Addressing the Broken Refugee System

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. STIVERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address our broken refugee system and its very real effect on families in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

Our Nation has always been a beacon of hope and light for those who face violence, persecution, and oppression, but in recent years we have not been living up to that standard. And our failure has a severe impact on good, hardworking people that would make our Nation stronger.

Take, for example, Bashiya, who currently lives in Columbus, Ohio. Bashiya, in many ways, embodies what we know to be American. She is the wife of a man who served our military. She loves her family. She is hardworking. And she has built a life for herself and her family in Ohio. In many ways her story is much like ours.

Unfortunately, one piece of her story is missing. Her husband, Hamad, lives on the other side of the world in Australia. Hamad served alongside the U.S. Army as an interpreter in Iraq, and the repayment for his bravery was repeated and sustained threats against him, Bashiya, and their two young children. The danger they faced ultimately drove the young family apart.

The refugee process, and particularly the Special Immigrant Visa process that was designed to protect people like Hamad failed him. The application and vetting process was dragging on with no end in sight, and the continued threats convinced Hamad that he needed to flee for his life, so he fled to Australia. That was in 2012.

Bashiya and the two children continued to wait for approval of the Special Immigrant Visa program, and finally, in 2016, 7 years after they applied, they got the news they were waiting for. They were approved. Now, it has been 7 years since Bashiya has seen her husband and since he has seen his children. The system has torn the family apart. Bashiya's story is not uncommon. There are others.

Jackie, a dedicated and compassionate social worker from Uganda, is the mother of two sons. Jackie has not seen her oldest son, Arinda, since 2014, when she fled Nairobi, Kenya and came to the United States. Arinda will turn 8 years old on November 13. And on November 21, his case to join his mother will have been pending for 2 years. For 2 years this family has been in bureaucratic limbo, and it has taken its toll. Jackie is seriously considering having her son adopted by a family in Canada so she at least will be separated by less time and geography.

Our system is broken. We are forcing refugees to other countries like Australia and Canada, and we are not living up to the standards of the shining beacon for people facing persecution and violence. We are a Nation of immigrants. We are a Nation of opportunity, and we need to act like it. We will continue to encourage the administration to increase the refugee caps to make the vetting process under the State Department more efficient and to ensure resources are available to give refugees the certainty that they need.

I hope that my colleagues will join me and make a difference for people like Bashiya and Jackie and make a difference for our communities, because we are all stronger when we embrace our history as the world's melting pot.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source