Lu Zeidan from iACT Refugee Settlement brought us an update about refugee resettlement in the Austin. A refugee is defined by the U.S. State Department and is a person or persons who are outside of their home country. They are resettled legally through the State Department. Lu described refugee journey as a 7 to 20 year process. Refugees are approved for resettlement while still overseas - get visa and work permit - green cards in 1 year - can get citizenship in 5 years. Persons seeking asylum are different than refugees - they need credible fear of persecution or harm at home. Asylees are not eligible for benefits while waiting for hearing; 70 percent do appear for their hearings. There are 68.5 million refugees around the world; 1 in 200 children is a refugee - a staggering number. Only 23,000 refugees were admitted to the U.S. in 2018 - much lower than past years. The 2019 ceiling is 30,000. The reduction in numbers is causing resettlement-agencies to restructure or close
Lu also told us about our refugee family, who we will help through our Pastries for Peace auction. The Abdul Azim family from Afghanistan is our family; he is 25 years old and was - interpreter for the U.S. military; before they became refugees, he was injured and kidnapped and tortured. His wife has never been to school and is still learning English. They have four children - 3 boys and a girl. Please be generous in your contributions for this family to help them on the road to a new life in the United States.