Federal official visits Spartanburg to talk about refugee resettlement efforts

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Anne Richard visited Spartanburg Monday and Tuesday to address concerns about the refugee resettlement program already underway.

Concerns linger in Spartanburg after the the U.S. assistant secretary of state made a rare visit to the community to talk to residents about the process involved in resettling refugees here.

Richard, who oversees the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, said it’s uncommon for her to come to local communities to address concerns, but she volunteered when U.S. Congressman Trey Gowdy brought the State Department a list of questions. The refugee resettlement has been opposed by some Spartanburg residents.

Officials said 23 refugees have resettled to Spartanburg so far this year, and the program is continuing. About 60 refugees are scheduled to arrive this year. Those already here are from the Congo, Burma, Rwanda and Iraq. Later this year, people from Afghanistan, Nepal, Ukraine and Syria are scheduled to arrive, Richard said.

Local legislators, community groups and leaders on education, health care and social services met with Richard Monday and Tuesday as she explained how the program works.

“In all of our humanitarian programs, we keep people alive. We help them survive,” Richard said. “These are people who crossed the border out of their home country because they’re fleeing persecution.”

The refugees identified by the state department and vetted by the Department of Homeland Security are in vulnerable situations; some of them may be rape victims and facing potential death if they travel back to their home countries, Richard added.

Addressing concerns of national security and terrorism, Richard said homeland security officials have to turn down refugees daily when they are uncertain of their authenticity during the interview process.

There are roughly 14 million refugees in the world, Richard said. About 70,000 are brought to the U.S. each year.

She added that most people become supporters of the program when they get to know the refugees as people.

“The ones who actually meet refugees are the biggest supporters,” she said.

“The State Department needed to come to Spartanburg so concerned constituents and local leaders could ask them questions directly, as well as make sure the State Department hears from stakeholders across the board and with multiple perspectives. We expect this to be an ongoing dialogue,” Gowdy said by email Tuesday.

Of the people who met with Richard, some said they still have concerns.

Michelle Wiles, a Duncan resident, said not receiving information before the resettlement about the logistics of the program has been her biggest concern. She said she also felt that living beside people from other countries, who are accustomed to different government rules and religious traditions, presents problems.

“It’s very difficult to live in harmony with people of some types of cultures because they don’t get along real well,” Wiles said. “It’s not conducive to the Constitution. … If you study the Koran it’s not conducive to the Bible or what most people feel in our area.”

Christina Jeffrey of Spartanburg, an opponent of the refugee program, also met with Richard Tuesday. Jeffrey said the program is not being run properly.

She and other opponents said the program should not be allowed to move forward without the Spartanburg County Council’s approval. The state Senate adopted an amendment in its budget prohibiting spending state funds on the refugee program until the county council approves the resettlement.

Despite the amendment, State Department director of refugee admissions Larry Bartlett said the refugee resettlement program is a federal program that partners with states so an approval from Gov. Nikki Haley was all that was needed.

Some opponents are now calling on Haley to withdraw her approval and halt the program.

“That would give us time to look at everything,” Jeffrey said.

Jason Lee, local director for World Relief, said he felt the meeting with Richard was helpful.

“There’s so much misinformation and false information out there to clarify,” Lee said of the resettlement program. “This is a staple of the American dream. … We feel like this is our calling to help them.”

Plans to resettle refugees in Spartanburg came in 2013, when a group of local pastors from the Spartanburg County Baptist Network got involved with World Relief, a faith-based nonprofit based in Baltimore. The organization later opened an office in Spartanburg. In May, the group began helping to resettle refugees in Spartanburg.

The program requires refugees to find employment within the first three months and take English classes if they don’t already know the language. Children are enrolled in school, and some families apply for government benefits if needed.

“My sense is that this is a very successful program that works all over the U.S., and there are pieces of the Spartanburg story that would suggest this would also be a very good place to resettle refugees. But you need the support of the community to do it,” Richard said.

World Relief also identifies churches and groups willing to be liaisons for the refugees and assist them with temporary housing, furniture and information about local services.

Nearly 200 cities across the U.S. have refugee programs, according to the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. World Relief is one of nine nonprofit organizations the State Department contracts with as a public-private partnership.

Representatives from Gowdy’s office were present at the meetings.

This story was originally published August 25, 2015 at 9:24 PM with the headline "Federal official visits Spartanburg to talk about refugee resettlement efforts."