Immigration scholars have increasingly questioned the idea that “illegality” is a fixed, inherent condition Instead, the new consensus is that immigration laws produce “illegality” But can “illeg

Who are the “Illegals”? The Social Construction of Illegality in the United States:

The U.S. refugee population not only has grown dramatically, but the countries from which the refugees are fleeing have also diversified over the last decade. Focusing on five recent refugee groups—Bhutanese, Burmese, Iraqis, Somalis, and Cubans, we examine how premigration characteristics and postmigration integration policies shape early socioeconomic integration in the United States. Our analyses point to three findings. First, early socioeconomic outcomes show only modest differences across refugee groups, despite significant variation in premigration selectivity in human capital. Second, the two possible pathways toward integration are schooling and employment. Third, postmigration integration policies matter. Our findings highlight the role of integration policies, programs, and practices in successful refugee integration, underscoring U.S. refugee policy as a key component of immigration policy.

https://www.rsfjournal.org/content/rsfjss/6/3/117.full.pdf

A New Beginning: Early Refugee Integration in the United States

Many of the issues surrounding Cuban migration are unique but not new. Normal immigration from Cuba has been elusive since Fidel Castro came to power. Over the past 50 years, the practice of Cubans fleeing by boat to the United States has become commonplace, and at some points reached the levels of a mass exodus. Since the last upsurge of " boat people " in the mid-1990s, the United States and Cuba worked toward establishing safe, legal immigration, which includes returning migrants interdicted by the U.S. Coast Guard. These migration policies, however, are not without critics. The immigration of Cubans to the United States has increased since 1995, although the actual admission numbers have ebbed and flowed over this period. Cuba consistently ranks among the top 10 source countries for legal permanent residents (LPRs). Cuba ranked fifth as a top immigrant-sending country—after Mexico, China, India, and the Philippines—in FY2008. A total of 49,500 Cubans became LPRs in FY2008. U.S. Coast Guard interdictions of Cubans have fluctuated since the mid-1990s, yet the general trend has moved upward. who arrived at ports of entry without documents exhibited a comparable pattern, reaching a high of 13,019 in FY2007 and falling slightly to 11,278 in FY2008. The change in leadership of both the United States and Cuba may provide openings for revisions in U.S. policy on Cuban migration. Fidel Castro's departure as head of government in July 2006 has prompted some observers to call for a reexamination of U.S. policy toward Cuba overall, and a potential opportunity to restart the migration talks that had occurred semi-annually for a decade after the 1994 U.S-Cuba Migration Accord. After serving temporarily, Raúl Castro, brother of Fidel Casto, officially assumed the Cuban presidency in February 2008. This transfer of power between the Castro brothers led some to question whether there would be much of an opening for renewed migration talks between the United States and Cuba. During the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, however, President Barack Obama stated he would seek to change U.S. policy by allowing unlimited family travel and remittances to Cuba, signaling to some the possibility of resuming the migration talks. In his opening speech at the Summit of the Americas on April 17, 2009, President Obama expressed the hope of " a new beginning with Cuba, " specifically mentioning migration as an issue. A bipartisan group of congressional leaders are expressing support for a resumption …

/pdf/cuban-migration-to-the-united-states-policy-and-trends-33zxr2ohw0.pdf

Cuban Migration to the United States: Policy and Trends [Updated June 2, 2009]

The goal of this study was to engage with adult women refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to understand their perceptions and experiences with integration, resettlement, and health in Indianapolis. The focus of this paper is the findings related to integration. The study was conducted in partnership with a refugee resettlement agency who identified women from DRC as a population of interest since they are a relatively new refugee group to both the USA and Indiana. A community engaged approach was used to conduct a qualitative study utilizing both the Photovoice method and semi-structured interviews with 16 women. Triangulated analysis of interview transcripts, photos, and captions created from the Photovoice discussions revealed five major themes of language acquisition, lack of stable jobs, transportation, affordable housing, and social support. Our study concludes that emphasis on early self-sufficiency negatively affected this group of refugees’ language acquisition, which in turn adversely affected multiple other aspects of the integration process including access to well-paid jobs, affordable housing, and transportation. The authors argue that emphasis on social support, both within the Congolese refugee community and the local population, along with group learning can play a critical role in improving the integration experience of women refugees.

Through their Eyes: A Photovoice and Interview Exploration of Integration Experiences of Congolese Refugee Women in Indianapolis

A Comprehensive Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis: Highlighting the United States’ Role in the International Effort

In 2014 there were more than 14 million refugees worldwide and almost a million places for permanent resettlement were needed. This article reviews administrative and survey data on the characteristics and integration outcomes of refugees resettled in the United States, Canada and Scandinavia. Refugees to these destinations are increasingly diverse in their origins and languages-posing challenges for host communities. Refugees in the United States tend to be employed due to an early focus on self-sufficiency there, but those in Sweden and Norway have low employment rates, with Canada representing a middle ground. While limited English skills slow integration in the United States and Canada, acquiring Norwegian and Swedish is tougher because refugees are seldom exposed to these languages before resettlement. In the United States, older refugee cohorts have reached income parity with the U.S.-born population, but those resettled since the 2008-09 recession have started at a greater employment and income disadvantage. This article describes the administrative and survey data on U.S. refugees in rich detail, but the available administrative data for refugees in Canada, Norway and Sweden have yet to be fully mined.

Kathleen Newland

Papers

Integrating refugees in the United States: The successes and challenges of resettlement in a Global Context