More than 50 refugees set to resettle in Bowling Green had their flights to the United States canceled this week following a sweeping executive order signed by President Donald Trump.
The individuals from 14 families bound for new homes in Bowling Green represent a small portion of the more than 10,000 refugees that have since been denied entry to the U.S. by the president’s decision. The executive order signed by Trump indefinitely paused the refugee resettlement program despite all of the impacted refugees receiving prior approval to resettle in cities across the country.
Trump says that continuing to receive refugees places an unnecessary burden on communities that are not equipped to handle them. Those directly involved in community resettlement efforts disagree, citing refugees' positive impact on labor and local economy.
According to Trump, refugee resettlement will remain suspended until he sees proof that refugees benefit the communities where they reside.
“That phrase, to me, is disingenuous at best and total ignorance at worst,” said Albert Mbanfu, CEO of the Bowling Green-based International Center of Kentucky. “Because there are studies, there is evidence that shows that refugee resettlement is of strategic importance to this country.”
The refugees impacted by the canceled flights had made it through the vast majority of the resettlement process, including up to 20 years of waiting in refugee camps before beginning the roughly two-year screening process to enter the U.S.
“The United Nations High Commission for Refugees works with the U.S. Dept. of State to identify the most vulnerable of refugees and refer them to the U.S. pipeline for resettlement,” Mbanfu explained.
According to Mbanfu, less than 1% of refugees are referred to the U.S. pipeline. Once that referral process is complete, and often after years spent in a refugee camp, the U.S. State Dept. and the International Organization for Migration begin preparation of the necessary documents to seek refuge in the U.S. After completion of the necessary documents, U.S. officers fly overseas to begin the interview process for potential refugees.
“If the officers judge that you don’t really qualify to come or they’re doubting that you’re a refugee or they’re doubting a document that you’ve presented to them, they have a right to reject. So, if they reject you, you’re out of it,” Mbanfu said.
Following the interview process, potential refugees must wait at least an additional 18 months for the results of a security screening. Once those results are complete, representatives begin transition programs to prepare refugees for life in the U.S.
At the conclusion of that transition program, refugees’ flights are booked and tickets are acquired.
This is the stage that refugees had reached when the executive order was passed, further delaying their resettlement.
For many refugees in Bowling Green and nationwide, this meant further delays in reuniting with loved ones overseas.
“There is a gentleman who came to my office two days ago, and he’s expecting his son. For some reason, when he came to the United States, he was separated from his son,” Mbanfu said. “The guy sat on that chair and he held his hands on his head, he told me, ‘My son is sick. He is epileptic. Why do they have to separate me from my son?’”
The order from Trump is one portion of a larger scale crackdown on immigration, though Mbanfu stresses that targeting refugee resettlement is not a viable solution.
“This is one of the bright lights in U.S. immigration, the refugee resettlement process. Because it is well structured, well organized, and many of these refugees have been in the refugee camp for probably 20 years or more,” he said.
The Warren County-bound refugees whose flights were canceled are natives of several countries, including Afghanistan, Burma, Syria, and Tanzania.
