Office Of Refugee Resettlement: Data

Annual ORR Reports to Congress - 1997

I. ORR'S REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM

Admissions

Year	Ceiling	Admissions	% Admitted
Ceilings and Admissions (1983 to 1997)
1997	78,000	81,760	104.8
1996	90,000	75,728	84.1
1995	112,000	99,553	88.8
1994	121,000	112,065	92.6
1993	132,000	119,050	90.2
1992	142,000	131,749	92.8
1991	131,000	113,980	87.0
1990	125,000	122,935	98.3
1989	116,500	106,932	91.8
1988	60,500	76,930	127.2
1987	70,000	58,863	84.1
1986	67,000	60,559	90.4
1985	70,000	67,166	96.0
1984	72,000	70,604	98.1
1983	90,000	60,040	66.7

To be admitted to the United States, refugees must be determined by an officer of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to meet the definition of refugee as defined in the Refugee Act of 1980. They also must be determined to be of special humanitarian concern to the U.S., be admissible under U.S. law, and not be firmly resettled in another country. Special humanitarian concern generally applies to refugees with relatives residing in the U.S., refugees whose status as refugees has occurred as a result of their association with the U.S., and refugees who have a close tie to the U.S. due to education here or employment by the U.S. government. In addition, the U.S. admits a share of refugees determined by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to be in need of resettlement in a third country outside the region from which they have fled.

The ceiling for the number of refugees to be admitted each year is determined by the President after consultation between the Executive Branch and the Congress. The President has authority to respond beyond the ceiling in cases of refugee emergencies. The table at right shows the arrivals versus the ceilings in FYs 1983-1997.

For FY 1997 the refugee ceiling was 78,000. During FY 1997, 75,610 refugees and 833

Amerasians were admitted to the U.S. In addition, 5,279 Cuban and 38 Haitian entrants and humanitarian parolees were admitted to the U.S.

The Population Profile section and associated tables in Appendix A of this report provide refugee (including Amerasian) and entrant arrival numbers by country of origin and State of initial resettlement for the period FY 1983 through FY 1997.

The map on the following page shows refugee arrivals by country.

Reception and Placement

Most persons eligible for ORR's refugee program benefits are the refugees resettled through the Department of State's refugee allocations system under the annual ceiling for refugee admissions. Upon arrival, refugees are provided initial services through a program of grants, called Cooperative Agreements, made by the Department of State to qualifying agencies. In FY 1997 the following agencies participated: Church World Service, Episcopal Migration Ministries, Ethiopian Community Development Council, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Iowa Refugee Service Center, International Rescue Committee, Immigration and Refugee Services of America, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, United States Catholic Conference, and World Relief Refugee Service.

These grantee agencies are responsible to provide initial "nesting" services covering basic food, clothing, shelter, orientation, and referral for the first 30 days. In FY 1997, the agencies received a per capita amount of $720 from the State Department for this purpose. After this period, needy refugees are eligible for the assistance provided under ORR's program of domestic assistance.

ORR Assistance and Services

All persons admitted as refugees or granted asylum while in the U.S. are eligible for refugee benefits described in this report. Certain other persons admitted to the United States under other immigration status's are also eligible for refugee benefits. Amerasians from Vietnam and their accompanying family members, though admitted to the U.S. as immigrants, are entitled to the same social services and assistance benefits as refugees. Certain nationals of Cuba and Haiti, such as public interest parolees and asylum applicants, may also receive benefits in the same manner and to the same extent as refugees if they reside in States with an approved Cuban/Haitian Entrant Program.

Cuban and Haitian Arrivals in FY 1995, FY 1996, and FY 1997

In FY 1997, 5,317 Cuban and Haitian entrants arrived in the U.S. Eighty-nine percent initially resettled in Florida. In FY 1996, 17,188 Cuban and Haitian entrants arrived in the U.S. With 74 percent initially resettled in Florida. In FY 1995, 32,001 arrived in the United States with 82 percent initially resettling in Florida. This was the largest wave of Cuban and Haitian refugees/entrants who arrived since the 1980 Mariel boat lift.

