Becca Hartgraves 1

Issues with the Treatment of Syrian Refugees in America

Rebecca A. Hartgraves

Global Studies and World Languages Academy

Tallwood High School

 Becca Hartgraves 2

Table of Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................3

Introduction......................................................................................................................................4

Limitations.......................................................................................................................................5

Literature Review............................................................................................................................6

Discussion......................................................................................................................................10

Admission into America.............................................................................................................10

Resettlement Services................................................................................................................10

Language Barrier........................................................................................................................11

Employment...........................................................................................................................12

Medical Problems and Conditions.............................................................................................12

American Fear............................................................................................................................13

Misguided Islamophobia........................................................................................................13

Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................14

References......................................................................................................................................14
 Becca Hartgraves 3

Abstract

This paper illustrates the problems that Syrian refugees are faced with in America. First,

refugees go through an extremely intensive application and relocation process that accepts less

than 1% of the refugee population and takes about two years. Once they are relocated to

America, they are helped by resettlement services, which have their own set of communication

and execution problems. When trying to make a living in America, there is an abundance of

strugglesmost of which start with the language barrier. Most Syrians speak Arabic and little to

no English. This makes civil responsibilities such as seeking out medical help, applying for a job,

and getting an education an obstacle. In addition to the language barrier, refugees do not receive

much help acquiring these civil responsibilities. This makes being a contributing member of

society difficult. Syrian refugees have the ability to thrive in America, Americans just need to

help create an environment where thriving is achievable. When helping create that environment

Americans cannot discriminate against Syrians, be fearful of them without valid reason, or

misdirect their Islamaphobia towards them.

 Becca Hartgraves 4

Introduction

Syrian Refugees endure the most intensive application, screening, and acceptance process

of any other group that comes into the United States of America (Altman, November 17, 2015).

They are subjected to a lack of guidance and opportunity, as well as untreated medical conditions

and misguided Islamophobia while navigating through this new world.

After being vetted and admitted into America, refugees come across many issues. There

are services that help with resettlement, but they are often unorganized, do not have good

communication, are underfunded, and the majority only help refugees for a set amount of time.

One of the most apparent problems is the language barrier. The vast majority of Syrians

come into America speaking Arabic, and the prominent language in America is English. Most

Refugees speak extremely limited English, if any at all. This makes everyday necessities difficult

tasks. This includes things such as education, employment, finding out information, seeking

assistance, finding medical help, and communication. In order to function in America, refugees

need to be able to do these things.

In addition, many Americans are weary of letting Syrians into our country. Whether that

weariness is caused by political opinions, personal beliefs, or islamophobia, American officials

are already taking the necessary precautions. The American public needs to help provide the

opportunity for success for refugees.

 Becca Hartgraves 5

Limitations

As with any research, I had a number of limitations. Throughout the course of my

research, those limitations were due to a lack of online resources on the topic of Syrian refugees

living in America, non-numerical evidence, my location, transportation, and time. While I was

not able to get a lot of first-hand research, the majority of my research came from online articles

and scholarly papers.

In order to conduct research prior to writing this paper, I had a time limit of

approximately two months. During that time, I did as much research as I could but with those

time limits I was not able to collect as much information as I wanted. In addition to time limits,

the statistical information that I wanted such as living conditions and medical problems do not

exist. Therefore what there is is biased. A numerical value- say a percentage is much harder to be

biased than descriptions and data.

This year, I traveled to Jordan and visited a refugee village. At the village, none of the

refugees spoke English, so all communication was done through hand motions and translators.

We were instructed not to question the refugees about their home country, or why they fled to

Jordan in order to avoid making them uncomfortable, especially the children. Because of this, I

did not get much information relative to this project at the village.

I live in Virginia Beach and to my knowledge no Syrian Refugees have been settled near

me. There is no contact information for refugees settled in America that available to the public. I

have no way to communicate with Syrian refugees first-hand.

 Becca Hartgraves 6

Literature Review

While finding sources for my project about the treatment of Syrian Refugees in America,

the majority of what I found were articles. I also have access to the Virginia Commonwealth

University library database. There I found a number of scholarly papers that were relevant and

helpful. In addition, I cited the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which applies to

everyone around the world. Lastly, I found a video that fully explains the admission, vetting, and

application f Syrian Refugees coming to America.

