REFUGEE SHABBAT RESOURCES
May 11, 2024 is Refugee Shabbat at Chevrei Tzedek
Definitions
Refugee: A refugee is a person who has been forced to flee their home country due to
persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a
particular social group (e.g., members of the LGBTQ community). The persecution a refugee
experiences may include harassment, threats, abduction, or torture. A refugee is often afforded
some sort of legal protection, either by their host country’s government, the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), or both. In the United States, refugees are hand-selected
by the U.S. government and are screened in advance. They are subject to background checks and
security screenings by multiple U.S. agencies. Only after everything is approved are they brought
to the U.S. to reside permanently.
Asylum seeker: An asylum seeker is a person who has fled persecution in their home country and
is seeking safe haven in a different country but has not yet received any legal recognition or
status. In several countries, including the U.S., asylum seekers are sometimes detained while
waiting for their case to be heard.
Internally displaced person: An internally displaced person, or IDP, is a person who fled their
home but has not crossed an international border to find sanctuary. Even if they fled for reasons
similar to those driving refugees (armed conflict, generalized violence, human rights violations),
IDPs legally remain under the protection of their own government – even though that
government might be the cause of their flight.
Migrant: A migrant is a person who chooses to move from their home for any variety of reasons,
but not necessarily because of a direct threat of persecution or death. Migrant is an umbrella
category that can include refugees but can also include people moving to improve their lives by
finding work or education, those seeking family reunion and others.
persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a
particular social group (e.g., members of the LGBTQ community). The persecution a refugee
experiences may include harassment, threats, abduction, or torture. A refugee is often afforded
some sort of legal protection, either by their host country’s government, the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), or both. In the United States, refugees are hand-selected
by the U.S. government and are screened in advance. They are subject to background checks and
security screenings by multiple U.S. agencies. Only after everything is approved are they brought
to the U.S. to reside permanently.
Asylum seeker: An asylum seeker is a person who has fled persecution in their home country and
is seeking safe haven in a different country but has not yet received any legal recognition or
status. In several countries, including the U.S., asylum seekers are sometimes detained while
waiting for their case to be heard.
Internally displaced person: An internally displaced person, or IDP, is a person who fled their
home but has not crossed an international border to find sanctuary. Even if they fled for reasons
similar to those driving refugees (armed conflict, generalized violence, human rights violations),
IDPs legally remain under the protection of their own government – even though that
government might be the cause of their flight.
Migrant: A migrant is a person who chooses to move from their home for any variety of reasons,
but not necessarily because of a direct threat of persecution or death. Migrant is an umbrella
category that can include refugees but can also include people moving to improve their lives by
finding work or education, those seeking family reunion and others.
Facts about Refugees
1. Today, nearly 110 million people worldwide have been forced to flee their homelands due to persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, gender, or sexual orientation.
- There are 35.3 million refugees across the world and around half of them are under the age of 18 and 65.5 million internally displaced people ( IDPs) within their own country. The total number of displaced people worldwide is 108.4 million. This includes not only refugees but also asylum-seekers and people displaced inside their own countries. Today, nearly 110 million people worldwide have been forced to flee their homelands due to persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, gender, or sexual orientation. For more information see the UN High Commissioner for Refugee site.
2. 75% of refugees are being hosted in low and middle-income countries.
- This is largely due to geography; these countries are closest to the conflict zones people are fleeing.
- Turkey and Iran are host to the largest refugee populations in the world, with each country hosting 3.4 million refugees.
3. 52% of the world’s refugees come from just three countries: Syria (6.5 million), Afghanistan (6.1 million), and Ukraine (5.9 million). (Source HIAS)
4. Historically, the United States has been among the world’s leaders in refugee resettlement.
- The U.S. has been resettling refugees for decades. In the aftermath of World War II, Congress enacted the first refugee legislation, providing refuge to over 650,000 displaced Europeans. Since the U.S. resettlement program was formalized through the Refugee Act of 1980, the U.S. has resettled over 3 million refugees.
5. 87 million people are displaced due to natural disasters.
- Natural events such as floods, earthquakes and fires force millions of people to flee their homes each year. At the end of 2022, 8.7 million people were living in internal displacement due to disasters. Not all disaster displacement is climate-related, but as climate change continues to make extreme weather events more common and more intense, ever more people are at risk of being forced to flee their homes. ( source IDMC, 2024). Watch this video to learn more.
6. Once resettled, refugees not only contribute to their new communities economically, but also play an active role in civic engagement, participate in the labor force, maintain a strong devotion to education, purchase homes, and become U.S. citizens.
- On average, 82 percent of refugees participate in the labor force, compared to the 62 percent national average. Refugees are twice as likely as native-born individuals to hold jobs in the service industry, and many industries like hospitality and meatpacking now rely heavily on refugee workers. Across the U.S., the low number of refugee arrivals is putting an unnecessary strain on businesses, especially in rural areas
- In 2017, a study was released showing that over a span of 10 years, refugees contributed $63 billion more in taxes than what the U.S. had spent on their initial resettlement. ( source HIAS)
Additional Resources
1. LEARN: Book and Film recommendations.
2. ADVOCATE : Advocate with lawmakers to protect refugees.
3. SUPPORT: shop at refugee owned businesses like this one in Baltimore.