Refugees’ Choices and System Limitations Make a Bad Situation Worse
Summary
For Montagnard families, there are overwhelming advantages to having refugee status because of entitlements to social services and other benefits — even during a spectacularly bad economy that has seen big cuts everywhere. Although refugee agencies and support services do a lackluster job tracking the progress and acculturation of refugees, at least there are readily available records and a nominal responsible agent. It is much harder to identify and track the progress of families who bring wives and children to the area with immigrant status. The result is an already under-served community with serious health problems further undermined by the complications of legal status, differing entitlements and ensuing social problems that rarely come to the attention of American health providers. The five pathways described below were culled from conversations with Montagnard former doctors, community health workers, and from community members.
(1) Refugee pathway (Best choice)
Husband comes directly to the Triad as a refugee. Within two years applies for and brings wife and children through Family Reunification. Family members are also classed as refugees. The family is entitled to many social services.
Health impact: Families exceed the grace period to apply for Green Card, which can delay some health services until they comply. Families fail to take full advantage of services due to misinformation, ignorance, or lackluster service provider help. Families that do well appear to be reasonably informed about their rights and the responsibilities of service providers, and seek help through a community network represented by immediate family members, kinship ties, church ties and old village ties.
(2a) Refugee-Immigrant pathway (Fathers)
Husband comes directly to the Triad as a refugee, heeds the advice from church members to resist completing his own documentation or applying for Family Reunification, waits many years and eventually decides to bring his family over. When he does, this costs him a lot of money because he assumes the role of sponsor. Costs include all Vietnamese government fees, all application fees, all travel costs —thousands of dollars that working class families can ill afford.
Health impact: The family enters as immigrants, not refugees so the family is entitled to limited social services that hit moms especially hard. Unlike refugees, immigrants are not tracked by local refugee agencies (one reason we count the Montagnard population higher). Immigrants have Green Cards upon entry but the husband is sometimes not prepared to cover the costs of his family’s needs or is unaware of available services that he can apply for. Scarce dollars are diverted from health and economic stability to immigration fees, etc.
(2b) Refugee-Immigrant pathway (Sons)
Son came to the Triad, grew up, and now seeks a bride from the Central Highlands, and must raise the money to bring the bride into the US as an immigrant.
Health impact: The impact is indirect: The thousands of dollars spent to bring a bride from overseas is money diverted from wellness and economic stability. A bigger question: What are the problems finding eligible mates here in the region?
(3) Refugee-Immigrant pathway (Direct immigration denied)
Husband comes to the Triad as a refugee, and later attempts to bring his family in as immigrants. The family is denied entry and the husband then attempts to bring them through Canada. There the family waits for months and years. Ultimately, this is a tremendously expensive, frustrating route.
Health impact: This problem, too, is off the radar screens of local refugee agencies. Dollars go to legal services, supporting the family while it awaits entry into the US, etc instead of health and economic stability.
(4) Dead-end pathway (Stranded husbands)
Husband comes directly to the Triad as a refugee, waits many years, struggles with employment, housing and health. Because of the high costs associated with sponsorship duties, it is unlikely he will ever be able to bring his family to the US. Sometimes men board together — several men to a house, with only one or two working. Some are elderly.
Health impact: Family separation and husbands without wives are recipes for all kinds of community problems that seep into American awareness as isolated stories about mental illness, depression, jealousies, infidelities, homelessness etc. Men without immediate family, without strong ties to church, old village neighbors, etc are extremely vulnerable.
(5) Mixed Household pathway
A father comes to the Triad as a refugee. He brings his family as immigrants. An additional family member comes on a tourist visa and deliberately overstays, resulting in a family with refugee-, immigrant- and “illegal” status. Rare but not unknown.
Health impact: All kinds of direct and indirect problems arising from misinformation and fear of discovery.
