DETROIT | The U.S. government has been sending fewer Iraqi immigrants to Michigan because of its struggling economy, though some expect refugees to make their way here anyway, costing the cash-strapped state more in the long run.
Michigan is one of the nation’s top destinations for Iraqi refugees, having received about 3,000 of the 13,823 Iraqi refugees allowed into the country between Oct. 1, 2007, and Sept. 30, based on State Department figures obtained by the Associated Press.
Now the state only can take refugees who have a close relative such as a parent, child or sibling in the state.
The State Department’s policy, which changed in late June from one that allowed entry to those with cousins and friends in the state, is expected to cut initial resettlement in Michigan by a third.
State refugee coordinator Al Horn said he expects the shift to show up in resettlement numbers for September as the government processes the final family reunification cases approved before the policy change.
“What they did was they took the definition of family and narrowed it - if it’s a close relative, you can go [to Michigan],” Mr. Horn said.
“If they don’t have that, they’re looking for opportunities in other states. … If another city or state has better, more prosperous economic and job prospects, the refugee would be able to go there and build a life.”
But Mr. Horn and others say many who resettle elsewhere are expected eventually to make their way to the Detroit area, lured by the area’s large Middle Eastern population as well as its social and cultural networks.
In that case, State Department money for refugees and agencies would still flow to the state where they first resettled.
“If they move here, we have the person who needs the services,” Mr. Horn said. “We get the same numbers. … Plus, we don’t get the money.”
Michigan has had the nation’s highest average annual jobless rate since 2006. The seasonally adjusted August jobless rate of 8.9 percent was the highest in the state since late 1992.
The State Department changed its policy after its representatives met earlier this year with nonprofit social service groups and local affiliates of national resettlement agencies.
Workers cited strains as they coped with a rapid rise in health screenings, job placements and other services.
Refugee coordinators say they were told the restriction would be revisited next year.
The surge came after the Bush administration streamlined its admissions process under criticism for not doing enough for Iraqis who have fled their country since the 2003 U.S. invasion.
Officials recently said 12,118 Iraqi refugees had arrived in the country since Oct. 1, 2007, and they would try to admit at least 17,000 next year.
Still, several agencies preferred a more open resettlement policy even as they acknowledged the increased load. They have boosted staff and are working more with other groups.
A State Department spokesman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as a policy, said the decision to restrict eligibility was made with support from refugee agencies in an effort to ease burdens on both the front-line workers as well as the overall community.
He said that while officials cannot force refugees to stay somewhere, the payments don’t transfer because the department encourages people to live throughout the country.
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