Refugees Not Only Apply and Compete for Jobs the Same Way as All U.S. Citizens, But They Also Create Them
The jobs refugees create with new businesses and their purchasing power are at least as numerous as the jobs that they fill. The Minneapolis-St. Paul area is home to an estimated 250 Hmong-owned businesses.(3) It is also important to point out that many immigrants fill positions in specific sectors that the native-born are either unwilling or unable to undertake, especially in labor-intensive, low paying sectors, and in the technology-oriented domain.(4) The Hmong have revitalized University Avenue, Frogtown, Northend and Eastside areas of Saint Paul.

Newly Arriving Refugees Do Not Have Higher Rates of Unemployment Than U.S. Citizens
All refugees, including the newly arriving Hmong, are entering the U.S. through refugee resettlement procedures established by U.S. law and the U.S. Department of State. The refugee resettlements programs place a strong emphasis on helping refugees find employment.(5) Upon arrival, refugees are generally entitled to receive limited public benefits for short periods of time. They do not have the option to remain on public assistance without complying with work participation requirements.(6) While in Thailand, the Hmong arriving in the U.S. became very self-sufficient in providing for themselves and their families. Unlike other refugee groups, they did not receive food, shelter, or free education from the UNHCR.(7)

Refugees Are Provided Limited Assistance to Help Them Resettle in the U.S.
Every refugee approved for U.S. resettlement must have a U.S. voluntary agency sponsor. These agencies help newly arrived refugees during the first several months in the U.S. with assistance, including housing, employment, healthcare, and other necessities. Refugees who are considered to be “in need” by the state and who do not have minor children are eligible to receive Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) and Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) for up to eight months after their arrival to Minnesota. Refugees with minor children are eligible for the same economic and medical assistance available to low-income families.(8) Each of the newly arriving Hmong refugees receives $400 to help pay for basic needs upon arrival. Refugees are expected to repay the cost of their airfare to the U.S. from the refugee camps.(9)

The U.S. is Not the Only Country Which Resettles Refugees
The poorest nations often bear the heaviest burden of assisting refugees. Over one million Afghanis are currently living in refugee camps in Pakistan. Asia hosts more than a third of all the people designated as refugees by the UNHCR (6.2 million people or 36%), followed by Africa (4.3 million or 25%). There are thirteen main countries involved in refugee resettlement, including Australia, Canada, Sweden, Norway and the United States.(10) The U.S. is the largest of the "traditional" resettlement countries, but its refugee admissions have actually declined in the last decade. After September 11, the number of refugees accepted into the U.S. dropped drastically. In 2002, the U.S. resettled 27,029 refugees, almost 43,000 short of the ceiling set by the President and 41,000 less than in 2001.(11) Additionally, in 2003 the actual number of incoming refugees to the U.S. was 28,422, which is less than .3 percent of the total number of refugees worldwide for that year, and is .0001 percent of the total U.S. population.(12) In FY2004 the U.S. resettled 52,875 refugees.

The President and the State Department Determine Who Will be Resettled in the U.S. and Where
The arriving Hmong refugees are part of the 70,000 annual refugee cap set by the President. About 5,000 refugees, or one-third of the 15,000 Hmong refugees arriving in the U.S. in 2004 and 2005, will be settled in Minnesota. Many of them are coming to reunite with family members already living in the Twin Cities. Refugees are resettled in every U.S. state. In 2002, four U.S. states resettled more than 40 percent of the refugees: California (16%), Washington (10%), New York (9%), and Florida (7%). In 2002, only 2% of all the refugees settled in the U.S. were initially placed in Minnesota.(13)

Gangs are an American, not a Hmong, Phenomenon
Gangs are not new to the Twin Cities, nor are gangs unique to the Hmong. Every race and almost every ethnic group—white, Hispanic, Asian or black— has experienced powerful and violent gangs in their communities. In the 1930s, gangs virtually dominated St. Paul; bank robberies and murders were commonplace. According to Metro Trend Watch, the Twin Cities metro area is actually safer than it was a decade ago due to a decline in violent and property crime.(14) Furthermore, by settling in neighborhoods that were previously declining and depopulating and starting new businesses there, refugees have been credited with revitalizing a number of urban centers. The role of Dominican immigrants in renovating Washington Heights—an erstwhile declining neighborhood in Manhattan’s Upper West Side—and the Hmong refugees’ contribution to the revitalization of the Midway area of Saint Paul are but a few examples of this positive effect.(15)

Various Programs Have Been Established to Help School Systems Welcome New Refugees
In Minnesota the Hmong Wat Resettlement Working Group, which consists of federal, state, county, and city agencies, has been working since December 2003 to prepare for the arrival of Hmong refugees. They have put together a comprehensive plan in several areas, including housing, workforce development, health, mental health, public safety, and education. The Saint Paul Public Schools has created two new programs to assist the Hmong refugee students, based on experience resettling refugees from Thailand and Somalia. Transitional Language Centers will serve students in grades K-6, and the International Academy LEAP will serve students in grades 7-12. These programs, specifically designed as short-term, transitional programs to meet the needs of the Hmong refugees, are in addition to the current English Language Learners programs.(16)

