Refugee
Information about refugees:
- Refugees are legal, permanent residents, invited to the United States by our government. They are given legal “refugee” status.
- To date, the United States has resettled over 2.6 million refugees since 1975.
- Every year, the President determines how many refugees the country will admit in that given year. In the past decade, resettlement numbers have fluctuated from a low of 26,773 in 2002 (after 9/11) to a high of 74,602 in 2009. In 1980 and 1981, the United States resettled over 200,000 refugees. Refugees are resettled in different communities throughout the United States. (12)
- In 2009 the leading countries of nationality for refugee admissions were Iraq (25%), Burma (24%), and Bhutan (18%). (13)
- Dallas has the second most refugees of any city in the United States, with over 250,000 refugees.
- Refugees only have about a three month resettlement period, but continue to need help learning English, finding jobs, and understanding day to day tasks long after that.