Under the terms of a Bilateral Agreement between the U.S. and Cuba, a maximum 20,000 Cuban immigrants were initially allowed into the U.S. annually. This number was reduced to a maximum of 15,000 Cuban immigrants in FY 97 - FY 99 for the next three years (offsetting the number of Cubans resettled from Guantanamo).

Domestic Resettlement Program

Refugee Appropriations

In FY 1997, the refugee and entrant assistance program was funded under two separate appropriation laws-the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Act and the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act. The total HHS funding obligated to States and other grantees through the refugee program was approximately $404.4 million.

Three Program Approaches to Domestic Resettlement

The domestic refugee program consists of three resettlement approaches: (1) the State-administered program; (2) the Wilson/Fish program; and (3) the Matching Grant program.

(1) State-Administered Program

Overview

Federal resettlement assistance to refugees is provided by ORR primarily through a State-administered refugee resettlement program. States administer the provision of transitional cash and medical assistance and social services to refugees as well as maintaining legal responsibility for the care of unaccompanied refugee children in the State.

State	CMA	Social Services	Targeted Assistance	Total
CMA (a/), Social Services (b/), and Targeted Assistance (c/) Obligations by State: FY 1997

Alabama	$206,000	$125,803		$331,803
Arizona	4,589,000	969,489	465,107	6,023,596
Arkansas	17,000	93,281		110,281
California	23,935,159	12,172,475	9,034,776	45,142,410
Colorado	2,047,000	701,917	268,530	3,017,447
Connecticut	1,639,000	576,884		2,215,884
Delaware	90,000	75,000		165,000
Dist.Columbia	2,118,000	327,395	310,252	2,755,647
Florida	48,052,000	12,446,194	5,863,238	66,361,432
Georgia	4,297,000	1,837,412	959,906	7,094,318
Hawaii	0	100,000		100,000
Idaho	1,159,000	234,101		1,393,101
Illinois	6,708,000	2,392,367	1,441,671	10,542,038
Indiana	220,000	200,053		420,053
Iowa	2,184,000	689,414	226,731	3,100,145
Kansas	680,000	358,172		1,038,172
Kentucky d/	0	0	272,000	272,000
Louisiana	526,000	409,340		935,340
Maine	312,000	124,649		436,649
Maryland	1,912,000	985,454	261,204	3,158,658
Massachusetts	9,035,000	1,663,904	476,135	11,175,039
Michigan	4,527,000	1,560,030	472,434	6,559,464
Minnesota	5,417,000	1,861,264	798,032	8,076,296
Mississippi	919,000	75,000		994,000
Missouri	2,448,000	1,000,074	454,465	3,902,539
Montana	44,000	76,546		120,546
Nebraska	866,000	337,013	190,562	1,393,575
Nevada e/	0	0		0
New Hampshire	319,000	139,653		458,653
New Jersey	5,624,000	1,353,052	246,397	7,223,449
New Mexico	1,472,000	428,191	250,870	2,151,061
New York	11,488,000	9,848,003	7,252,853	28,588,856
North Carolina	1,546,000	594,004		2,140,004
North Dakota	1,397,000	198,899	123,468	1,719,367
Ohio	2,311,000	839,646	357,217	3,507,863
Oklahoma	399,000	199,091		598,091
Oregon	4,644,000	1,048,356	907,156	6,599,512
Pennsylvania	5,307,000	1,715,456	632,534	7,654,990
Rhode Island	322,000	102,527		424,527
South Carolina	92,000	100,000		192,000
South Dakota	305,000	156,965		461,965
Tennessee	641,000	667,293	250,638	1,558,931
Texas	8,090,000	2,976,946	1,826,266	12,893,212
Utah	1,521,000	366,059		1,887,059
Vermont	503,000	135,998		638,998
Virginia	3,849,000	1,063,937	518,242	5,431,179
Washington	16,190,000	3,338,388	1,510,616	21,039,004
West Virginia	5,000	75,000		80,000
Wisconsin	1,602,000	746,160		2,348,160
Total	$191,574,159	$67,486,855	$35,371,300	$294,432,314

