Refugees are people forced to flee their homes because of war, violence or persecution—often without warning.
Just 1% of the world's 26 million refugees have a chance to resettle in the U.S. or another welcoming country.
The hardest way to come to the U.S. is as a refugee. The 3-year process includes screening by U.S. security agencies.
More than 30,000 refugees approved for resettlement wait in uncertainty until President Biden reverses Trump Administration policies.
Patrice Maneno, 67, hasn’t seen his daughter in five years.
After fleeing war and violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997, Patrice and his family lived in a refugee camp in Tanzania for 18 years. While Patrice was able to resettle in Boise, Idaho in 2016, it took his 30-year-old daughter Mauwa and her four children another half decade to negotiate the exhaustive resettlement application process, which includes background checks and medical screenings. Finally, in early 2021, they were approved to join Patrice in the United States.