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Afghanistan Refugees in the United States and abroad

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Since the Afghanistan War started on October 7th, 2001 there have been 5.9 million Afghans who have become  Internally Displaced People (IDP)  or Refugees because of the violence. These people have fled to Pakistan and Iran. Most of these people who cross into Iran are deported because they are undocumented and the Iran government officals do not give them the opportunity  to get the reqired paperwork such as an asylum application.[1] This is a similar case to the “It will be Chaos”[2] documentary that  gives an example of a mayor of a town in Italy and how he had to choose between giving the migrants attention or the citizens of the town. This is why Afghan refugees in Iran were  forcefully deported back to Afghanistan when they returned to a country that was stuck at war. The top four countries that were accepting refugees in 2020 were: Pakistan with 1,438,432, Iran with 780,000, Germany with 147,994,  and Austria with 40,096.[3] The United States of America did not even make the list. The United States has a Refugee Act that was signed in 1980. Over the past 40 years the United States acceptance rate for refugees worldwide has fallen significantly from 200,000 admitted in 1980 to less then 50,000 in 2019.[4] Which is surprising because the United States started the war in Afghanistan and has not wanted to take the consequences.  

The first wave of Afghan refugees that were taken in by the United States are succeeding extremely well in the United States education system. They  have ”high rates of 4-year college degrees and strong English skills (see below), yet a large portion of highly educated Afghan refugees have difficulty finding employment or training that fits or augments their credentials.” [5] The reason why they are having a hard time finding work is because: first, after 9/11/2001 some Americans began to believe in Islamophobia.[6] (it is also on a rise[7] not just in the United States but the world.[8])  Second, many of the first wave of refugees experienced life threatening situations which has given them ptsd which affects them when trying to find a job.[9] Third, due to the high media presence in Afghanistan and how they portray the whole country as being extremist,  “anti US”[10]  and terrorist filled.[11]  There is also still hatred, racism and religious discrimination towards people of color. In 2016 “white Americans in 2016 felt ‘colder’ towards Muslims (32%), than towards Hispanics (11%), African Americans (11%), Asian Americans (7%) or Jewish Americans (5%)[12] This is one of the reasons why Donald J. Trump won the 2016 election, due to these types of white  people.[13]



References

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  1. University, Brown (2021). "Costs of war". Retrieved 2021. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. Luciano, Lorena; Piscopo, Filippo (2018-06-18), It Will be Chaos (Documentary), Home Box Office (HBO), retrieved 2021-12-19
  3. "Analysis: Where do Afghanistan's refugees go?". PBS NewsHour. 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  4. "Analysis: Where do Afghanistan's refugees go?". PBS NewsHour. 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  5. Stempel, Carl; Alemi, Qais (2020-09-12). "Challenges to the economic integration of Afghan refugees in the U.S." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies: 1–21. doi:10.1080/1369183X.2020.1724420. ISSN 1369-183X.
  6. Rana, Junaid (2007-06-06). "The Story of Islamophobia". Souls. 9 (2): 148–161. doi:10.1080/10999940701382607. ISSN 1099-9949.
  7. "Study Shows Islamophobia Is Growing In The U.S. Some Say It's Rising In Chicago, Too". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  8. "Anti-Muslim hatred has reached 'epidemic proportions' says UN rights expert, urging action by States". UN News. 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  9. Stempel, Carl; Alemi, Qais (2020-09-12). "Challenges to the economic integration of Afghan refugees in the U.S." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies: 1–21. doi:10.1080/1369183X.2020.1724420. ISSN 1369-183X.
  10. Ghufran, Nasreen (2006-02-01). "Afghanistan in 2005: The Challenges of Reconstruction". Asian Survey. 46 (1): 85–94. doi:10.1525/as.2006.46.1.85. ISSN 0004-4687.
  11. Ghufran, Nasreen (2006-02-01). "Afghanistan in 2005: The Challenges of Reconstruction". Asian Survey. 46 (1): 85–94. doi:10.1525/as.2006.46.1.85. ISSN 0004-4687.
  12. Gisselquist, Rachel M. (2020-09-12). "Involuntary migration, inequality, and integration: national and subnational influences". Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies: 1–18. doi:10.1080/1369183X.2020.1724409. ISSN 1369-183X.
  13. Ghufran, Nasreen (2006-02-01). "Afghanistan in 2005: The Challenges of Reconstruction". Asian Survey. 46 (1): 85–94. doi:10.1525/as.2006.46.1.85. ISSN 0004-4687.