PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2021
Media Contact: Homayra Yusufi, homayra@panasd.org, 858-869-3974
Jeanine Erikat, jeanine@panasd.org, 858-652-2911
San Diego, CA -- The Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA) today released preliminary findings from its biennial San Diego County Refugee Experience Report, a revealing snapshot that shows how refugees are disparately impacted by unemployment, limited housing, hate crimes, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the Executive Summary here.
“There’s a longstanding misunderstanding among Americans that refugees fleeing poverty, violence and health crises in their home countries are relieved of hardship when they relocate here,” says PANA Deputy Director, Homayra Yusufi. “The truth is that while some experience temporary relief from the problems they left behind, most encounter new hardships unique to America’s wealth gap, lack of social services, and xenophobic immigration laws and culture.”
Zamzam Khalifa, a Somali refugee and mother states,“We fled our country due to war and famine and came to the United States for peace and safety. But I have black sons and I worry about their safety every day and every time they go out I am anxious until they come home. The refugee community in San Diego faces many issues even if they have been here a long time and pandemic has made it much more difficult for us. As a childcare provider, my family has been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Some key findings from the survey of 544 refugees across the San Diego region:
The unemployment rate in the refugee community is more than three times higher than San Diego County’s unemployment rate. Moreover, nearly all respondents employed throughout the pandemic earned significantly below the regional media salary; 84 percent are considered extremely low earners.
65 percent of refugees in San Diego are living in overcrowded dwellings. Two-thirds of respondents are living in crowded housing with more than one person per room, and almost a third are in severely overcrowded housing, increasing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 with a lack of adequate space to isolate from infected family members or roommates.
65 percent of respondents said they had experienced a hate crime since moving to the United States. A vast majority of Afghan and African respondents reported this experience, compared to Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian participants.
Fifty-three percent of participants reported an experience with depression and/or anxiety. This is significantly above the estimated 44 percent of Californians who reported mental health issues in the same timeframe.
Rebecca Fielding-Miller, Assistant Professor at the UC San Diego, who provided technical assistance on the survey and report stated, “This study is important not only because of its comprehensive nature and clear portrait of the refugee community in San Diego county, but also because it was driven and owned by the community itself.”
In the midst of calls to pass the No Muslim Ban Act and raise the cap on refugee resettlement, PANA calls on local, state, and federal lawmakers to act to address the immediate and long-term needs of refugees through resettlement policy reforms that ensure equity and inclusion. PANA's release of preliminary findings from the San Diego County Refugee Experiences Report includes several policy recommendations.
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About Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA)
PANA is a research, community organizing, and public policy hub dedicated to advancing the full economic, social, and civic inclusion of refugees and Muslims in the region, throughout California, and across the country. PANA is committed to working with refugee communities in owning their power to bring about social change at the local, regional and national level. For more information, visit www.panasd.org. On social media @PANASanDiego