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About
Us
Addiction Technology
Transfer Center of
New England
Brown University
Box G-S121
Providence, RI 02912
Email: ATTC-NE
Phone: 401-863-6486
FAX: 401-863-6697
Director:
Dan Squires Ph.D. MPH
Associate Director:
Stephen Gumbley MA, LCDP
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>>Immigrants/Refugees
"…Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."*
*From a poem by Emma
Lazarus, engraved on a tablet within the pedestal on which the
Statue of Liberty stands. Emma Lazarus, a young poet, was the descendant
of immigrants. Her family was Sephardic Jews, forced from the Iberian
Peninsula, who came to the United States of America as religious
refugees. By the time Emma Lazarus penned these famous words, her
family had become successful as merchants, professionals and intellectuals.
In 1620, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, seeking religious
freedom. Since that time, the United States has been perceived as
a safe haven for people fleeing persecution and oppression, in their
native homelands. Article 14, of the Universal declaration of Human
Rights, established after World War II in response to the failure
of many nations to protect refugees from Nazi persecution, states
that "…everyone had the right to seek and enjoy asylum
in other countries from persecution."
Building on the recognition of, The United States accepted this
right as universal, and worked to help establish international standards
of protection for refugees. More that 30 years ago, the United States
formally aligned itself with these standards and acceded to the
Protocol of the 1951 Convention, relating to the Status of Refugees.
It has been 50 years since the United Nations described international
standards of protection for refugees, yet immigration remains a
divisive issue in the relationships between the countries that "have"
and those that "have not".
The crucial obligation, undertaken by the United States and other
States agreeing to the treaty, was to refrain from returning any
refugee to a place where his/her life or freedom would be threatened.
This obligation was codified into U.S. law by the 1980 Refugee Act,
which also defined a framework for the independent evaluation -
free from political considerations - of claims for refugee status.
The United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) has two
basic and closely related aims - to protect refugees and to seek
ways to help them restart their lives in a normal environment.
"If the rich countries spent more on
poverty alleviation and less on immigration
policies, they might achieve results."
(UNHCR) official, Ilunga Nganda
The 1951 Convention codifies what the term 'refugee' means. A refugee
is narrowly defined, by international law, as a person with a well-founded
fear of persecution because of race, religion, nationality, membership
in a particular social group, or political opinion, who is outside
the country of his or her nationality and is unable or unwilling
to return. The term, however, is often popularly understood in a
far broader way to include persons fleeing war, civil strife, famine,
as well as environmental disasters. The 1951 Convention also outlines
a refugee's rights including: freedom of religion and movement,
the right to work, the right to education and accessibility to travel
documents. Additionally, it describes the refugee's obligations
to the host government. A key provision mandates that refugees must
not be returned to a country where he or she fears persecution.
The Convention also spells out people or groups of people who are
not covered by this act.
What is the difference between a refugee and an immigrant?
An economic immigrant usually leaves a country voluntarily, in order
to seek a better life. If this person decides to return home, the
protection of their government would continue. Refugees, in contrast,
flee due to the threat of persecution and cannot safely return to
their homes under the current conditions. In other words, refugees
have fled because of persecution while immigrants have left their
home countries for other reasons.
Where do the refugees come from?
The vast majority of the world's estimated 14.1 million refugees
are in the developing world. The Middle East hosted the largest
number of refugees at the end of 1999, 5.8 million. Iran, alone,
hosted 1.8 million refugees at the end of 1999. Africa hosted 3.1million
refugees and 10.6 million others are internally displaced.
How many refugees come to the United States on a yearly basis?
In fiscal year 1999, 85,006 refugees were admitted into the United
States through the overseas admissions program. An additional 41,377
people applied for asylum in the United States during fiscal year
1999.
Where do most of the refugees come from?
In fiscal year 1999, 16,922 refugees were admitted to the United
States through the overseas admissions program from the former Soviet
Union; 22,697 were from Bosnia; 14,156 were from Kosovo; 9,863 were
from Vietnam; 4,317 were from Somalia; 2,495 were from Liberia;
2,392 from Sudan; 2,018 were from Cuba; 1,955 were from Iraq; 1,879
were from Congo, and 1,739 were from Iran.
By Stephanie Armour
USA TODAY
Many immigrants, hired to work as nannies and maids in private residences
in the United States, are instead being forced into virtual bondage,
where some are beaten, barred from leaving and denied basic medical
care. Women and children may work unnoticed for years by outsiders.
Some have been chained, sexually abused and paid less than 3 cents
an hour. They typically work directly for an employer rather than
going through a placement agency, so there may be no employment
record. Often, they are illegal immigrants afraid to come forward
for fear of being deported.
The meat processing industry has often been accused of employing,
and even of exploiting, illegal immigrants. A 2½ years investigation,
by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), resulted in
a 36count indictment against two executives and six former managers
of Tyson Foods. The charges included attempting to smuggle illegal
immigrants, from Mexico, into the United States to work at numerous
Tyson plants. The use of undocumented workers greatly improves the
profitability of the companies that employ them.
The terrorist attack of September 11th has moved immigration to
the forefront of American political debate. Security-driven concerns
have focused the spotlight on the flow of legal, illegal and temporary
immigrants into our country. Controversial proposals for legal and
institutional changes have caused an outcry from constitutional
scholars and opinion leaders concerned about restricting the rights
of non-citizens.
Some of the important questions being discussed are as follows.
How can immigration policies be strengthened to safeguard national
security interests while also protecting the cherished American
ideal of welcoming those who have come here to build a better life?
Can the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) be reorganized
in order to protect our borders and maintain track of foreign visitors
while also facilitating and supporting legal immigration? What tradeoffs
do tighter security measures impose on privacy, fairness, judicial
review and civil liberties?
Take some time to explore various opinions on these issues, by visiting
the following web sites:
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