a/ Cash/Medical/Administrative, including Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA), Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA), aid to unaccompanied minors, and State administrative expenses. Does not include funds for privately administered Wilson/Fish programs in California ($314,073), Kentucky ($1,626,290), and Nevada ($642,478), but includes funds for State-administered Wilson/Fish programs in Massachusetts ($9,035,000) and Oregon($1,625,000). Hawaii only obligated prior year funds in FY 1997.

b/ Does not include funds for privately administered Wilson/Fish programs in California ($113,484), Kentucky ($635,554), and Nevada ($446,657). Services for participants in State-administered Wilson/Fish programs in Oregon and Massachusettes are funded from their State allocations.

c/ Formula grants only.

d/ Kentucky has not participated in the CMA program since FY 1994. A privately administered Wilson/Fish program has since replaced the State-administered program.

e/ Nevada ended its participation in the State-administered program on April 30, 1994. A privately`-administered Wilson/Fish alternative program has since replaced the State-administered program.

(1) State Administered Program

Cash and Medical Assistance

Needy refugees who meet the eligibility requirements for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and the Medicaid program may receive benefits under these programs. Those who do not qualify for the TANF, SSI, or Medicaid programs, but who meet the income and resource eligibility standards of these programs, may receive special refugee cash assistance (RCA) and refugee medical assistance (RMA) through the refugee program during their first eight months in the U S.

The Federal refugee program reimburses States for their full costs for the RCA and RMA programs and associated State administrative costs. Refugee program reimbursement for the State costs of the TANF, SSI, and Medicaid programs is no longer provided due to insufficient funding.

Cash and medical assistance allocations for each State are presented in the table on pages 6 and 7.

Social Services

ORR provides funding for a broad range of social services to refugees, both through States and in some cases through direct service grants, for the purpose of helping refugees to obtain employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency and social adjustment as quickly as possible. After deducting set asides mandated by Congress, ORR, as in previous fiscal years, allocated 85 percent of the social service funds on a formula basis.

Under this formula, $67,486,855 in FY 1997 social service funds was allocated directly to States according to their proportion of all refugees who arrived in the U.S. during the previous three fiscal years. States with small refugee populations received a minimum of $75,000 in social service funds. An additional $1,195,695 in social service funds was awarded to privately administered Wilson/Fish demonstration projects in Kentucky, Nevada, and California. Social service allocations for each State are presented in the table on pages 5&6.

Targeted Assistance

The targeted assistance program funds employment and other services for refugees and entrants who reside in local areas of high need. These areas are defined as counties or contiguous county areas with unusually large refugee and entrant populations, high refugee or entrant concentrations in relation to the overall population, or high use of public assistance. Such counties need supplementation of other available service resources to help the local refugee or entrant population obtain employment with less than one year's participation in the program.

In FY 1997, ORR obligated $54,857,000 for targeted assistance activities for refugees and entrants. Of this, $35,371,300 was awarded by formula to 26 States on behalf of the 47 counties eligible for targeted assistance grants. Another $9.5 million in discretionary funds was allocated to communities to help serve elderly refugees. The remaining $10.0 million was awarded as discretionary grants. A discussion of these discretionary awards may be found beginning on page 25.

The table on pages 25-29 presents the amount of funds awarded to each State under the formula allocation program. The amounts for individual counties are provided in the following tables.

Unaccompanied Minors

ORR continued its support of care for unaccompanied refugee minors in the U.S. These children, who are identified in countries of first asylum as requiring foster care upon their arrival in this country, are sponsored through two national voluntary agencies-the United States Catholic Conference (USCC) and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS)-and placed in licensed child welfare programs operated by their local affiliates, Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services, respectively.

