Refugees – 1
Dear Friends,
For me, it is difficult not to be very aware of the number of people in our world who are fleeing their home or country of origin. The desperation that we see in the faces of these people on TV news is simply heart-wrenching. So, I have been thinking about this and trying to learn more about it. Today’s and probably the next several issues of my Wednesday Inbox Inspirations will be devoted to this topic.
The first thing that I have learned sounds very basic. It is a definition or explanation of some words: refugee, asylum seeker, immigrant, and migrant.
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her home because of war, violence, or persecution. They are unable to return home unless and until conditions in their native lands are safe. An official entity such as a government or the United Nations Refugee Agency determines whether a person seeking international protection meets the definition of a refugee. Those who obtain this status are given protections under international laws and lifesaving support from various aid agencies, including the International Rescue Committee. Refugees in the United States also have the opportunity to become lawful permanent residents and eventually citizens.
An asylum seeker is also seeking international protection from dangers in his or her home country. However, their claim for refugee status has not yet been legally determined. Asylum seekers must apply for protection in the country of destination. They must arrive at or cross a border in order to apply for refugee protections. They have to prove to appropriate authorities there that they meet the criteria for this.
An immigrant is someone who makes a conscious decision to leave his or her home and move to a foreign country with the intention of settling there. Immigrants often go through a lengthy vetting process to immigrate to a new country. Many become lawful permanent residents and eventually citizens. Immigrants can usually research their destinations, explore employment opportunities, and even study the language of the country where they plan to live. Very importantly, they are free to return home if and when they choose.
Finally, a migrant is someone who moves from place to place (within their own country or across borders), usually for economic reasons such as seasonal work. Like immigrants, they are not forced to leave their native countries because of persecution or violence, but rather are seeking better opportunities.
I will continue this topic next week. I am trying to understand better what so many people in our world are experiencing, share my learnings with you, and discern what God may be saying to us in all of this.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
Sources:
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
International Rescue Committee
Refugees – 2
Dear Friends,
Last week’s Inbox Inspirations may have been very basic for some of you. It looked at definitions of the terms refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants, and migrants. As I said, the need of many people throughout our world to leave or flee their home or country of origin is a serious human problem that we cannot ignore. I am trying to learn what I can about this and share it with you. Today’s learning for me is on some data that may give a sense of the scope of the present humanitarian issue.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees tells us that at the end of the year 2022, there were 108.4 million people forcibly displaced from their home or country of origin. Notably, this number is up from 65 million in 2015. It represents slightly over 1% of the world’s population. These people have been forcibly displaced because of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, or events that seriously disturb the public order.
The UN data breaks down the 108.4 million people in the following way:
· 62.5 million are internally displaced within their own country.
· 35.3 million are refugees – meaning they have fled to another country and have been officially declared as refugees by the government or a recognized agency.
· 5.4 million are asylum seekers – meaning that they have fled to another country but are still seeking protection under the status of refugee.
· 5.2 million are in need of international protection – meaning that they don’t fall into the above categories but still need protection.
The UN data also tells us the following:
· 52% of the total number of displaced people come from just three countries: Syria, Ukraine, and Afghanistan. Two other countries of origin with high numbers of refugees are Venezuela and South Sudan.
· 38% of these people are hosted in five countries: Turkey, Iran, Colombia, Germany, and Pakistan.
· 76% of refugees are hosted in low to middle-income countries.
· 70% are hosted in countries that are neighboring to their country of origin.
Finally, the UN data lists the number of refugees and asylum seekers in various countries. I am citing just three countries to give us some sense of where we as the United States stand in this:
· Turkey: 3,568,000 refugees and 272,000 asylum seekers
· Germany: 2,075,000 refugees and 261,000 asylum seekers
· United States of America: 363,000 refugees and 1,798,00 asylum seekers.
These are my learnings this week. For next week, I am planning to focus on more data, especially on our own country, and try to understand it as best I can. Again, I am trying to learn, share my learnings with you, and reflect on what God may be saying to us in all of this.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
Sources:
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
International Rescue Committee
Refugees – 3
Dear Friends,
Last week’s Inbox looked at some of the global statistics on refugees. In today’s column, I will continue to try to share my learnings on this, especially on data relating to our own country.
Since 1975, 3.5 million refugees have entered the United States – more than the population of Nevada. Over the last four decades, an average of 73,000 refugees have been resettled here annually. In the first eight months of 2023, the admitted refugees into the United States came from these regions of the world: 43% from Africa, 28% from the Middle East and South Asia, 13% from East Asia, 11% from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 4% from Europe and Central Asia.
The states resettling the highest number of refugees are Texas, California, and New York. When looking at this in relation to the total population of a state (number of refugees per 100,000 of population), the highest three states for resettlement of refugees are Nebraska, North Dakota, ad Idaho.
In fiscal year 2023 (our federal government’s fiscal year runs from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023), it is calculated that 2.4 million migrants came through or to our southern border. These people are escaping violence or economic distress. Of this number, 1,565,000 are seeking asylum and waiting for their hearing on this. Syracuse University calculates that 30% of those seeking asylum in the United States are granted it. By the way, the difference between a refugee and an asylee is that the former have applied for refugee status before coming here and the latter have already arrived or are at a port of entry before applying.
The United States Census Bureau data states that 46 million people now living in this country were born in another country. They constitute 13.7% of our population. The highest percentage of immigrants here in relation to the total population was 14.8% in 1890. Today people from Mexico constitute the highest number United States immigrants (14% of all immigrants). Other countries of origin with substantial numbers of immigrants into our country are India (13%), mainland China (7%), the Philippines (4%), El Salvador (3%), and the Dominican Republic (3%).