Altman, A. (2015, November 17). This Is How the Syrian Refugee Screening Process

Works. Retrieved December 2, 2016, from http://time.com/4116619/syrian-refugees-screening-

process/

One of the first sources that I found was a Time article by Alex Altman that explained

How the Syrian Refugee Screening Process Works." This source explains the extensive

vetting process of Syrian Refugees. First, the Refugee will have to get a referral from

UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) - which includes an in-depth

interview, reference checks, and biological screenings. Among the refugees who pass

background checks, only most vulnerable cases are referred for overseas settlement. After

this, if they are referred to America, they go under the American screening process which

includes weekly meetings, review of their case file, and other precautions are taken

specifically for Syrians by the State Department, the FBIs Terrorist Screening Center, the

Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security, amongst others. This

is one of the most intensive screening processes that anyone if put through when coming

to the US- not to mention one of the longest, taking approximately 24 months. This
 Becca Hartgraves 7

source was essential to my research as it provided an overview of how Syrian Refugees

enter America.

Grisgraber, D. (2013, September 11). A Daily Struggle to Survive: Syrian Refugees in

Lebanon. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from

http://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports/2015/10/4/a-daily-struggle-to-survive-syrian-

refugees-in-lebanon

The last article that I will mention was an account of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon. While

my research pertains to refugees in America, it is good to compare information between

different countries. This article talks about the conflict in Syria and the surrounding

countries; it was specifically about the unmanageable influx of Syrian Refugees to

Lebanon. This also mentions that Syrian Refugees may not be able to return to their home

country for some time because of the devastating state of their war torn country right

now. Lebanon is trying to help out as much as it can and provide humanitarian assistance

but with one in four people in their country being a refugee, it is becoming increasingly

difficult to help.

Penny, Dylan. "Foreign Aid: A Failing System in Need of Reform." Foreign Aid: A

Failing System in Need of Reform (n.d.): n. pag. Senior Projects 2015. GSWLA, 12 Nov. 2015.

Web. 1 Oct. 2016.

Research papers from past years are available online. I found a paper written by

Dylan Penn in 2015 titled "Foreign Aid: A Failing System in Need of Reform." This

source is informational, although some aspects do not directly pertain to by subject. I

learned a lot about the problems with foreign aid- especially humanitarian assistance and

refugees. There is a lot of money donated and put aside for humanitarian assistance, but
 Becca Hartgraves 8

some of it goes to unknown places. This paper also debated whether the western idea of

humanitarian assistance of actually effective. Instead of solely giving money, countries

that are able need to help out to the best of their ability by sending personnel help to the

countries in need and accepting people in need into their country.

United Nations. (1948, December 10). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved

December 15, 2016, from http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

The Universal Declarations of Human Rights was created by the United Nations

and is intended to protect the rights of all people, worldwide. The articles pertaining to

my topic are article fourteen Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other

countries asylum from persecution. article thirteen " Everyone has the right to freedom

of movement and residence within the borders of each State. Everyone has the right to

leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country., and article twenty

five Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being

of himself and of his family..."

Klein, Morton A. (18, December 2015) Don't endanger Americans by bringing Syrian

Muslims into the United States. Retrieved November 29, 2016, from

http://search.proquest.com.proxy.library.vcu.edu/docview/1756094724?rfr_id=info%3Axri

%2Fsid%3Aprimo

It is always good to have knowledge of opposing viewpoints. The next paper that I found

was on the Virginia Commonwealth University library database. It was about the

downsides of accepting Refugees into America such as how refugees are simply taking

Americas Jobs, and how they put stress on the economy. Refugees do find jobs in

America, but they also contribute to our society. Becoming employed is a small setback
 Becca Hartgraves 9

for Americas economy considering that the alternative for refugees would likely be life

in a crowded, mismanaged refugee camp or death.