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| Waiting at the airport for long-separated family members to arrive. Unfortunately, the excitement of family reunification can mask the new problems and many stresses reunited families face. Husbands must get to know wives who have made do for years without them; children must reacquaint themselves with a two-parent household and a father some may have been too young to remember. |
For Montagnard families, there are overwhelming advantages to having refugee status because of entitlements to social services and other benefits — even during a spectacularly bad economy that has seen big cuts everywhere. Although refugee agencies and support services do a lackluster job tracking the progress and acculturation of refugees, at least there are readily available records and a nominal responsible agent. It is much harder to identify and track the progress of families who bring wives and children to the area with immigrant status. The result is an already under-served community with serious health problems further undermined by the complications of legal status, differing entitlements and ensuing social problems that rarely come to the attention of American health providers. The five pathways described below were culled from conversations with Montagnard former doctors, community health workers, and from community members.
(1) Refugee pathway (Best choice)
Husband comes directly to the Triad as a refugee. Within two years applies for and brings wife and children through Family Reunification. Family members are also classed as refugees. The family is entitled to many social services.
Health impact: Families exceed the grace period to apply for Green Card, which can delay some health services until they comply. Families fail to take full advantage of services due to misinformation, ignorance, or lackluster service provider help. Families that do well appear to be reasonably informed about their rights and the responsibilities of service providers, and seek help through a community network represented by immediate family members, kinship ties, church ties and old village ties.
(2a) Refugee-Immigrant pathway (Fathers)
Husband comes directly to the Triad as a refugee, heeds the advice from church members to resist completing his own documentation or applying for Family Reunification, waits many years and eventually decides to bring his family over. When he does, this costs him a lot of money because he assumes the role of sponsor. Costs include all Vietnamese government fees, all application fees, all travel costs —thousands of dollars that working class families can ill afford.
Health impact: The family enters as immigrants, not refugees so the family is entitled to limited social services that hit moms especially hard. Unlike refugees, immigrants are not tracked by local refugee agencies (one reason we count the Montagnard population higher). Immigrants have Green Cards upon entry but the husband is sometimes not prepared to cover the costs of his family’s needs or is unaware of available services that he can apply for. Scarce dollars are diverted from health and economic stability to immigration fees, etc.
(2b) Refugee-Immigrant pathway (Sons)
Son came to the Triad, grew up, and now seeks a bride from the Central Highlands, and must raise the money to bring the bride into the US as an immigrant.
Health impact: The impact is indirect: The thousands of dollars spent to bring a bride from overseas is money diverted from wellness and economic stability. A bigger question: What are the problems finding eligible mates here in the region?
(3) Refugee-Immigrant pathway (Direct immigration denied)
Husband comes to the Triad as a refugee, and later attempts to bring his family in as immigrants. The family is denied entry and the husband then attempts to bring them through Canada. There the family waits for months and years. Ultimately, this is a tremendously expensive, frustrating route.
Health impact: This problem, too, is off the radar screens of local refugee agencies. Dollars go to legal services, supporting the family while it awaits entry into the US, etc instead of health and economic stability.
(4) Dead-end pathway (Stranded husbands)
Husband comes directly to the Triad as a refugee, waits many years, struggles with employment, housing and health. Because of the high costs associated with sponsorship duties, it is unlikely he will ever be able to bring his family to the US. Sometimes men board together — several men to a house, with only one or two working. Some are elderly.
Health impact: Family separation and husbands without wives are recipes for all kinds of community problems that seep into American awareness as isolated stories about mental illness, depression, jealousies, infidelities, homelessness etc. Men without immediate family, without strong ties to church, old village neighbors, etc are extremely vulnerable.
(5) Mixed Household pathway
A father comes to the Triad as a refugee. He brings his family as immigrants. An additional family member comes on a tourist visa and deliberately overstays, resulting in a family with refugee-, immigrant- and “illegal” status. Rare but not unknown.
Health impact: All kinds of direct and indirect problems arising from misinformation and fear of discovery.
