Trump cut in refugees concerns Iraqi, others
U.S. cap will be reduced to historic low next year
When Mousa Al Khafaji, who had been working for the U.S. Army as an interpreter in Iraq, received a letter in the mail with a bullet inside, he knew he and his family were no longer safe in the country they called home.
So, he and his wife decided to move to the United States with their two young boys through a special immigrant visa, which is issued to some Iraqis and Afghans who have helped the U.S. military. The entire process took about 2½ years, and it was complicated. In 2017, they entered the United States.
“All the people look to America as the country of freedom,” Al Khafaji said. “Many refugees found a safe place in America from war and conflict.”
News last month that the Trump administration again planned to cut the number of refugees allowed in the United States next year has been disappointing for Al Khafaji and others who made their way to the country for a better life. The White House announced plans on Sept. 26 to reduce the number of refugees allowed in the United States next year to 18,000 from the 30,000 cap for 2019.
In Colorado, refugees and those who work with them oppose the decision, saying the refugees contribute to the state’s economy and deserve to resettle in a stable country.
The U.S. refugee program started in 1980, and over the years, an average of 95,000 people have been allowed entry into the United States, according to data from the International Rescue Committee in Denver. In 2018, President Donald Trump set the cap at 45,000 entries — which, according to Pew Research Center analysis, was a new low for refugee admittance into the country.
Refugee admissions have fluctuated over the years, based on global events. For example, refugee admissions significantly declined for a couple of years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when George W. Bush was president. The ceiling during his administration was 70,000 people until his final year in office, when it went up to 80,000.
The 2020 cut would affect people like Al Khafaji — those who were promised visas in exchange for supporting the U.S. military. It also would impact people fleeing from violence and persecution at a time when the number of refugees worldwide is at its highest level since World War II, according to the Pew Research Center.
About a week before the Al Khafajis planned to leave Iraq in January 2017, the U.S. government canceled their tickets because Trump ordered a travel ban on people coming from predominantly Muslim countries.
The Al Khafajis were frantic. They had gotten rid of their belongings and had nowhere to go. They were sleeping on the floor.
But then a federal judge ordered an injunction. The family members booked their tickets with money in their savings and flew into the United States. They ended up in Colorado with the help of the International Rescue Committee in Denver.
“There were a lot of people waiting and their lives are on the line,” Al Khafaji said. “Many Iraqi people who worked with U.S. forces sacrificed and their lives are in danger.”
While Trump is not the only president to try to curb refugee arrivals, an 18,000-person limit is a historic low.
“The Trump administration’s decision to abandon America’s proud legacy of humanitarianism and tradition of extending protection to the world’s most persecuted and vulnerable people is shameful,” said Jennifer Wilson, executive director of the International Rescue
Committee in Denver. “It is a decision that does not reflect the realities on the ground here in Colorado, where we have welcomed more than 60,000 refugees as our neighbors since 1980.”
Immigrants and refugees make up about 10% of Colorado’s population of almost 5.7 million people, and in 2016, they brought in about $3.9 billion in taxes, said Victoria Francis, volunteer and external relations coordinator for the International Rescue Committee in Denver.
“In our office, the cuts have certainly impacted our clients. Every day, we work with people who are dealing with the devastating consequences of family separation, worrying about their loved ones because their hope for family unity is being crushed by the Trump administration’s policymaking,” she said.
The International Rescue Committee in Denver calls the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program the “gold standard” for resettlement programs. A reduction will widen a growing humanitarian crisis and send what the IRC called a “troubling signal” to the United States’ allies.
It could also affect the U.S. economy, according to agency officials. The state is enriched economically, socially and culturally because of refugees, Wilson said.
A May 2018 report from the Colorado Department of Human Services found that for every $1 spent on refugee services in the state, the refugees invested $1.68 in the economy.
The reduction leaves many of the 26.2 million refugees worldwide in danger, officials from the resettlement agency Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains said in a news release.
“This announcement will keep families separated by devastating conflict and negatively impact local communities who rely on refugee innovation and support to their economies,” it stated.
The IRC is asking Congress to pass the GRACE Act: the Guaranteed Refugee Admissions Ceiling Enhancement Act. It calls for a minimum of 95,000 refugees per year. Colorado Democratic representatives Joe Neguse, Jason Crow and Diana DeGette have signed on as co-sponsors.
Colorado lawmakers last month sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asking for a reversal of the Trump administration’s decision to reduce the number of refugees.
“Since 2000, almost 30,000 refugees have settled in Colorado from all over the world,” they wrote. “Refugees contribute to Colorado’s economy through employment in a diverse array of essential and burgeoning industries. They promote Colorado’s economic vibrancy and support jobs and income for both refugees and non-refugees.”
Al Khafaji now works as the financial capabilities coordinator at the International Rescue in Denver, the agency he had been working with to get to the United States. The organization provides resettlement services for refugees from assistance with basic necessities to access to education, employment, social services and advocacy.
When he started looking for a job, he decided he wanted to do something to help others as he and his family were helped.
“I feel so satisfied when I help people and see the smile in their eyes,” Al Khafaji said. “I know because I’ve been there.”
Al Khafaji remembers how difficult it was to find out about the 2017 travel ban and whether he and his family would escape the fear they were living in.
“It was really nerve-wracking,” he said. “We don’t know what stage you will be told to turn around. When we crossed the borders, it was like someone giving you a new life.”