The US State Department has decided to relax a two-year-old policy that limited Iraqi refugee resettlement in the Detroit area because of the state of Michigan’s struggling economy.
An influx of Iraqi refugees have come to the area in recent years, many of whom were attracted to the Detroit area because of its large Middle Eastern population. However, authorities said two years ago only those with close relatives could resettle there, in part out of fear that they would be unable to find work.
Now, the State Department says anyone with family and friends can come to the area, said Lawrence Bartlett, the department’s deputy director of refugee admissions.
Most refugees with immediate family had been resettled and there was room to accept more, Bartlett said.
He said the decision was made after consulting with the state refugee services office, resettlement agencies and other community leaders.
“The [refugee assistance] agencies assured us they were able to provide the necessary supporting services to help with integration,” Bartlett said on Tuesday.
“A couple of years ago, they made it clear to us they were stretched,” he said.
One big reason for the change was the State Department’s decision in January to double the payments to resettlement agencies on behalf of each refugee to US$1,800.
That money is designed to help refugees with their expenses, such as food and housing, for up to 90 days.
With the increase, “we were able to take a new look at this restriction,” Bartlett said. “After consulting with agencies and state government we were requested to lift that restriction.”
The government also sought to prevent secondary migration, when refugees come on their own to Michigan after first being settled somewhere else.
Though no precise figures exist, hundreds of Iraqis independently made their way to the Detroit area since June 2008 to connect with the community’s culture despite Michigan’s soaring unemployment rate, which was 13.6 percent last month.
It was the first time in four years the state escaped the distinction of having the US’ highest unemployment rate, ceding the top spot to Nevada.
He said that making Detroit the primary resettlement place would be less disruptive to the refugees themselves because they can receive financial and other assistance directly from the local resettlement agencies.
The original restriction came as the US government began increasing the overall number of Iraqis granted refugee status.
The government resettled 2,744 people — mainly Iraqis — to the Detroit area from June 25, 2008, to June 24 last year. During the same period a year earlier, 1,643 refugees were resettled in the area.
From June 25 last year through Friday, 1,887 were resettled.
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