Targeted Assistance Allocations by County, FY 1997
Maricopa Alameda	AZ CA	$465,107 383,361
Fresno	CA	450,609
Los Angeles	CA	2,059,012
Merced	CA	118,841
Orange	CA	1,739,044
Sacramento	CA	948,184
San Diego	CA	1,011,807
San Francisco	CA	874,149
San Joaquin	CA	188,403
Santa Clara	CA	1,261,366
Denver	CO	268,530
Dist. of Columbia	DC	310,252
Broward Dade Duval	FL FL FL	320,894 4,988,009 240,844
Palm Beach	FL	313,491
DeKalb Fulton	GA GA	450,763 509,143
Cook/Kane	IL	1,441,671
Polk Jefferson	IA KY	226,731 272,000
Baltimore	MD	261,204
Suffolk Ingham	MA MI	476,135 163,493
Oakland Hennepin	MI MN	308,941 447,061
Ramsey	MN	350,971
St. Louis	MO	454,465
Lancaster Hudson	NE NJ	190,562 246,397
Bernadillo	NM	250,870
Broome	NY	135,345
Monroe	NY	284,802
New York Oneida Cass Cuyahoga	NY NY ND OH	6,629,573 203,133 123,468 357,217
Multnomah	OR	907,156
Philadelphia	PA	632,534
Davidson	TN	250,638
Dallas/Tarrant	TX	994,918
Harris	TX	831,348
Fairfax	VA	359,916
Richmond Pierce	VA WA	158,326 222,027
King/Snohomish	WA	1,288,589
Total		$35,371,300

Each refugee minor in the care of this program is eligible for the same range of child welfare benefits as non-refugee children in the State. Where possible, the child is placed with a local affiliate of USCC and LIRS in an area with nearby families of the same ethnic background. Depending on their individual needs, the minors are placed in home foster care, group care, independent living, or residential treatment. ORR reimburses costs incurred on behalf of each child until the month after his eighteenth birthday or such higher age as is permitted under the State's Plan under title IV-B of the Social Security Act.

Since January 1979, a total of 11,554 children have entered the program through local affiliates in 41 States. Of these, 1,383 subsequently were reunited with family and 9,633 reached the age of emancipation. At the end of FY 1997, only 447 minors remained in the program. The number leaving the program by reaching the age of majority continues to accelerate. As a result, programs in 21 States have already phased out.

In progress reports forwarded to ORR, local caseworkers rated children's progress in four categories-English language, general education, social adjustment, and health-on three levels: unsatisfactory, satisfactory, and superior.

Caseworker ratings by percentage were as follows:

Superior Satis- Unsatis-

factory factory

English language 21.3% 68.1% 10.6%

General education 18.3 63.5 18.3

Social adjustment 25.2 66.1 8.6

Health 43.9 54.2 2.0

(2) Wilson/Fish Alternative Program

An alternative approach to the State-administered program is the Wilson/Fish program. The Wilson/Fish amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act, contained in the FY 1985 Continuing Resolution on Appropriations, directed the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to develop alternatives to the regular State-administered program for the purpose of: (a) increasing refugee self-sufficiency, (b) avoiding welfare dependency, and (c) increasing coordination among service providers and resettlement agencies.

The Wilson/Fish authority provides States, voluntary resettlement agencies, and others the opportunity to develop innovative approaches for the provision of cash and medical assistance, social services, and case management. No separate funding is appropriated; funds are drawn instead from regular cash and medical assistance grants and social services allocations. Wilson/Fish alternative projects typically emphasize several of the following elements:

Preclusion of otherwise eligible refugees from public assistance, with cash and/or medical assistance provided instead through specially designed alternative projects.

Creation of a "front-loaded" service system which provides intensive services to refugees in the early months after arrival with an emphasis on early employment.

Integration of case management, cash assistance, and employment services generally under a single private agency that is equipped to work with refugees.

