The United States resettles more refugees each year – about 80,000 – than all other nations combined. As one of America’s historic ports of entry, Chicago extends its broad shoulders to embrace them. The refugees arrive at O’Hare airport, the majority from Iraq or Burma or Bhutan or Congo or Somalia – storm centers in the world that Chicagoans may know little about. Most of the refugees know little of Chicago, and often find out their resettlement destination only weeks before boarding the plane. They arrive, battered by persecution back home and sequestered for years typically in refugee camps or urban settings where they can’t work legally and where their hopes for a semblance of stability are faint. Yet, for those arriving in Chicago, they’ve made it. But what next?
A network of resettlement agencies greets them, finds them housing, and provides them with a stipend that is to last 90 days. Mostly, the refugees are on their own and the challenges of daily life come quickly. Here are a dozen stories of how refugees are weaving their way into Chicago’s fabric. Among them are three stories, each told from a different perspective from members of the same family, and a story about one small business that seeks out refugees to hire. We are grateful as always for the cooperation of the resettlement agencies, in particular, the Golden Door Coalition, Refugee Assistance Programs (RAP), RefugeeOne, Upwardly Global and Uruk Human Services.
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Source: Immigration Connect
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