September 23, 2015

Statement Regarding Syrian Refugee Crisis

We thank all those who have contacted us regarding the burgeoning refugee crisis in the Mideast and Europe involving refugees primarily from Syria. For the most part, people have asked: What is Catholic Charities doing to help? And, how can I help?

What Catholic Charities is Doing to Help

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Winona has been part of the refugee resettlement network since the 1970’s. While we stand ready to do our part, we can only act within the parameters established by the U.S. Department of State. The overview provided in the following points of information provides some helpful context.

  • The refugee resettlement process in the U.S. is essentially a public-private partnership between the Department of State and five non-profit networks with affiliates across the country. Many of these non-profit networks are faith-based including Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. The Catholic network is headed up by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
  • Each federal fiscal year, the President sets the number of refugees that will be accepted into the U.S. Of the western democracies that accept refugees, the U.S. accepts, by far, the largest. We typically resettle 70,000 a year.
  • Refugees are carefully screened before they arrive in the U.S. They complete three different background checks, e.g., FBI, CIA, Department of Homeland Security. They complete comprehensive health screenings. They must register with the host country in which their refugee camp is located and they must register with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees.
  • The fastest time that refugees are approved is eighteen months.
  • The vast majority of refugees love their native country but it is no longer safe for them to live there. They are fleeing ethnic conflict, religious conflict, war, genocide, or political instability.
  • The countries where our families are currently coming from include South Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Congo, Bhutan, Iraq, Myanmar (Burma), Ethiopia and Syria.
  • Most of the families we work with resettle in Rochester, but also, recently, in Mankato, Owatonna, Albert Lea, Austin, and Faribault. If a family has a U.S. tie, i.e., family or friend who can provide housing, guidance, support etc., they can be resettled successfully in towns outside of Rochester. If they do not have a U.S. tie, they really must be resettled in Rochester, which is where our staff and volunteers work and live. Those staff and volunteers are the only real support that non-U.S. tie families have.
  • We serve our families for a very short period, ninety days. Our goals are to provide stabilization and to promote self-sufficiency. Our approach is to get them off to a good start in a holistic way that empowers them. We provide housing, job skills, education, health care, and education. We work closely with a wide variety of community partners to see that our families get off to the best possible start.
  • Last year approximately 2,000 refugees were resettled in Minnesota. Our Catholic Charities typically resettle 100 – 150 refugees each year. Last year we resettled 137.

The above points provide an overview of the how the resettlement process typically works. The current crisis situation may require new processes and procedures.

How You Can Help

We reiterate the guidance provided by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

1. Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, KY and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops urged “all Catholics in the United States and others of goodwill to express openness and welcome to these refugees, who are escaping desperate situations in order to survive.”

2. The Catholic bishops have called on the U.S. government and the international community to provide support to both Syrian refugees fleeing violence and to host countries in the region that have tried to provide such support.

3. The Catholic bishops’ recommendations include:

a. Ending the conflict in Syria and Iraq and building an inclusive peace that will allow Syrian refugees—including also those who are ethnic and religious minorities– to return home and rebuild their countries.

b. Confronting the reality of persecution in the Middle East of Christians and other religious minorities and recognizing that it might be necessary for the international community to use proportionate and discriminate force to stop unjust aggressors and protect civilians.

c. Providing urgently needed humanitarian assistance for refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict who have fled to neighboring refugee countries.

d. Providing urgently needed development aid for those refugee host countries near Syria to enable them to have the infrastructure to properly welcome the refugees and to meet the needs of their own populations at the same time.

e. For the most vulnerable refugees, provide 100,000 annual resettlement slots for those fleeing the Syrian conflict, and designate the annual refugee admissions number for the United States at 200,000.

Please contact President Obama, Representative Tim Walz, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Senator Al Franken and urge them to raise the overall annual number of refugee admissions to 200,000 and to allocate 100,000 of those openings to refugees fleeing Syria.

Furthermore, we believe firmly that funding to the system needs to increase dramatically in order to handle an increase of this size. Funding for refugee resettlement needs to rise dramatically in order build the capacity of the overall system both outside the U.S. and within the U.S. When contacting your elected officials, please urge them to support both the increase in refugee admissions and funding for the overall system.