 Annual ORR Reports to Congress - 2000
The Refugee Act of 1980 (section 413(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act) requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit an Annual ORR Reports to Congress on the Refugee Resettlement Program. This report covers refugee program developments in FY 2000, from October 1, 1999 through September 30, 2000. It is the thirty-fourth in a series of reports to Congress on refugee resettlement in the U.S. since FY 1975 and the twentieth to cover an entire year of activities carried out under the comprehensive authority of the Refugee Act of 1980.
Admissions
- The U.S. admitted 72,489 refugees and Amerasian immigrants in FY 2000. An additional 17,871 Cuban and 1,570 Haitian nationals were admitted as entrants, for a total of 91,960 arrivals.
- Refugees from the successor republics of Yugoslavia composed the largest admission group (22,548), followed by arrivals from Cuba (17,871), the successor republics of the Soviet Union (14,576), Somalia (6,022), and Iran (5,099).
-
Florida received the largest number of arrivals (20,560), followed by California (9,645), New York (6,948), Washington (4,378), and Texas (4,354).
Reception and Placement Activities
-
In FY 2000, ten non‑profit organizations were responsible for the reception and initial placement of refugees through cooperative agreements with the Department of State.
Domestic Resettlement Program
-
Refugee Appropriations: In FY 2000, the U.S. Congress appropriated $426 million to assist refugees and Cuban and Haitian entrants. States received $171.3 million of this amount for the costs of providing cash and medical assistance to eligible refugees and entrants.
-
Social Services: In FY 2000, ORR provided $85.1 million in formula grants and $104 million in discretionary grants to States and non-profit organizations for a broad range of services for refugees, such as English language and employment‑related training.
-
Targeted Assistance: In FY 2000 ORR provided $49.5 million in targeted assistance funds to supplement available services in areas with large concentrations of refugees and entrants.
-
Voluntary Agency Matching Grant Program: ORR awarded grants totaling $48.4 million during the past year. Under this program, ORR awards Federal funds on a matching basis to national voluntary resettlement agencies to provide assistance and services to refugees.
-
Refugee Health: ORR provided funds to State and local health departments for refugee health assessments. Obligations for these activities and technical assistance support amounted to approximately $4.8 million in FY 2000.
-
Wilson/Fish Alternative Projects: ORR provided $9.5 million to provide cash assistance for private Wilson/Fish programs in three States and alternative programs in eight other States. In addition, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts operated a State-wide Wilson/Fish project.
-
Cuban/Haitian Initiative: ORR provided $19 million in funds to increase services to Cuban/Haitian refugees and entrants in the areas of access to health, mental health, improved education for youth, crime prevention and employment.
Key Federal Activities
-
Congressional Consultations: Following consultations with Congress, the President set a worldwide refugee admissions ceiling at 90,000 for FY 2000 and 80,000 for FY 2001.
Refugee Population Profile
-
Southeast Asians remain the largest group admitted since ORR established its arrival database in 1983, with approximately 641,570 refugees, including about 75,101 Amerasian immigrant arrivals. Nearly 453,281 refugees from the former Soviet Union arrived in the U.S. between 1983 and 2000.
-
Other refugees who have arrived in substantial numbers since the enactment of the Refugee Act of 1980 include Afghans, Ethiopians, Iranians, Iraqis, Poles, Romanians, Somalis, and citizens of the republics of the former Yugoslavia.
-
Six States have Southeast Asian refugee populations of 20,000 or more and account for about 59 percent of the total Southeast Asian refugee population in the U.S. The States of California, Texas, and Washington continue to hold the top three positions.
Economic Adjustment
-
The Fall 2000 annual survey of refugees who have been in the U.S. less than five years indicates that about 68 percent of refugees age 16 or over were employed as of September 2000, as compared with about 65 percent for the U.S. population.
-
The labor force participation rate rose to about 70 percent for the sampled refugee population, compared with 67 percent for the U.S. population. The refugee unemployment rate was 3.4 percent, compared with 4.0 percent for the U.S. population.
-
Approximately 65 percent of all sampled refuge households were entirely self‑sufficient. About 20 percent received both public assistance and earned income; another 12 percent received only public assistance.
-
Approximately 61 percent of refugees in the five‑year sample population received medical coverage through an employer, while 26 percent received benefits from Medicaid or Refugee Medical Assistance. About 8 percent of the sample population had no medical coverage in any of the previous 12 months.
