Office Of Refugee Resettlement: Data

Annual ORR Reports to Congress - 1999

II. REFUGEES IN THE UNITED STATES

Population Profile

This section characterizes the Amerasian, asylee (from Northern Iraq), entrant, and refugee population (hereafter, referred to as refugees unless noted otherwise) in the United States, focusing primarily on those who have entered since 1983. All tables referenced by number appear in Appendix A.

Nationality of United States Refugee Population

Southeast Asians remain the largest refugee group among recent arrivals. Of the approximately 1,638,000 refugees who have arrived in the United States since 1983, about 39 percent have fled from nations of Southeast Asia (refer to Table 1). Based on State Department figures for the period FY 1975 through FY 1999 (refer to Illustration 1 below), about 54 percent have fled from nations of Southeast Asia.

Vietnamese continue to be the majority refugee group from Southeast Asia, although the ethnic composition of the entering population has become more diverse over time. About 135,000 Southeast Asians fled to America at the time of the collapse of the Saigon government in 1975. Over the next four years, large numbers of boat people escaped Southeast Asia and were admitted to the U.S. The majority of these arrivals were Vietnamese. The Vietnamese share has declined gradually, however, especially since persons from Cambodia and Laos began to arrive in larger numbers in 1980.

For the period FY 1983 through FY 1999, Vietnamese refugees made up 71 percent of refugee arrivals from Southeast Asia, while 18 percent were from Laos, and 11 percent were from Cambodia. Parenthetically, slightly less than half the refugees from Laos are from the highlands of that nation and are culturally distinct from the Lowland Lao. More recently, refugees from outside of Southeast Asia have arrived in larger numbers. Between FY 1988 and FY 1999, refugees arriving from the former Soviet Union have surpassed refugees arriving from Vietnam every year except FY 1991. More recently, in FY 1995, refugees from the former Soviet Union and Vietnam were surpassed by refugees arriving from Cuba. In FY 1998 and FY 1999, refugees from the former Yugoslavia eclipsed all other refugee groups.

ILLUSTRATION 1:

FISCAL	Africa	Eastern Asia	Eastern Europe	Soviet Union	Latin America	Near East Asia
Summary of Refugee Admissions for FY 1975 - FY 1999
1975	0	135,000	1,947	6,211	3,000	0
1976	0	15,000	1,756	7,450	3,000	0
1977	0	7,000	1,755	8,191	3,000	0
1978	0	20,574	2,245	10,688	3,000	0
1979	0	76,521	3,393	24,449	7,000	0
1980	955	163,799	5,025	28,444	6,662	2,231
1981	2119	131,139	6,704	13,444	2,017	3,829
1982	3326	73,522	10,780	2,756	602	6,269
Subtotal	6,400	622,555	33,605	101,633	28,281	12,429

1983-1999 Subtotal	65,423	633,582	166,225	425,664	40,321	93,699

1975-1999 Grand Total	71,823	1,256,137	199,830	527,297	68,602	106,128

Note: An additional 8,214 refugees were admitted between FY 1988 and FY 1993 under the Private Sector Initiative (PSI) for a total of 2,325,058.

Source: Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, U.S Department of State

Beginning with FY 1983, refugees from five countries represented 78 percent of all arrivals. Vietnamese refugees retain the largest share of arrivals (28 percent) followed by refugees from the former Soviet Union (27 percent), Cuba (nine percent), the former Yugoslavia (eight percent), and Laos (seven percent). For FY 1999, refugees from five countries represented 86 percent of all arrivals. The former Yugoslavia was in first place with 36 percent followed by followed by Cuba with 21 percent followed by the former Soviet Union with 16 followed by Vietnam with nine percent and Somalia with four percent. Illustration 2 (below) highlights the top five rankings of arrivals by country of origin for the period FY 1983 through FY 1999, and FY 1999.

ILLUSTRATION 2

Country of Origin	Arrivals for FY 1983 - FY 1999	Arrivals for FY 1999
Arrivals by Country of Origin for FY 1983 through 1999, and FY 1999
Cuba	3	2
Laos	5	-
Somalia	-	5
Soviet Union (former)	2	3
Vietnam	1	4
Yugoslavia (former)	4	1

Geographic Location of Refugees

Southeast Asian refugees have settled in every State and one territory of the United States (refer to Table 2). From FY 1983 through FY 1999, more Southeast Asians initially resettled in California than any other State (36 percent). For the same period, more non-Southeast Asians resettled in New York than any other State (20 percent). Illustration 3 (below) highlights the top five rankings for both Southeast Asian and non-Southeast Asian arrivals by State of initial resettlement for the period FY 1983 through FY 1999.

The majority of refugees initially resettled in California were from Vietnam (40 percent) followed by refugees from the former Soviet Union (22 percent). Sixty-nine percent of the refugees initially resettled in New York were from the former Soviet Union followed by refugees from Vietnam (eight percent). Eighty percent of the refugees initially resettled in Florida were from Cuba and Haiti. Seventy-one percent were from Cuba (76 percent were entrants and 24 percent were refugees). Another nine percent were from Haiti (90 percent were entrants and 10 percent were refugees). In Texas, refugees from Vietnam (52 percent) and refugees from the former Yugoslavia (nine percent) made up the largest proportion. In the State of Washington, refugees from the former Soviet Union (40 percent) and refugees from Vietnam (30 percent) made up the largest proportion.