Development of mechanisms for closer monitoring of refugee progress, including a more effective sanctioning system.

In FY 1997, ORR provided $14,438,536 to fund three privately administered projects (Kentucky, Nevada, and San Diego) and two State-administered projects (Massachusetts and Oregon). Like the State-administered programs, these programs are expected to demonstrate progress in placing refugees in employment and terminating their dependency on cash assistance programs.

In FY 1997, Wilson/Fish program managers again worked closely with ORR staff to establish outcome goal plans for their programs. The program outcomes established for FY 1996 and FY 1997 are identical to the program measures adopted for the State-administered program. For a fuller explanation of each program measure, see the section entitled "Partnerships to Improve Employment and Self-Sufficiency Outcomes", beginning on Page 15.

Wilson/Fish 1997 Awards

Social
CMA Services Total
Private

Kentucky $1,626,290 $635,554 $2,261,844
Nevada $642,478 $446,657 $1,089,135
San Diego $314,073 $113,484 $427,557

Subtotal $2,582,841 $1,195,695 $3,778,536

State

Oregon $1,625,000 0 $1,625,000
Massachusetts $9,035,000 0 $9,035,000

Subtotal: $10,60,000 0 $10,660,000

Total: $13,242,841 $1,195,695 $14,438,536

Note: The States of Oregon and Massachusetts received social

service funds through the normal allocation process. Both

States received their CMA funds through the formula alloca-

tion process.

Kentucky

In FY 1997, the United States Catholic Conference (USCC) and its local affiliate, Catholic Charities of Louisville, administered a State-wide Wilson/Fish with $2,261,844 in ORR funds for almost 2,000 refugees. The project provides interim cash assistance, private medical coverage and social services through a consortium of five local affiliates of four voluntary agencies. In addition, Kentucky qualified for $262,000 of formula Targeted Assistance funds based on the five-year population for Jefferson County. These funds were incorporated into the Wilson/Fish program.

Kentucky	FY 1996

Caseload	984		1,965
Entered Employments	618		667
Terminations	281	87 %	533	89 %
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits	0 $5.91 508 383	0 % 87 % 62 %	0 $6.16 506 482	0 % 76 % 72 %

Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants completed its first year of administering a State-wide Wilson/Fish alternative project. The project restructures the delivery of cash assistance and services and creates a case management and tracking system that provides each refugee family with a single case manager who works with them for their entire eligibility period. New arrivals for the year numbered 2,045.

Massachusetts	FY 1996

Caseload	1,807		1,800
Entered Employments	1,230		1,159
Terminations	584	44 %	521	45 %
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits	366 $6.87 622 817	14 % 60 % 63 %	192 $7.58 838 664	16 % 72 % 78 %

Nevada

In FY 1997, Catholic Community Services of Nevada (CCSN) was awarded $1,089,135 to provide social services, cash and private medical coverage to over 400 refugees resettled throughout the State.

Caseload	891		406
Entered Employments	363		222
Terminations	326	90 %	71	32 %
Reductions Average Wage Retentions Health Benefits	11 $6.16 343 288	1 % 95 % 80 %	3 $6.84 267 189	1 % 100 % 97 %

Oregon

The Refugee Early Employment Program (REEP) completed its thirteenth and last year of operation in 1997. The first Wilson/Fish project approved by ORR, the State of Oregon has since 1984 provided front-loaded intensive employment services to RCA recipients through REEP in the tri-county area comprised of Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties. Affiliates of three voluntary agencies-USCC, Church World Service (CWS) and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS)-have determined eligibility and provided cash assistance and case management services. The Oregon Health Plan, a health care reform demonstration project approved by the Health Care Financing Administration, has provided medical services to each participant family.

At the end of the fiscal year, the State of Oregon decided to terminate REEP and provide all refugee services in the tri-county area directly through its State-administered program.

Oregon	FY 1996

Caseload	1,250	1,832
Entered Employments	721	1,119
Terminations