-
The average number of years of education was the highest for the refugees from the former Soviet Union refugees (11.6 years), while the lowest was for refugees from Southeast Asian countries other than Vietnam (4.4 years). About 8 percent of refugees reported they spoke English well or fluently upon arrival, but 63 percent spoke no English at all.
- Approximately 33 percent of refugee households in the five‑year sample population received some sort of cash assistance. The most common form of cash assistance was Supplemental Security Income, received by about 18 percent of refugee households. About 27 percent of refugee households received food stamps, and 12 percent lived in public housing.
There was much to celebrate this year in the national refugee resettlement program, as FY 2000 marked the 25th anniversary of the modern-day refugee program in the United States. Twenty-five years ago the end of the Vietnam War brought thousands of refugees to our shores. More than 2.3 million refugees from throughout the world have come to the United States to begin new lives in the past 25 years. The cadre of refugee workers in public and private, national and local, volunteer and paid positions, has been crucial to the success of the national refugee program.
This year we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980. Early refugee assistance provided through temporary task forces and funding was supplanted by the orderly structure provided through the Refugee Act of 1980, which standardized resettlement services for all refugees admitted to the United States. Furthermore, the evolution of knowledge and skills among resettlement professionals has advanced the state of the refugee resettlement field immeasurably in the last quarter century.
The year 2000 was also the 50th anniversary of the creation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the protector of the millions of refugees in the world today. There was much to celebrate in accumulative experience, knowledge and accomplishments that will point the way for the next decade of refugee resettlement.
In Fiscal Year 2000, the United States approved the entry of 91,960 refugees, entrants, asylees and Amerasians from 56 countries for permanent resettlement. It was a year of increased arrivals from African nations, Near East and South Asia and decreases in arrivals from East Asia and Eastern Europe/Former Soviet Union. This number included 19,441 Cuban and Haitian entrants.
During the year, the planning for receiving an estimated 3,500 Sudanese "Lost Boys" from Kakuma Camp in Kenya was finalized, and toward the end of the year we began to see arrivals of these young men who had survived endless tragedy and trauma. More Sudanese youths will arrive in the coming year to communities and mentors who will welcome them and work to ease their adjustment into American life.
In FY 2000, notable among the grants awarded by ORR were grants to the State Departments of Education to provide support to local school districts that had been impacted by significant enrollments of refugee children. Services included ESL instruction, parent-school liaisons, interpreting services for parents, and after-school programs. Another grant program focused on elderly refugees who were assisted through ORR grants to many States that ensured access for them to mainstream elderly services.
Through changes to the ORR program regulations, we were able to increase flexibility in the models of refugee programs, thus opening the door for States and private agencies to more easily enter into public/private partnerships. Changes in the regulations also assured all refugees of eight months of medical assistance following their arrival to the U.S.
For the first time, funds were appropriated through the Torture Victims Relief Act, which enabled us to expand the number of grants awarded to torture treatment centers to assist survivors of torture. These funds not only increased the number of treatment programs, but also the number of trainers, and, subsequently, the number of health care professionals trained to provide specialized care to torture victims.
A major change occurred this year for asylee applicants. A reassessment was made of eligibility rules for those receiving legal status as asylees in the U.S. Asylee eligibility for refugee assistance and benefits is provided for in the Refugee Act of 1980. However, delays in the application process usually resulted in the eligibility time limit being reached prior to the granting of asylum by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). The new ORR policy makes asylees eligible for refugee assistance and benefits commencing on the day that INS approves their application, rather than the day they entered the country.
The partnership of State, Federal and private, non-profit agencies who administer the refugee program continued to place highest priority on assisting refugee families to achieve economic self-sufficiency, but also began a new focus to support refugees’ integration into their new communities. The importance of integration in terms of what refugees have contributed to American society has become evermore clear. The sense of belonging to the new community is a major factor in a refugee's sense of well being and eases the adjustment process.
In conclusion, the domestic refugee resettlement program has advanced steadily since the passage of the Refugee Act of l980. Through increased flexibility and continuous self-assessment, the refugee program is in an even better position to welcome and assist the many persecuted persons coming to the United States each year.
Nguyen Van Hanh, Ph.D.
Director
Office of Refugee Resettlemen