Refugee Resettlement in America: the Iraqi Refugee Experience in Upstate, New York
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School of Global Affairs and Public Policy Paper No. 1/ July 2012 Refugee Resettlement in America: The Iraqi Refugee Experience in Upstate, New York Christine M. Fandrich THE CENTER FOR MIGRATION AND REFUGEE STUDIES In collaborationAUTHOR with PRINCE ALWALEED CENTER FOR AMERICAN STUDIES AND RESEARCH THE CENTER FOR MIGRATION AND REFUGEE STUDIES The Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (CMRS) is an interdisciplinary center of the American University in Cairo (AUC). Situated at the heart of the Middle East and North Africa, it aims at furthering the scientific knowledge of the large, long-standing and more recent, refugee and migration movements witnessed in this region. But it also is concerned with questions of refugees and migration in the international system as a whole, both at the theoretical and practical levels. CMRS functions include instruction, research, training and outreach. It offers a Master of Arts in migration and refugee studies and a graduate diploma in forced migration and refugee studies working with other AUC departments to offer diversified courses to its students. Its research bears on issues of interest to the region and beyond. In carrying it out, it collaborates with reputable regional and international academic institutions. The training activities CMRS organizes are attended by researchers, policy makers, bureaucrats and civil society activists from a great number of countries. It also provides tailor-made training programs on demand. CMRS outreach involves working with its environment, disseminating knowledge and sensitization to refugee and migration issues. It also provides services to the refugee community in Cairo and transfers its expertise in this respect to other international institutions. PRINCE ALWALEED CENTER FOR AMERICAN STUDIES AND RESEARCH Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies’ mission is to further mutual understanding between the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the United States by producing academic research on MENA-US cultural and political interactions, and by promoting superior education on MENA-US relations for AUC students. CASAR facilitates dialogue on issues involving Egypt, the MENA region, the United States, and the world. The Center also runs an active public outreach program that includes student trips, media programs, public conferences, and colloquia with Egyptian universities. After the 2011 Arab uprisings, the MENA region remains in need of human and economic development. Due to the central political and economic role the United States plays in the MENA region, a more sophisticated understanding of American history and culture remains essential to international engagement in both the private and public sectors. The contribution of scholars working in the MENA region to the detailed and judicious study of the United States will be essential to this engagement. Knowledge of American cultural motifs and historical themes may afford students additional venues and methods for a variety of future careers. Mastery of issues related to American culture and history is valuable to students studying in a range of fields, including history, arts, finance, marketing, economics, English, journalism, sociology, and anthropology. It is our belief that American Studies can also assist students who aspire to work in the international private sector, since familiarity with American history and workplace culture is highly valued by employers. 2 PREFACE The plight of Iraqi refugees is one which had the world’s attention for many years, yet has recently been overtaken in many ways by other more recent conflicts and resulting waves of displacement. This does not mean, however, that the challenges faced by millions of displaced Iraqis, scattered throughout the Middle East and the world, have been resolved. On the contrary, it means that these challenges will be compounded by absence from the limelight and by decreased mobilization and attention on the part of policy-makers, the media, donors, activists and scholars. In this context, Christine Fandrich’s MA thesis on Refugee Resettlement in America: the Iraqi Refugee Experience in Upstate, N.Y, submitted to the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (CMRS), comes as a welcome addition to the study of Iraqi refugees and their plight for several reasons. The thesis re-focuses attention on the large numbers of displaced Iraqis who remain stranded in a protracted refugee situation and whose prospects for finding durable solutions in the immediate future remain uncertain. In so doing, the thesis reveals the high skill levels of Iraqi refugees, which set them apart from general refugee populations and are at the origin of specific integration questions. The thesis also highlights the interplay between the international and domestic resettlement arrangements and the gaps that may exist in between them. Lessons can be drawn from it by all actors concerned with maximizing the utility of resettlement and with strengthening its implementation. Resettlement only applies to a small number of refugees worldwide but it remains an essential and invaluable durable solution envisaged by the international refugee regime. Finally, the thesis provides a valuable analysis of the structures put in place by the United States Refugee Admissions Program and their consequences for the full integration of all refugees, and not only for the Iraqis among them. This final reason has prompted CMRS and the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR) to jointly publish the thesis in the new Cairo Working Papers on Migration and Refugees series. In addition to all readers, researchers and policy-makers concerned with Iraqi and Middle Eastern refugees, this publication should also be useful for those interested in the United States policy on refugees. CMRS and the Alwaleed Center are part of the American University in Cairo (AUC)’s School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (GAPP). With the Cairo Working Papers on Migration and Refugees, CMRS aims at publishing innovative research on migration and refugees in the Middle East, Africa and globally. The series is open for well established as well as for young researchers from AUC and from the regional and international research community. Through the joint efforts of faculty members and students, CASAR promotes research on 3 matters of national, regional, and international concern related to the Center’s objectives. CASAR's research program is based on the conviction that Arab international engagement will benefit from a sophisticated understanding of American history and culture due to the global political and economic role of the United States. This thesis' analysis of the unique situation of Iraqi refugees and the United States Refugee Admissions Program is highly relevant to broader political issues within Arab-American engagement. It is for this reason that CASAR is proud to join CMRS in supporting the publication and dissemination of this important study. Magda Shahin, Ph.D. Ibrahim Awad, Ph.D. Professor, Director Professor, Director Prince Alwaleed Center for American Center for Migration and Refugee Studies and Research Studies (CMRS) © Copyright by Christine M. Fandrich, 2011 All Rights Reserved Opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (CMRS) or the American University in Cairo. 4 ABSTRACT REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT IN AMERICA: THE IRAQI REFUGEE EXPERIENCE IN UPSTATE, N.Y by Christine M. Fandrich The American University in Cairo under the supervision of Dr. Philippe Fargues This study will document the experiences of Iraqi refugees resettled in a small Upstate, N.Y. city in order to examine resettlement and integration outcomes regarding this population. Research regarding Iraqi refugees and their resettlement before and after the 2003 US-led invasion are few, and therefore this case study will contribute to the literature on Iraqi refugees after resettlement. This study will find that previous theories of integration are inadequate to fully explain the integration of Iraqi refugees as these theories do not take into account: 1) pre- arrival/home related factors; 2) post-arrival/host related factors; and 3) individual motives and intentions of the refugee. These three factors regarding Iraqirefugee resettlement and integration will be evaluated. Host related factors will include: social services; employment; adjustment; and future plans. Home related factors will include: the effects of war; Saddam Hussein’s ‘Republic of Fear’ and the effects on the Iraqi people; the American involvement in Iraq; and Iraqi displacement. Individual refugee motivations and intentions will also be highlighted to show how these forces interact with the various pre- and post-arrival circumstances. This discussion will attempt to demonstrate how pre- and post-arrival factors as well as individual refugees’ decisions and motivations converge in various ways, thereby producing unique integration outcomes for the Iraqi community. It will also question the ability of the United States Refugee Admissions Program to effectively re-establish refugee lives in America. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my thesis advisor, Dr. Philippe Fargues, for his guidance, encouragement, and tireless patience. This accomplishment would not have been possible without his efforts. I am especially grateful as I would not be working in this field today had it not been for my attendance