NJ refugees have new hope under the Biden administration

Four years later, they landed in the U.S. through the refugee program, except Maher, who had crossed the Mediterranean Sea in a smuggler’s boat to find work in Europe.

Today, Al Samakeh has renewed hope that his son will rejoin them because of President-elect Joe Biden’s pledge to revive a diminished refugee program.

“Me and his mother, the first thing is we just want to see our son,” said Al Samakeh, a former Paterson resident who lives in Oregon. “It has been five years that we haven’t see him.”

Biden has promised to raise the refugee admissions ceiling to 125,000 — more than 10 times the current level — sparking hope among families who haven’t been able to bring close relatives to the U.S. amid deep cuts to the resettlement program during the Trump administration.

Refugee advocates welcomed Biden’s commitment to help vulnerable populations who have escaped war, conflict and persecution. But they cautioned that Biden’s vision will take time to realize because the infrastructure to approve and settle refugees has been gutted and the process for admissions is long and complex.

“It will be a challenge to lift the number to something more in line with our values, but definitely not an insurmountable one,” said Sunil Varghese, policy director for International Refugee Assistance Project, a New York based-legal advocacy organization. “With appropriate commitment and focus, it is an achievable goal.”

Fewer refugees

Refugee resettlement agencies in the U.S. — which have had to cut staff and close local offices because of a drop in cases — were enthusiastic about the promises made during Biden’s campaign.

“I think we’re all looking forward to seeing how this commitment is going to be put into action and to really be able to work with more refugees in New Jersey,” said Avigail Ziv, executive director of the International Rescue Committee of New York and New Jersey.

President Donald Trump admitted 53,716 refugees his first year in office, down from 85,000 a year earlier. Admissions dropped further to 22,517 and 30,000 in the next two years.

He set the refugee admissions goal at just 18,000 refugees for this year, but actual arrivals totaled less than 12,000, slowed in part by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During that time, New Jersey cases dropped from 536 to 124.

The Church World Service office in Jersey City stopped receiving refugee cases from the State Department in December 2018 but continues to serve asylum seekers and existing refugee families.

Courtney Madsen, director of the Jersey City office, warned that many challenges remain to revive the program.

“Is there a commitment to staffing agencies that do checks? Are there enough people trained to process applications? Are there enough agencies that can accept refugees now after four years of the program being dismantled? It’s going to be a list,” she said.

Refugees must go through a complex vetting process that includes background checks, interviews and health exams and takes about two years to complete. Clearances line up for a window of about six weeks when refugees can travel, Madsen said. If one expires, “it can take quite a bit of time” to renew, she added.

“We know the campaign has made strong promises around that, but at the same time, the refugee admissions process is quite lengthy,” she said.

‘I cannot hug him’

Nowadays, the Al Samakeh family video-chats with Maher, who lives in Germany, while waiting for policy changes that might bring them together.

“When I see him [on the phone], I am happy in some ways, but in some ways I feel sad because I cannot hug him. I cannot cook for him,” said his mother, Abeer Karkoutly.

Al Samakeh also worries about his health — he has had surgeries for severe back problems and has trouble lifting his right arm, he said.

“I don’t know how long I am going to live. I just want to see my son,” he said.

The U.S. has made refugee family members a priority for admission, but new policies have made it far more difficult for people from Muslim countries to enter, said Varghese, of the International Refugee Assistance Project.

Even many Iraqis and Afghans who risked their lives to aid the American war effort and were promised passage have been shut out or have struggled to bring family members here. Individuals who have worked for the U.S., and their families, may face threats of violence and kidnapping in their home countries.

Ahmed Mohammed, who worked in translation and private security for the U.S. Army in Iraq, has been trying to bring his brother to the U.S. for four years. His brother had received approvals and needed a final interview.

“The process takes so long. Then when Trump came in, everything was shut down,” said Mohammed, of Brooklyn.

The Trump administration has justified refugee cuts by pointing out they are also handling hundreds of thousands of asylum claims. It’s not known how many will be permitted to stay as their cases go through immigration court.

Refugees apply for the program overseas, while asylum seekers apply for protection after coming to the U.S.

What Biden needs to do

Amid challenges, there are concrete steps that Biden can take in office to revive the refugee program, said Varghese, whose organization published a 91-page report last month on expanding pathways for refugees and displaced persons.

Biden must set higher targets for admission and appoint U.S. officials who have a strong sense of purpose to advance the refugee program, he said.

Other recommendations include ordering an audit of security checks to find out what works and what is being misused to keep people out. Biden also should dedicate additional funding to help resettlement agencies and build capacity to process cases, he said.

“It’s important that the people the president selects are focused on how to make the process work better, how to eliminate backlogs, how to make it more efficient and how to unstick people who have been stuck in process for years,” Varghese said.

But the logistics aren’t the only challenge, advocates say. For decades, the U.S. refugee program has had bipartisan support and the nation was seen as a global leader in resettlement. Annual refugee admissions averaged 80,000.

In four years, that has changed as Trump has used anti-refugee rhetoric, depicting them as a threat and a burden. Madsen, of Church World Service, worried about long-term damage because of politicization of the program under Trump.

“I’ve watched this debate play out in a way that it has not ever before and I’m worried,” she said.

“At heart, it’s really about bringing people to safety and uniting families. My hope is that, if the program is able to grow again, we can also work on turning the conversation back toward that.”

In New Jersey, the International Rescue Committee and Interfaith-Rise have settled smaller numbers of refugees, while other agencies haven’t received clients from the State Department in at least two years.

Across the U.S., about a third of local resettlement offices have closed, leaving wide swaths of territory uncovered. But in New Jersey, offices have stayed open and advocates say they will be ready to receive more refugees when the time comes.

“We’re a country of 300 million people and trying to find a way to welcome 125,000,” said the Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale, who runs Interfaith-Rise in Highland Park. “We have all the resources in the world, and we can help with this drop in the bucket.”

Hannan Adely is an education and diversity reporter for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views and editorial stance of the SOHR.

Source: NJ refugees have new hope under the Biden administration