Last year nearly 3,000 refugees from all over the world resettled in Washington state. Only 25 are from Syria. That number is expected to increase.
Once refugees gain entry into the United States, a lengthy process which can take years, they are welcomed as they step off the plane, “in a language that they recognize,” said Mark Kadel the executive director of World Relief in Spokane.
“Our staff speaks about 25 different languages. We have to greet them with a hot meal, with food that they recognize. And then we get them into housing,” said Kadel.
World Relief is one of nine organizations the state’s Department of Social and Health Services partners with to help refugees build new lives. One of the families World Relief is helping right now is from Syria.
KPLU requested to talk to them through an interpreter, but Kadel said even though the family is far from the war they fled, they are worried their words might hurt loved ones they left behind.
“They fear for their lives that if it gets out to the insurgents, to the terrorists, that if this family has relatives in America that they could be targeted. because of the perception that they could be getting money from their relatives in the United States.They don’t want anything being exposed that could put their relatives in danger.”
Last year, refugees settling here came from over 30 different countries.
“We will continue to see large numbers of Iraqis, Ukrainians — Potentially Burmese and Congolese. We do expect to see some Syrians, but do not have an estimation of what that number will be,” said Sarah Peterson, the refugee coordinator for the Department of Social and Health Services.
President Obama said he’d like the U.S. to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees. Numerous Republican Governors have said they do not want them, citing security concerns. Governor Jay Inslee recently said that Washington will continue to welcome refugees from Syria.
In an interview last week with NPR Morning Edition Host Steve Inskeep, Inslee said, “I think that our nation is tested from time to time. And I think this is one of those times to really dig deep and see what kind of character our nation and my state has.”
Peterson says in the coming year, Washington expects to receive up to 3,200 refugees. She says of the 15 million around the world, less than 1 percent get the opportunity to be resettled in a country like the United States.