ILLUSTRATION 3:

State	S.E. Asian Arrivals	Non-S.E. Asian Arrivals
Rankings for Southeast Asian and Non-Southeast Asian Arrivals by State of Initial Resettlement for FY 1983 - FY 1999
California	1	2
Florida	- -	3
Illinois	-	4
Minnesota	4	-
New York	5	1
Texas	2	-
Washington	3	5

California and New York have resettled the greatest number of refugees to date (refer to Table 3). With the exception of FY 1984 and FY 1985, California followed by New York received the greatest number of refugees each fiscal year until FY 1995. In FY 1984 and FY 1985, California received the greatest number of refugees followed by Texas followed by New York. In FY 1995, FY 1996, FY 1998, and FY 1999 Florida received more refugees than California or New York. And in FY 1997, New York received the greatest number of refugees followed by California and Florida. Illustration 4 (below) highlights the top five rankings for all arrivals by State of initial resettlement for FY 1983 through FY 1999 as well as for FY 1999.

ILLUSTRATION 4:

State	Arrivals for FY 1983 - FY 1999	Arrivals for FY 1999
Arrivals by State of Initial Resettlement for FY 1983 through 1999, and FY 1999
California	1	3
Florida	3	1
New York	2	2
Texas	4	4
Washington	5	5

For FY 1999, the majority of arrivals initially resettled in the same five States. The majority of Florida arrivals were from Cuba (82 percent) followed by refugees from the former Yugoslavia (10 percent). Forty percent of the refugees initially resettled in New York were from the former Yugoslavia with another 36 percent from the former Soviet Union. The majority of California arrivals were from the former Soviet Union (36 percent) followed by refugees from Vietnam (24 percent). In Texas, refugees from the former Yugoslavia (47 percent) made up the largest proportion followed by refugees from Vietnam (23 percent). Sixty-six percent of the refugees initially resettled in Washington were from the former Soviet Union with another 18 percent from the former Yugoslavia. (Refer to Table 4)

Secondary Migration

A number of explanations for secondary migration by refugees have been suggested: employment opportunities, the pull of an established ethnic community, more generous welfare benefits, better training opportunities, reunification with relatives, or a congenial climate.

The Refugee Assistance Amendments of 1982 amended the Refugee Act of 1980 (section 412(a)(3)) directing ORR to compile and maintain data on the secondary migration of refugees within the United States. In response to this directive, ORR developed the Refugee State-of-Origin Report (ORR-11) for estimating secondary migration. Beginning with FY 1983, the principal use of the ORR-11 data has been to allocate ORR social service funds to States. The most recent compilation was September 30, 1999.

The method of estimating secondary migration is based on the first three digits of social security numbers which are assigned geographically in blocks by State. With the assistance of their sponsors, almost all arriving refugees apply for social security numbers immediately upon arrival in the United States. Therefore, the first three digits of a refugee's social security number are a good indicator of his or her initial State of residence in the U.S. (The current system replaced an earlier program in which blocks of social security numbers were assigned to Southeast Asian refugees during processing before they arrived in the U.S. The block of numbers reserved for Guam was used in that program, which ended in late 1979). If a refugee currently residing in California has a social security number assigned in Nevada, for example, the method treats that person as having moved from initial resettlement in Nevada to current residence in California.

States participating in the refugee program provide ORR-11 data for refugees currently receiving assistance or services in their programs (for the most recent three-year period). Compilation of ORR-11 data by all reporting States results in a 53 X 53 State (and territory) matrix which contains information on migration from each State to every other State. In effect, State A's report shows how many people have migrated in from other States, as well as how many people who were initially placed in State A are currently there. The reports from every other State, when combined, show how many people have left State A. The fact that the reports are based on current assistance or service populations means, of course, that coverage does not extend to all refugees who have entered since 1975. However, the bias of this method is toward refugees who have entered in the past three years, the portion of the refugee population of greatest interest to ORR.

Available information also indicates that much of the secondary migration of refugees takes place during their first few years after arrival and that the refugee population becomes relatively stabilized in its geographic distribution after an initial adjustment period. The matrix of all possible pairs of in- and out-migration between States can be summarized into total in- and out-migration figures reported for each State. Examination of the detailed State-by-State matrix showed several migration patterns: a strong movement in and out of California as well as a strong movement in and out of Florida; a strong movement into Iowa, Minnesota and Washington; a strong movement out of New Jersey, New York, and Texas; and some population exchange between contiguous or geographically close States (refer to Table 5).

Almost every State experienced both gains and losses through secondary migration. Twenty-two States gained additional refugees through secondary migration. California recorded the largest overall number of in-migrants and out-migrants (3,300). Washington recorded the largest number of in-migrants (2,199) along with a relatively small number of out-migrants (340). Minnesota and Iowa followed the same pattern as Washington. New York recorded the largest number of out-migrants (1,917) along with only a small number of in-migrants (81). Texas and New Jersey followed the same pattern as New York.

The largest net migration gain was recorded by the State of Washington (1,859). The primary sources for the migration into Washington were New York (490), California (378), Oregon (235), and Texas (184). The second and third largest net migration gains were recorded by Minnesota (1,571) and Iowa (1,216). The primary sources for the migration into Minnesota were California (324), Texas (247), Virginia (133), and New York (122). The primary sources for migration into Iowa were New York (504), Illinois (319), California (157), and Texas (136).

The largest net migration loss was recorded by the State of New York (-1,836). The primary sources for the migration out of New York were Iowa (504), Washington (490), California (133), and Minnesota (122). The second and third largest net migration losses were recorded by New Jersey (-1,165) and Texas (-1,136). The primary sources for migration out of New Jersey were Texas (231), Georgia (141), Florida (106), and Arizona and Washington (both 72). The primary sources for migration out of Texas were California (287), Minnesota (247), Washington (181), and Iowa (136).