Guttman, Nathan.(04, December 2015). Defying the Tide on Syrian Refugees. Retrieved

November 26, 2016 from

http://search.proquest.com.proxy.library.vcu.edu/docview/1750035030?rfr_id=info%3Axri

%2Fsid%3Aprimo

Lastly, there is a paper on the Virginia Commonwealth University library database about

the Journey of refugees and what we can do as Americans to help. This paper discusses

how America often views refugees as others which creates unfounded stereotypes and

discriminatory practices. One way to combat these stereotypes is to help set up refugees

for success and recognize cultural differences, and even appreciate them. We, as

Americans need to not discriminate refugees and need to help them be able to have

upward mobility.

The sources that I found were varied and ranged from news articles to lengthy papers on

online databases. I read sources from different viewpoints, authors, websites, and

countries in order to get a good grasp on the issue.

 Becca Hartgraves 10

Discussion

Syrian Refugees endure the most intensive application, screening, and acceptance process

of any other group that comes into the United States of America (Altman, 2015). They are

subjected to a lack of guidance and opportunity, as well as untreated medical conditions and

misguided Islamophobia while navigating through this new American world.

Admission into America

In order to travel legally to America, refugees are required to obtain a referral from

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Some are physically unable to do

this due to their location, situation, or even physical condition. The referral includes an in-depth

interview, reference checks, and biological screenings such as iris scans and fingerprints. Among

the 50% of applicants who pass background checks, only the most vulnerable and dire cases are

referred for overseas settlement (Altman, November 17, 2015). Only one percent of refugees are

settled in a first world country, the others are resettled in developing countries (!!!!!!) (Kallic,

Dyssegaard, & Mathema, 2016). When refugees are referred to America, then they go through

the American screening process. This includes weekly meetings, reviews of their case file, and

other precautions, which are taken specifically for Syrians by the State Department, the FBIs

Terrorist Screening Center, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland

Security, and various other organizations. The American screening process for Syrian refugees

takes on average about two years. (Altman, 2015).

Resettlement Services
Before refugees depart from their home county to America, they attend cultural

orientation classes that educate them about American culture, society, and differences between

America and their home country. This aims to help them learn how to function in what is
 Becca Hartgraves 11

essentially a new world to them. Syrians, along with all other refugees need to obtain

employment, housing, and medical care. They do not have to do this alone; core resettlement

services are mandated by the State Department to assist refugees in finding these needs

(McNeely, date*)(!!!!!). These core resettlement services contain a small amount of

governmental organizations but the majority of them are Non-Governmental Organizations

(NGO's) and Non-profit organizations. The purpose of these resettlement programs are to work

together to help refugees, but when there are large amounts of organizations managed by

different people there will be issues with communication. Problems with communication

inevitably lead to problems with coordination and information flow. Refugees need to receive

coordinated and correct information when they come to America. (!!!!!add more here) These

organizations are only mandated to help for 30-90 days (McNeely, 2015). After that the refugees

are left to navigate America on their own.

Language Barrier
Syrian Refugees come to America speaking Arabic. Very few speak English at all, and if

they do their English is fairly limited. This creates a difficult language barrier that effects every

aspect of their life. Refugees are offered opportunities to take English classes by resettlement

services but are not provided with the money to take the classes (Guttman, 2015). When they

first come to America, they are given $1,000.00 by the government to help with(!!!!!!heree) their

first three months (Welsh). Considering that the average monthly cost of living in America is

$2,300.00, $1,000.00 is barely enough to sustain an individual, not to mention enough to take

English Classes (Career Trends, n.d.). The language barrier creates many problems in refugees

lives. For example, in order to start school, child refugees are evaluated on their academics in

order to be placed in the grade level that best suits them. These children may be very intelligent

but they are often placed in lower grades because of their limited English skills. The Early
 Becca Hartgraves 12

Childhood Education Center (ECEC) in Massachusetts has addressed this problem. The ECEC

has promised to "look at the institutional and systemic challenges that refugee families face in

accessing stable, high-quality ECEC options." (Gross & Ntagengwa, 2016). This process of

taking a families resources, background, knowledge, and capabilities into careful consideration

when enrolling their child into American education is essential for refugees.

