Syrian Resettlement Practices and Experiences in the United States: A Nationwide Survey and Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Violence in Syria has displaced an unprecedented number of people. But a relatively complex asylum process in the United States, combined with rising anti-refugee sentiment, challenges its longstanding values of welcoming the “tired, poor, and huddled masses yearning to breathe free” (Lazarus, 1883). This dissertation adds to the broader understanding of refugee resettlement and placement practices. In the first aim, 49 leaders of non-government organizations – which collectively resettled 224,491 refugees, including 7,366 Syrians between 2013 and 2016 – were surveyed about placement efforts. In the second aim, 12 refugees from Syria – 8 men and 4 women –were interviewed about their experience across each stage of resettlement (i.e., pre-resettlement, resettlement/ migration, and post-resettlement/adjustment). Findings suggest that both resettlement organizations and refugees are impacted by the sociopolitical climate. Organizations are faced with more demands and less resources; refugees are unsure about their future in the United States but grateful for a second chance. Recommendations for policy change, along with clinical and pedagogical implications, are discussed in the context of these findings.