Tag: refugee

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Living

Refugee crisis hits home: Local agency braces for more cuts to U.S. resettlement programs

Harriet Kuhr is the executive director of the Charlottesville International Rescue Committee. Photo: Nick Strocchia

The 2020 federal fiscal year begins October 1, marking the deadline for Donald Trump’s presidential determination on the number of refugees allowed to enter the United States for resettlement. Virginia has already taken a hit from previous reductions by Trump, with Richmond’s Church World Service—one of nine State Department-designated resettlement agencies in the U.S.—announcing that it will close even before Trump makes his determination public.

“We’re turning our backs on a core American value,” says Harriet Kuhr, executive director of the Charlottesville International Rescue Committee. She cites the precipitous drop since Trump took office in the number of people allowed to enter the U.S. after fleeing violence, persecution, and famine in their home countries.

By the end of September each year, the president is required to announce the limit for refugee admissions to the U.S. The determination process is mandated by the Refugee Act of 1980, and requires that the president consult with Congress to reach a decision that is “justified by humanitarian concern.”

In September 2016, President Barack Obama significantly increased that limit to 110,000 for fiscal year 2017, responding to the Syrian refugee crisis. But shortly after taking office, President Trump lowered the refugee ceiling to 50,000 by executive order. In September 2017 and 2018, respectively, Trump cut the maximum number to 45,000 and 30,000.

In recent weeks, rumors have swirled around reports that the Trump administration is considering one of two options for fiscal year 2020: reducing the cap to 10,000 to 15,000 refugees, or dismantling the U.S. refugee resettlement program entirely. Prominent voices have risen in opposition to the anticipated cuts, including high-ranking former military leaders, who argue that failing to accommodate asylum-seekers who have helped our defense, diplomatic, and intelligence efforts could erode national security.

Here in Charlottesville, Kuhr says our local IRC office is not threatened with closing, but she still worries as this year’s deadline draws near. “We don’t know yet what the numbers will be,” she says. “But what we do know is that it seems there is this intention to again significantly reduce the number of refugee admissions at a time when more people are in need than at any other time in history.”

Numbers from the U.N. Refugee Agency back her up. By the end of 2018, the agency reports, 70.8 million individuals worldwide had been forcibly displaced. These included 25.9 million refugees, less than 1 percent of whom have the opportunity to resettle in another country.

“Even before any of this started with Trump, the number of refugees who ever get resettled in a third country—that’s including the U.S. and Canada, all of Europe, and any other country—was already a tiny, tiny number,” says Kuhr. “But now that solution for some of the most vulnerable people in the world is under threat for no apparent reason.”

“We have people who have already been vetted,” she continues. “They have already gone through a stringent security process. They have been found to be in dire need of a new start and a new life—and we’re basically turning our backs on them.”

In 2018, the IRC resettled 154 people here, far below its capacity of 250. “Charlottesville has been a wonderful place for refugee families,” she says. “They feel safe here. They feel welcome. The kids are thriving in school. The parents are working. We know there are people in need of what we have to offer. Yet we’re not being allowed to [offer it].”

Kuhr hasn’t given up hope, but neither is she optimistic. “My expectation is that no matter what happens, the IRC is not going away. We will still be here. We are still resettling a significant number of people, but a lot less than we were two or three years ago.”

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Living

Dinner fundraiser to recoup New Roots’ flood loss

Each Tuesday at New Roots Farm, a group of IRC volunteers works together to cultivate a community garden that supports refugee food security. Recent heavy rains have taken a hard toll on the farm. Photo by Eze Amos

A crowning achievement for the International Rescue Committee in Charlottesville has been the New Roots urban farm, the more than eight-acre stretch of land abutting Azalea Park that has served as a resource for many refugees who have resettled in the Charlottesville community in recent years.

But the heavy rains that plagued Charlottesville in late May took a particularly hard toll on the farm, when the entire property was submerged beneath three feet of rushing water from the adjacent Moore’s Creek. Brooke Ray, senior manager of food and agriculture programs at IRC Charlottesville, says the floods resulted in significant damage, including destroyed fences, ruined equipment and lost crops.

