Syrian Refugees

Origins of the Syrian Humanitarian Emergency* March 2011 – protests and violence occur after teen-aged pro-democracy demonstrators are arrested and tortured. This incident triggers mass demonstrations throughout Syria. 2012 – Fighting escalates between government forces and rebel brigades. The conflict reaches Syria’s capital in Damascus. 2013 – 90,000 are dead as a result of the fighting. That number doubles to 191,000 by 2014. By March 2015, deaths due to the conflict rise to 220,000. The United Nations has documented war crimes perpetrated by actors on all sides of the conflict. Poisonous gas attacks occur in 2013. The Islamic State (IS) has capitalized on the crisis and captured large sections of Syria. The group uses horrific tactics to quell resistance. * Adapted from BBC “Story of the Conflict.” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26116868

Humanitarian Impact* "This is the biggest refugee population from a single conflict in a generation. It is a population that deserves the support of the world but is instead living in dire conditions and sinking deeper into abject poverty.” UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, July 9, 2015. * Source: UNHCR

Humanitarian Impact of the Syrian Conflict The number of Syrians who have fled the civil war climbed to over 4 million in this year. Another 7 million individuals are displaced within Syria. Turkey and Lebanon each host over 1 million Syrian refugees. Hundreds of thousands more have taken refuge in Egypt, Iraq and Jordan. Meeting the needs of the refugees has strained the resources of these neighboring countries. UNHCR states that Syria’s development status has regressed by 4 decades as a result of the crisis.

Syrian Religious and Ethnic Groups Sunni Muslims made up the majority – almost 75% - of the pre-conflict Syrian population. About 10 to 15% of the population was made up of Alawite Muslims. Alawite Muslims adhere to a branch of Shia Islam. The differences between Sunnis and Shias are primarily based in historical disagreements about succession following the death of the Prophet Muhammad. About 85% of the world’s Muslims are Sunni. Christians totaled around 10% of Syria’s population. Smaller numbers of adherents of other Muslim sects also lived in Syria; the largest group are the Druze. Kurds make up the largest ethnic minority in Syria. Kurds are mostly Sunni Muslim Yazidis are ethnically Kurdish but form a distinct religious minority practicing a monotheistic religion which shows similarities to other religions present at times throughout the Middle East, including Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Islam.

The World’s Response* A Twofold Response: Aid in place or resettlement to a third country. Humanitarian Aid: In 2015 UNHCR requested almost 7.5 billion for activities inside Syria and in neighboring countries. 35% of the needed funds have been pledged by donor countries. Resettlement: Resettlement countries have offered 88,000 places for refugees since 2013. Just under 2000 refugees departed the region for third countries in 2014. *Associated Press and UNHCR

A Shared Responsibility Countries in the region and in Europe have so far taken the lion’s share of responsibility for hosting and resettling refugees. Turkey is currently hosting almost 2 million refugees; over 1 million Syrian refugees are in Lebanon; more than 600,000 are living in Jordan and over 100,000 refugees have taken refuge in Egypt. Germany expects to take in as many as 1 million asylum seekers this year. Thousands of Germans have pledged to help the refugees arriving to their communities. Canada and Australia have committed to resettling over 15,000 refugees between them.

The U. S. Response Humanitarian Aid: The U. S. leads the international community in providing aid dollars for the crisis. The United States has pledged or donated over $4 billion for humanitarian assistance in the region. Resettlement: UNHCR has submitted 16,286 resettlement referrals to the United States as of August 2015. Just over 1,400 Syrian refugees have arrived to the United States this year (since October 2014). President Obama called on the Department of State to ensure the resettlement of 10,000 Syrian refugees between October 2015 and September 2016.

Refugee Stories Mr. F., his wife and four children. Mr. F. owned a flourishing business in Syria until bombing in his home city forced him to flee. He and his family resettled in Indiana where he is working and his children are in school. Mr. F. says he “misses Syria like someone would miss their soul.” * He is eager to give back and help other Syrian refugees. The head of a young family resettled in Texas suffered imprisonment and torture. Safe and secure now, the father of the family says “this is my happiness.” Community members, including Syrian Americans eager to help, are assisting this family to adapt to their lives in the United States. *All stories adapted from Refugee Council USA materials

Syrian Refugees in the U. S. – Fast Facts Around 1650 Syrian refugees have arrived since 2010; around 1500 of them have arrived this year. They are young – 85% are under the age of 40. Many are Muslim, but not all. Most have had some education; many have finished middle or high school. Most speak Arabic. 1331 are Sunni Muslim and 51 are Christian, Catholic or Jehovah’s Witness

Why Resettlement Matters Resettlement saves refugee lives when no other protection is available. Of the millions of refugees worldwide, a small number – around 1% - is resettled to a third country. There is generally a three step process for resettlement The first country is the refugee’s homeland; The second country is the place where an individual first takes refuge; The third country is where refugees are resettled. Resettlement from countries where refugees first flee helps boost international support for refugee assistance – both material and protection. Countries are more likely to help refugees if they know the world will help shoulder the responsibility.

Refugee Processing – A Rigorous And Secure Process Refugee applicants undergo rigorous security screenings. Security screening starts at the beginning of the application process and results are continuously updated. Refugees are fingerprinted and photographed and their information checked against numerous security databases. Checks occur multiple times. UNHCR has gathered sophisticated biometric data such as iris scans on many of the refugees that may apply for admission to the U. S. The process is thorough and lengthy – it can take 1000 days for security screening and other processes to be completed.

Projected Arrivals of Syrian Arrivals in 2016 Arrivals to date: 1,425 President Obama wants the U. S. to prepare to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees next year (between October 2015 and September 2016). UNHCR has asked for 130,000 resettlement places; this number is likely to grow given the protracted nature of the conflict. CWS has called for the resettlement of 100,000 Syrian refugees in addition to 100,000 refugees from other parts of the world.

Why Resettlement Matters to the U. S. Supporting a generous refugee program reflects a fundamental value of our nation - that of offering refuge to the persecuted. The arrival of refugees can have a revitalizing effect on communities. The U. S. Chamber of Commerce recently recognized Dayton, Ohio’s efforts to attract immigrants in order to revitalize the city. Planners recognized that entrepreneurial newcomers could play a crucial role in Dayton’s economic growth.

How U. S. Communities Benefit From Diversity – Including Syrian Refugees