September 17, 2021
Refugee Resettlement Woes: Why America Should Steer Afghans Toward Foreign Soil
U.S. officials should consider alternatives to permanent resettling Afghans in America.
by Steven Camarota
The crisis in Afghanistan and the decision to admit tens of thousands of that country’s citizens, with plans to admit more, has raised interest in how the huge influx of immigrants will adapt to life in the United States. Unfortunately, we do not have an entirely clear picture of the Afghans evacuated in recent weeks. Some have worked for the U.S. government, others have a more tenuous connection, while still others seem to have simply pushed their way to the front of the line at the Kabul airport.
By contrast, Census Bureau data does provide a clear picture of Afghans already in the United States. It shows that many people struggle with low incomes and high rates of welfare use. Moving forward, policymakers have to think about how they might better help future Afghan immigrants adapt to life in the United States or, alternatively, help those who want out of Afghanistan to resettle in neighboring countries.
According to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), the number of Afghan immigrants in the United States has grown from 55,000 in 2010 to 133,000 in 2019. That’s a 2.5-fold increase in less than ten years. The same data also shows that a large share of Afghans have modest levels of education and are poor. Of persons in households headed by an Afghan immigrant, 51 percent live in or near poverty, which is roughly twice the rate among the native-born. (Near poverty is defined as less than 200 percent of the poverty line.)
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/refugee-resettlement-woes-why-america-should-steer-afghans-toward-foreign-soil-193875
