MORE Faith leaders and members of human rights groups protest outside of the U.S. Capitol calling Congress not to end refugee resettlement programs on Oct. 15, 2019, in Washington. Photo by Jose Luis Magana - AP
The loneliest part of coming to America is the first few months, says Mustafa Nuur, who came as a refugee from Somalia in 2014.
Now, the coronavirus makes it so much harder for newcomers, he says. Despite the pandemic, the U.S. admitted 21,533 refugees in 2020, some arriving as late as September, according to refugee resettlement agencies citing official numbers. Everybody is getting overwhelmed, says Nuur, who helps newly arrived refugees get settled in Lancaster, Pa. Most of the refugees and immigrants that I work with were working in service jobs and restaurant jobs. All of those jobs are going away right now. Everybody s panicking, he says.
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Faith leaders and members of human rights groups protest outside of the U.S. Capitol calling Congress not to end refugee resettlement programs on Oct. 15, 2019, in Washington.
The loneliest part of coming to America is the first few months, says Mustafa Nuur, who came as a refugee from Somalia in 2014.
Now, the coronavirus makes it so much harder for newcomers, he says. Despite the pandemic, the U.S. admitted 21,533 refugees in 2020, some arriving as late as September, according to refugee resettlement agencies citing official numbers. Everybody is getting overwhelmed, says Nuur, who helps newly arrived refugees get settled in Lancaster, Pa. Most of the refugees and immigrants that I work with were working in service jobs and restaurant jobs. All of those jobs are going away right now. Everybody s panicking, he says.