences. Western European countries post World War II have been built on the strength of migrant communities, Brazil and Argentina are renown for their immigrant communities, and Canada is a rich mosaic of migrants.

In the United States, 13% of all Americans are immigrants today and that does not include the millions of nonimmigrants who are currently residing in the country as F-1 visa students, H-1B workers, and various other visa holders. Migration can sometimes involve difficult and arduous journeys and International Migrants Day tries to draw attention to the peril of those migrations. It also rallies support against racism and intolerance encourages better public perception of migrants and migration. The State Department lamented the hardship many migrants have faced in trying to escape to better lives. This day is particularly poignant given world events recently.

Refugees in Texas

Refugees Arrive in Texas

Syrian refugees arrived in Texas last night, after the state relented on its legal right to prevent refugee resettlement in the state.

The plight of the Syrian refugees has caused many Western countries to think about their refugee resettlement programs. Countries have argued internally about how many refugees they should accept. Refugees have bounced around the European Union, undergoing the long vetting process before they can be accepted. The United States has had similar discussions, arguing how many Syrian refugees to accept and even whether we should accept any.

Texas filed a lawsuit last week against the federal government and the International Rescue Committee. The governor wants to block the resettlement of a Syrian refugee family in its state. Thirty-one governors have voiced their opposition to Syrian refugees settling in their states. Texas is the first state to take legal action in manifesting its opposition. The federal government has emphasized that governors lack the authority to decide whether or not refugees can settle in their states. Immigration is in the purview of the federal government. The lawsuit contends through the Refugee Act of 1980 and security concerns that the federal government and IRC need to consult with the states. For its part, the IRC has stated it has worked with Texas for 40 years to ensure the smooth resettlement of refugees into the state.

The lawsuit remains pending. On December 4, the state withdrew its request for an order immediately preventing the refugees from entering the state.

International Migrants Day

“On International Migrants Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to shape diverse and open societies that provide opportunities and lives of dignity for all migrants.”

 

Ban-Ki Moon and the United Nations celebrated International Migrants Day, December 18, this past Thursday. This is the fifteenth celebration of International Migrants Day, and it is in recognition of the increasing number and importance of immigrants and non-immigrants to countries and communities around the world. The United States has prided itself on having thriving immigrant communities, but the rest of the world has been experiencing its own migrant experiences. Western European countries post World War II have been built on the strength of migrant communities, Brazil and Argentina are renown for their immigrant communities, and Canada is a rich mosaic of migrants.

In the United States, 13% of all Americans are immigrants today and that does not include the millions of nonimmigrants who are currently residing in the country as F-1 visa students, H-1B workers, and B1/B2 visitors. Migration can sometimes involve difficult and arduous journeys and International Migrants Day tries to draw attention to the peril of those migrations. It also rallies support against racism and intolerance encourages better public perception of migrants and migration. The State Department lamented the hardship many migrants have faced in trying to escape to better lives.