“The 20 different families that rely on this farm for food use this [crop yield] to pretty significantly supplement their family’s vegetables for the summer,” Ray says. “We’ve been working with Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to supplement their lost crops with emergency food drops of fresh produce until they’re able to make the next harvest.”

And while the flood represented a devastating loss for those who counted on their crops both for sustenance and income—some grow to sell at their Michie Market farm stand as well as to local restaurants—the Charlottesville community was quick to come to the rescue, Ray says.

“The really awesome part is that within a week, a number of farms and community members and nurseries had come together and replaced a lot of what was lost,” she says.

Local artist Ken Horn, a community activist and New Roots supporter, quickly organized a CrowdRise fundraiser and, together with direct donations, the IRC has already raised $44,000, just $6,000 shy of its goal.

“So when Tracey Love from Hill & Holler asked if I wanted to do some kind of fundraiser, we ended up turning it into an incentive event for people who give $100 or more to the CrowdRise campaign,” Ray says about the July 30 dinner from 5-8pm at New Roots Farm on Old Lynchburg Road. “That way we can get people who love Hill & Holler out there who didn’t know about New Roots. People can see the farm, see what we do—and Tracey helped to pull together an incredible list of sponsors for the party.”

Hill & Holler, a roving farm dinner event company owned by Love, has garnered a stellar reputation for farm-based food events in the region that feature locally sourced products.

“While I wasn’t able to help rebuild the farm, we could put together an appreciation party to incentivize people to give to the campaign,” Love says. “We’d throw the party, and donors could have a good time, meet the refugee families and see the rebuilding process on the farm itself.”

Love says the party is fully sponsored by local businesses, including Ivy Inn and Orzo Kitchen & Wine Bar, two restaurants that were already buying produce from New Roots. Monticello Wine Tour & Coach Co. will shuttle guests between the parking area and the farm. Reason Beer is donating brews and Blenheim Vineyards, where Love works, will contribute wine. Other sponsors include Bellair Farm, Paisley & Jade, A Pimento Catering and JBE Communications.

All donations to the CrowdRise campaign go directly to the New Roots farm rescue, and not toward the party.

Ray says the rebuilding effort has been gratifying. “We lost probably 80 percent of our crops for the spring and summer, but with the donations for replanting, they’ve refilled the garden. It’s actually looking pretty amazing,” she says. “The farmers have started their harvest although we lost probably a month at market.”

Ray says they are continuing to hold farm work days during which community members are invited to help re-fence, replant and clean up. The farm, which opened in 2014, plays host to families from Bhutan, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Kenya, India, Burma, Syria and Turkey, Ray says.

“We grow farm stand favorites people would be familiar with, like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, but also a lot of specialty crops popular amongst our shoppers with international culinary traditions such as amaranth, bitter melon, pumpkin shoots and dent corn.”

And while the bountiful produce is a huge positive for the IRC refugees, the sense of community is even more important, she says.

“One of the coolest parts of the New Roots project is seeing people who have been here longer support newcomers to the program,” Ray says.

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News

Unwelcoming cities: Chasm grows in our nation’s reaction to refugees

Farah Ibrahim came to Charlottesville in 2008 with her infant daughter as a refugee from Iraq. She is currently a caseworker with the IRC and is a U.S. citizen. Submitted photo

In the week since terrorists waged the largest attack in Paris since World War II, sympathy to the French has been pretty much universal. To Syrians fleeing slaughter in their country, not so much.

On the evening of November 20, two Syrian refugees flew into Charlottesville after Kansas Governor Sam Brownback uninvited them.

“That’s so sad and so unnecessary,” says Charlottesville International Rescue Committee Executive Director Harriet Kuhr. “States technically can’t bar people from their borders because it’s a federal program, but they can delay services. They can make them unwelcome.”