These are my learnings this week. Next week, I will pull away from statistics and look into our Catholic social teaching, including the exhortations of Pope Francis, and through that try to discern how God may be calling us to respond to this situation.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
Sources:
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
International Rescue Committee
USA Facts
Syracuse University
United States Census Bureau
Pew Research Center
Immigration Research Initiative
Refugees – 5
Dear Friends,
In this series on Refugees, we have looked at some data and then, last week, at some of Pope Francis’ teachings on this. Today I want to continue with Pope Francis’ moral exhortation on this important topic.
It is about our humanity.
“’But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight’ (Lk 10:33). It is not just about migrants: it is about our humanity. Compassion motivated that Samaritan – for the Jews, a foreigner – not to pass by. Compassion is a feeling that cannot be explained on a purely rational level. Compassion strikes the most sensitive chords of our humanity, releasing a vibrant urge to ‘be a neighbour’ to all those whom we see in difficulty. As Jesus himself teaches us (cf. Mt9:35-36; 14:13-14; 15:32-37), being compassionate means recognizing the suffering of the other and taking immediate action to soothe, heal and save… Opening ourselves to others does not lead to impoverishment, but rather enrichment, because it enables us to be more human: to recognize ourselves as participants in a greater collectivity and to understand our life as a gift for others; to see as the goal, not our own interests, but rather the good of humanity.”
It is about remembering the last, the least, and the lost.
“It is not just about migrants: it is about putting the last in first place…An individualistic spirit is fertile soil for the growth of that kind of indifference towards our neighbours which leads to viewing them in purely economic terms, to a lack of concern for their humanity, and ultimately to feelings of fear and cynicism. Are these not the attitudes we often adopt towards the poor, the marginalized and the ‘least’ of society? And how many of these ‘least’ do we have in our societies! Among them I think primarily of migrants, with their burden of hardship and suffering, as they seek daily, often in desperation, a place to live in peace and dignity.”
In conclusion:
“Dear brothers and sisters, our response to the challenges posed by contemporary migration can be summed up in four verbs: welcome, protect, promote and integrate. Yet these verbs do not apply only to migrants and refugees. They describe the Church’s mission to all those living in the existential peripheries, who need to be welcomed, protected, promoted and integrated. If we put those four verbs into practice, we will help build the city of God and man. We will promote the integral human development of all people.”
Fr. Michael Schleupner
Quotations from Pope Francis’ statement on the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on September 29, 2019.
Refugees – 6
Dear Friends,
This edition of Inbox Inspirations will again focus on refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants, and migrants. This series began on October 25 with a definition of the terms in the previous sentence, looked at some global and national data, and then reviewed some of the teaching of Pope Francis on this. Today’s and next week’s columns conclude the series with a glance at Catholic social teaching and how this might guide us in addressing the challenging issues of refugees, etc.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops promotes seven themes as central to our social morality. These are based upon the teachings of Popes and Councils in our history. Here I am stating each theme and giving a very brief explanation of them.
1. Life and Dignity of the Human Person. The Church teaches that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is fundamental for a moral vision of society. In fact, belief in the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the person is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. We believe that people are more important than things and that the measure of any institution is its respect for the human person.
2. Call to Family, Community, and Participation. The human person is social by nature and so the way we structure our society with laws and policies directly affects the ability of all to meet their God-given potentials. We must especially respect marriage and family as our central social institutions. Additionally, we believe that people have a right and duty to participate in society and seek together the common good of all.
3. Rights and Responsibilities. Our Catholic tradition holds that human dignity can be protected if human rights are protected. We believe that everyone has a right to life and to the things required for a decent human life. And very important, we teach that there are responsibilities to our families and our society in general that correspond to these rights.
4. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable. Jesus himself calls us to see him in the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the ill, and the imprisoned. He reveals that whatever we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we do for him {Matthew 25: 31-46). A basic moral test for us as individuals and as a society is how we treat those who are poor and vulnerable.
Next week’s Inbox Inspirations (December 6) will review the last three of the seven basic themes of Catholic social teaching and conclude this entire series on Refugees.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
The primary source for the above is Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1998.
Refugees – 7
Dear Friends,
Today’s column will conclude this series on Refugees. Last week I began reviewing seven themes that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops holds as central to our social morality. The four reviewed last week are: 1) Life and Dignity of the Human Person, 2) Call to Family, Community, and Participation, 3) Rights and Responsibilities, and 4) Option for the Poor and Vulnerable. The other three themes follow.
5. The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers. Our human work needs to be seen as a participation in the divine work of creation. To protect the dignity of work, we need to protect the rights of workers to such basics as fair wages and the opportunity to form organizations such as unions.
6. Solidarity. We need to see ourselves as one human family, including all our national, racial, religious, ethnic, and economic differences. In today’s world especially, where we are so connected, loving our neighbor has global dimensions. Additionally, the pursuit of justice and peace is an essential living out of the call of the gospel especially in a world with so much violence and economic disparity.
7. Care for God’s Creation. Care for the earth as God’s creation is an essential part of our being good stewards. This is not peripheral to our faith and morality but a constituent part of it. We are to be open and alert to ways of protecting the earth and its resources both for today and for future generations.
Now, I conclude with a few summary comments.
These columns have not proposed any specific public policy positions.
The columns are intended to raise our awareness first to a significant human issue of our day – the large numbers of refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants, and migrants. We cannot ignore the plight of many human beings today.
The columns are also intended to lead us (including me) to approach these issues with a faith, spiritual, moral perspective. Different people may arrive at different conclusions about what practically we should do. Nevertheless, the moral mindset and perspective is part of what we need to bring to our conversations and positions on issues, even to our own inner attitudes and choice of words.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
The primary source for the above is Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1998.
