A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so. War and ethnic, tribal and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries.

There are a growing number of myths and misunderstandings about refugees. We hope to dispel those myths with accurate information from public and private sources.

MYTH: Refugees are in the country illegally.
FACT: Refugees enter the country legally through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and undergo a selective application and rigorous screening process.  

MYTH: Refugees do not pay taxes.
FACT: Refugees are subject to the same employment, property, sales and other taxes as all U.S. citizens; however, refugees cannot vote until they become U.S. citizens.

MYTH: Refugees take jobs from Americans.
FACT: Refugees are not provided any special treatment when obtaining employment. They apply and compete for jobs the same as any citizen. Refugees have a high propensity to be entrepreneurial and have created businesses which revitalize communities increase job growth.

MYTH: The U.S. is the only country taking in refugees.
FACT: There are 24 countries worldwide involved in refugee resettlement. The major resettlement countries include: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition, countries neighboring those in conflict host millions of refugees in UN refugee camps.

MYTH: Refugees are mostly men.
FACT: More than half of the world’s refugees are children under the age of 18, and the United States predominantly admits refugee families.

MYTH: Refugees are allowed to enter who have communicable diseases, like tuberculosis, which is latent at the time of entry.
FACT: Refugees undergo health screenings as part of their refugee application and mandatory health screening upon arrival. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) closely monitors all admissions and prevents the admission of certain persons with health conditions identified as hazardous to the public. According to the CDC, “persons with latent TB infection do not feel sick and do not have any symptoms. They are infected with M. tuberculosis, but do not have TB disease. The only sign of TB infection is a positive reaction to the tuberculin skin test or TB blood test. Persons with latent TB infection are not infectious and cannot spread TB infection to others.”

MYTH: Refugee resettlement agencies are getting rich off of resettlement.
FACT: Resettlement agencies receive a one-time payment from the federal government to cover the administrative costs of each refugee.

LFS only receives a one-time payment of $875-$925 per refugee which is intended to cover all costs to deliver resettlement case management services for each refugee during their first 90 days in Nebraska.  These funds pay for staff salaries, benefits, and associated indirect costs such as supervision, staff mileage, administration, office rent, utilities, quality assurance, IT, HR, finances, etc. for each employee with the one-time $875-$925 per refugee spread over the three months.

Another $1,125 is provided to directly support each refugee resettled. These dollars are not used for agency administration costs. They cover the costs for basic needs like monthly rent, rental and utility deposits, furniture, groceries, clothing, etc.

LFS must fundraise to fill the financial gaps for providing refugee resettlement services as the reimbursement does not cover all costs to deliver the services.  To ensure refugees are better integrated into our communities, LFS partners with co-sponsoring faith groups, volunteers and community organizations.

MYTH: Refugees aren’t adequately vetted.
FACT: ‎Refugees undergo a more detailed and rigorous screening process than anyone else allowed into the United States. The process includes an initial assessment by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), screening by a Resettlement Support Center (RSC), U.S. Department of State, and in-person interview with Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an additional check before leaving their country and one final security screen by a U.S. Custom and Border Protection (CBP) officer upon arrival to the U.S.

Refugees with additional concerns are referred to a higher-level screening prior to an in-person interview from USCIS.

Learn more about the USCIS screening process at https://www.uscis.gov/refugeescreening.

MYTH: Refugees are a drain on society.
FACT: Refugees start businesses, pay taxes and contribute to their communities.

The U.S. has historically played a leading role in welcoming people fleeing from violence. Refugees like former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Google co-founder Seregy Brin, and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Albert Einstein came to the U.S. to rebuild their lives. The vast majority of newly resettled refugees quickly find jobs (85% of refugees resettled by LFS are working within six months).

More Facts about Refugee

• Foreign Affairs: Five Myths about Syrian Refugees
• International Rescue Committee: Seven common myths about refugee resettlement in the United States
• Migration Policy Institute: Ten Facts about U.S. Refugee Resettlement
• Business Insider: These are the biggest myths about refugees coming to the United States
• Iowa Department of Human Services: Myths About Refugees