Reaction in Virginia captures the gulf in how this country is handling the idea of Syrian refugees. On November 17, 5th District Congressman Robert Hurt issued a statement of support for the French—and of concerns about admitting refugees.

“Given that our screening process is not nearly as adequate nor effective as it should be, it is imperative that we stop the intake of Syrian refugees at this time,” says Hurt. Two days later, the House voted to add requirements that the heads of U.S. security and intelligence agencies certify that refugees are not a threat.

By the end of the week, 27 Republican governors sent a letter to Obama asking him to suspend resettlement of the 10,000 Syrians he wanted to admit, citing vetting concerns.

Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe did not join the governors who want to slam the door on refugees, and his office issued a statement that says, “Every refugee who is settled in the U.S. undergoes intensive security screening, and the governor has asked Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian J. Moran to ensure that every proper precaution is taken to keep Virginians safe.”

“Only three states where IRC has offices are still accepting Syrian refugees,” says Kuhr, listing Virginia, California and Washington.

While Roanoke Mayor David Bowers suggested that the internment of Japanese-American citizens during World War II was a reason to suspend incoming Syrian refugees, Mayor Satyendra Huja issued a statement November 19 reaffirming an October 5 City Council proclamation that Charlottesville is a “welcoming city.”

He said, “In light of disconcerting developments here in Virginia and around the country regarding Syrian refugees, I reaffirm the principles and commitments of the October 5 declaration, which was passed unanimously. I am joined in this statement by our two new City Councilors-elect, Wes Bellamy and Mike Signer.”

His statement has drawn criticism.

“My problem here is one of governance,” says former Jefferson Area Tea Party head Carole Thorpe. “Mayor Huja said it was passed unanimously.” Two days after City Councilor Kristin Szakos read the proclamation in October, Vice Mayor Dede Smith said on the “Schilling Show” on WINA she knew nothing about the proclamation before the council meeting, although she supported it. Councilor Bob Fenwick says he supports it, as well.

It turns out City Council doesn’t really vote on proclamations, according to Huja. “City Council supported it,” he says. And for Thorpe’s calling out his statement that it was passed unanimously, says Huja, “What difference does it make?”

“I think I’ve caught the mayor being disingenuous,” says Thorpe, who adds that proclamations can be used as political tools, and that one delves into international matters. “I don’t agree with proclamations, and that particular one I have issues with,” she says.

Charlottesville has had an International Rescue Committee office since 1998, and during that time it’s resettled around 3,000 people, according to Kuhr. “Refugees are the most carefully vetted immigrants that come here,” she says. They go through a one- to two-year process with security checks, health checks and in-person interviews with Homeland Security, she says, adding that the flood of refugees happening in Europe is not happening here.

And they have to be certified by the United Nations. “They have to have a well-founded claim of persecution to be certified a refugee,” says Kuhr. And people coming from Syria and Iraq have multiple background checks, she says.

“The part that boggles my mind is people thinking these are terrorists,” says Kuhr. “These people are victims of terrorists. They’re fleeing ISIS.” Syria has 4 million citizens who have fled the country, and another 6 million who are displaced inside Syria, where civil war has raged since 2011, and ISIS declared Raqqa its capital.

“That’s a huge displacement, 10 million people not living in their own homes,” says Kuhr. “People don’t do that for fun.”

She says there are much easier ways for terrorists to enter the country than the refugee program. “Every day there are people coming as tourists with no vetting at all,” says Kuhr.

Last week, before the two latest Syrians arrived, Virginia had 25 Syrians in the state, including a family of six that came to Charlottesville in August, says Kuhr. Nationwide, there are around 2,000 Syrians, a number the Obama administration wanted to up to 10,000 following the disturbing image in September of a dead Syrian baby washed up on a Turkish beach.

The message that Americans have to do something to help has turned into, “We’re endangering Americans,” says Kuhr.

She seeks to reassure terrified Americans. “We resettle more refugees than any other country,” says Kuhr. “We have the experience to do it safely.”