CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As it stands now, it could be May or June at the earliest before the first of up to 100 Syrian refugees, 30 families in all, arrive in West Virginia’s Capital City, according to one member of the West Virginia Interfaith Refugee Ministry.
In December, the U.S. State Department approved a refugee resettlement program in Charleston for those fleeing the years-long Syrian civil war. The settlement designation status, though, could change under President Donald Trump.
At one point on the campaign trail, Trump pledged to keep all Muslims immigrants from entering the U.S. and later promised to halt refugee resettlements from nations possibly compromised by Islamic terrorism.
“Refugees coming to our country have been part of our existence for centuries,” argued Rabbi Victor Urecki of the B’nai Jacob Synagogue in Charleston who also works with the Interfaith Refugee Ministry.
The West Virginia Interfaith Refugee Ministry is made up of Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy and others who’ve joined together for a humanitarian effort to assist refugees through support work with Catholic Charities West Virginia.
For now, Urecki said they’re moving forward in preparation for resettlements as planned.
“We believe that goodness is a force multiplier,” Urecki said of the effort that’s been in the works since 2015.
By the U.S. government’s definition, a refugee is someone “who has fled his or her home country and cannot return because he or she has a well-founded fear of persecution based on religion, race, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.”
“Immigrants not only built our nation, but built — specifically — West Virginia,” Urecki said on Tuesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
“West Virginia has a proud history of welcoming those who have been displaced, those who have come from war-torn areas or those that are looking for a better life. Those individuals will help enhance West Virginia and also take and remove some of the bad things that are happening in our state and, hopefully, turn out state around which we all want.”
Currently, there are 30 refugee resettlement locations across the United States where local organizers, like Urecki, assist refugees in areas of employment, health care, communication and others.
As a candidate, President Trump said he would not admit refugees into the U.S. if there was no support for them within the local communities where they were being placed due to safety and other concerns.
Trump’s also regularly criticized the refugee vetting process.
Urecki said the refugees potentially coming in have gone through extensive screenings as part of a lengthy process made up of multiple steps within the U.S. State Department.
Syrian refugees, in particular, require additional clearance from numerous law enforcement agencies.
In some cases, the U.S. admissions process can last between two and three years.
“We want a secure nation. We want a nation that is safe. As someone who has taken the time to go through it very carefully, the vetting process is very, very secure,” Urecki said.
More information about that process is available HERE.
Overall, during the 2016 fiscal year, nearly 85,000 refugees resettled in the United States. Most of them were women and children, according to data from the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
In the past, Urecki’s father was a refugee, so was his mentor along with the rabbi that preceded him in Charleston.
“Refugees are part of the American experience,” he said.