Who are refugees?
Any person who is outside any country of such person's nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which such person last habitually resided, and who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
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How long have refugees been resettling in Idaho?
Idaho entered the refugee resettlement arena in 1975 when Governor John Evans established the Indochinese Refugee Assistance Program in response to the need for all states to participate in the resettlement of refugees fleeing the overthrow of U.S. supported governments in Southeast Asia. The Refugee Act of 1980 was passed to set up systems to deal with the increasing number of refugees from Vietnam, and other countries of the world. In Idaho, the process of resettlement became more formalized under this Act.
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Where do refugees come from?
Refugees come to our community from all over the world. They are victims of conflict, persecution, civil war and have been forced to flee from their home countries.
Click on charts below to see larger versions
Refugee Arrivals 2009-2010
Refugee Arrivals 1999-2010
Languages Spoken 2009-2010
*other indicates 30 other combined languages
Languages Spoken 1999-2010
*other indicates 55 other combined languages
For a detailed, updated list on recently arrived refugees, CLICK HERE.
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Do refugees choose their resettlement city?
Refugees do not choose their resettlement city. Unless there is a family member they are reunifying with, refugees are subject to the process of resettlement on the national level, and have no choice where they are initially settled. However, they are eligible to move from their initial resettlement city to another one should they choose to.
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Who works with refugees in Idaho?
Follow this link to find a list of resettlement agencies and information about the English Language Center.
CLICK HERE!
How are refugee service agencies connected in Idaho?
Click here for an organizational chart.
CLICK HERE!
Where can I find more information on English Language Learners?
The National Center for Family Literacy has many resources on their website including information regarding Culture and English Language Learners, Principles of Adult Learning, Working with Adult Literacy Learners, and Working with Refugee Families. Visit their website:
http://www.famlit.org/
How are refugees resettled in the US?
Read about the security screening process
here.
Refugee Owned Businesses
There are more and more refugee business all the time! While we do not yet have a full directory, some of them have been funded by Idaho's Micro-enterprise Training & Assistance Program. To view META's business director, click
HERE (note: not all these businesses are refugee-owned, but some are!).
How can I learn more about refugees who are coming to Idaho?
Below you will find links to more information about refugees who have resettled in Idaho.
*This list is not intended to be all encompassing, and the information provided on these links are the intellectual property of the organization who produced the materials.
If you have a resource we should add, please email us by cliking
HERE.
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