Refugees Learn English
Before they arrive in the U.S., Hmong refugees receive a one-week cultural orientation program to help them prepare for life in the U.S. More than 60% of the arriving refugees are under the age of 18.(17) Younger immigrants typically learn English faster than the older generations. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 85% of Asian immigrants between the ages of 5 and 17 and 73% of Asian immigrants between the ages of 18 and 65 speak English “well” or “very well.”(18)

The Hmong are Integrating
Although the process has been difficult at times, America has become the model of a successful multicultural society. Approximately 45,443 – 60,000 Hmong are now living in all of Minnesota.(19) The Hmong population in St. Paul is over 25,000 and there are currently over 300 Hmong students enrolled at the University of Minnesota. Presently, the Hmong community is witnessing a shift in power from the traditional male leadership to the younger generation which has been educated in the U.S. According to the U.S. State Department, the newly arriving refugees will have an advantage over the first wave of Hmong refugees to arrive to the U.S. Many have family and friends who have been living in the U.S. for over twenty years, and can welcome them to the Twin Cities and help them adapt.

Not All Hmong Live in the Same Geographic Area of Minnesota
While a majority of the newly arriving Hmong refugees will be resettled in St. Paul, a significant number will settle in Minneapolis and the surrounding suburbs. According to the 2000 Minnesota Census, approximately 25,000 Hmong live in St. Paul, 10,000 in Minneapolis, 1400 in Brooklyn Center, 1200 in Brooklyn Park, 700 in Maplewood, and the rest in various other suburbs. .

Sources

1. Immigration and Nationality Act, Sec. 101[8 U.S.C. 1101] (a)(42) http://www.uscis.gov/propub/ProPubVAP.jsp?dockey=cb90c19a50729fb47fb0686648558dbe
2. Refugees International. “Hmong Refugees Arrive in U.S.: The latest chapter in a long odyssey.”http://www.refintl.org/content/article/detail/3147/
3. Mark E. Pfeifer, “Hmong are an Asset,” Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 11, 2004
4. Capps, Randolpph. Michael E. Fix, Jeffery S. Passel, Jason Ost,  Dan Perez-Lopez. A Profile Of the Low –Wage Immigrant WorkForce. Urban Institute.  Oct 27, 2003. http://www.urban.org/publications/310880.html
5. 5 U.S. State Department, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. 2001 Fact Sheet. http://www.state.gov/g/prm/rls/fs/2001/5412.htm
6. “Minnesota Resettlement Process for Hmong Refuges from Wat Tham Krabok,” February 12, 2004. Prepared by the Refugee Resettlement Voluntary Agencies.
7. Refugees International. "The Long-Neglected Hmong Refugees in Thailand." http://www.refintl.org/content/article/detail/931
8. Minnesota Department of Human Service, Refugee Assistance. http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/groups/Economic_support/documents/pub/DHS_id_004115.hcsp
9. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. http://uscis.gov/graphics/services/refugees/Presentation.htm
10. UNHCR, Refugees by Numbers, 2005 Edition  http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/basics/opendoc.htm?tbl=BASICS&page=home&id=3b028097c
11. US Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. Proposed Refugee Admissions for FY 2004 -- Report to the Congress. http://www.state.gov/g/prm/refadm/rls/rpts/2003/44338.htm
12. U.S. State Department; Proposed Refugee Admissions for FY 2005. http://www.state.gov/g/prm/asst/rl/rpts/36116.htm .  The percentage was calculated from the U.S. Committee for Refugees: World Refugee Survey 2004, Key Statistics.(http://www.refugees.org/article.aspx?id=1156). The number of refugees that they calculated for 2003 was 11.9 million.
13. Patrick, Erin. “The US Refugee Resettlement Program,” June 1, 2004, Migration Policy Institute. http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?ID=229.
14. “Crime and Safety,” MetroTrend Watch 2004. http://www.metrotrendwatch.org/2004report.html.
15. Alexis de Tocqueville Institute. http://www.adti.net/
16. Saint Paul Public Schools. "Frequently Asked Questions." http://www.spps.org/Transitional_Language_Centers.html
17. U.S. State Department, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, U.S. Refugee Admissions Program News, Vol. 2 Issue 3 (July 23, 2004). http://www.state.gov/g/prm/rls/34677.htm
18. U.S. Census 2000. Language Use and English Speaking Ability: 2000. http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-29.pdf
19. The Minnesota Council For Non-Profits: Hmong Briefing.  http://www.mncn.org/hmongbriefing.htm. The 60,000 figure was estimated by Barbara J. Ronningen and the Minnesota Planning Agency within the Minnesota Department of Adminstration. Ronningen cited the 2000 U.S. Census report for the Hmong population in Ramsey county to be 26,509 and Hennepin county to be 12,618.