Employment
On the other hand, adults often find it difficult to find jobs in America without speaking

the language of the country. Jobs are a necessity considering that many of them came to America

with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. There are very few programs or jobs that are

designed to help Arabic speakers, or even refugees in general. So when Syrian Refugees attain

employment, it is usually unskilled labor, minimum wage, and seldom within walking distance.

While there is public transportation in America, it is not widely used or maintained, with the

exception of highly populated urban areas. Therefore, in addition to becoming employed,

refugees often need to buy a car. Cars can be exceedingly expensive, especially if one does not

know how to find good prices. Refugees have to jump through many hoops to become employed

and pay for their needs.

Medical Problems and Conditions

As with anyone coming from a war-torn country, Syrian Refugees come to America with

a plethora of medical problems. These problems can range from mild diabetes to (PTSD). In

order to get help, refugees need to talk to someone about their problems, which may be

extremely uncomfortable if they do not speak English well. According to a study by

Emad A. Yanni, Michael Guterbock, and seven others, 43% of refugees delayed seeking out

medical help, or did not seek out medical help at all in the past year. Because of this, the medical
 Becca Hartgraves 13

community in America needs to be aware of the distinctive medical concerns of Syrians and

needs to be ready to treat those concerns.

In addition to physical conditions, due to what Syrian refugees have experienced, many

are prone to mental conditions. In the Middle East, mental problems are not seen as prevalent or

valid medical issues. Therefore, many refugees come into America with untreated and

undiagnosed conditions such as Depression, Anxiety, Severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD (Bushak, 2016).

American Fear
In light of the recent attacks in Paris, the stabbing at Ohio State, as well as fear

mongering in the media and by prominent political figures, many Americans have developed an

unrealistic fear of Syrian Refugees (Kallic, 2016). Americans need to take precautions when

accepting people into the country, especially when those people come from a place of war

(Klein, 2015). The majority of those precautions, are already being taken by US officials.

Americans should not isolate and single out Syrian Refugees because of their nationality or

religion. Viewing refugees as others often results in discrimination, inequality, and hurtful

stereotypes (Udani, 2011).

Misguided Islamophobia
Islamophobia is defined as, dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially

as a political force (Oxford dictionaries, author, date*). Although only ____% of Syrian

Refugees are Muslim, they are categorized as Middle Eastern radicals that we should be wary of.

America cannot discriminate against Syrians based on the exaggerated images the media portrays

or the fearful agenda that prominent political figures push. While radicalization is a serious and

important issue, we cannot assume that every Muslim has radical intentions. American officials

take precautionary actions such as the vetting, interviewing, and reviewing of files when taking
 Becca Hartgraves 14

in Syrian refugees. Only three out of 784,000 (0.0003%) refugees accepted since 2001 have been

suspected of terrorist activities (migration policies, 2016).

Refugees can prosper in America and they have so much to offer but we need to allow

them to contribute to our society without discrimination due to their race, language, religion or

home country. For example, Steve Jobs was a son of a Syrian immigrant and Albert Einstein was

a German asylum seeker in the United States.

Conclusion

Syrian is a country in ruins with innocent people in it trying to survive and trying to be

relocated to a safe place. For less than 1% of those refugees, that safe place is America (Kallic,

Dyssegaard, & Mathema, 2016). While it is fortunate for refugees to be resettled in a first world

country, there is a culture shock. It takes time and help to adjust to a new culture with completely

new set of traditions, religion, mannerisms, opinions, and beliefs. More importantly, Syrian

refugees seldom know how to function well in American society.

In American society, refugees need to learn to navigate the healthcare system, education

system, the English language, employment, transportation, and communication. Unfortunately

they also are forced to be exposed to islamophobia and American fear of Muslims and Middle

Eastern people. While there are organizations that help to adjust refugees to America, they are

only mandated to help for three months (McNeely, 2015).

As a nation, Americans need to help promote equality within the refugee population and

allow for equal opportunities. We cannot discriminate against Syrians because of their

background. Furthermore, we cannot promote the islamophobic agenda that is so often portrayed
 Becca Hartgraves 15

in media. Syrian refugees are not a mass of helpless and extremist people, they are a group of

individuals with unique circumstances and beliefs.

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 Becca Hartgraves 16

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 Becca Hartgraves 17

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