Long article, but good read...




State officials anticipate a 40% increase in refugees coming to Michigan next year — as many as 1,100 more people than this year — and that number doesn't include those who will come to Michigan non-traditionally after seeking asylum at a United States port or border. State officials can't track those seeking asylum because they don't have a structured system to do so.
Wayne State University Professor Hayg Oshagan has seen the increased number of those needing help firsthand in the Detroit area. A member of the city's Immigration Task Force, Oshagan was preparing to speak to 30 asylum-seekers in Detroit earlier this month and instead was shocked to see more than 400 gathered in Khadim Rassul Foundation Hall, begging for assistance. "We knew this was an issue, but not to this depth," Oshagan said. "Where do they go? Where do they sleep? They have no way of seeking or receiving help. Freedom House [[a program that supports refugees) has quadrupled its capacity. All around, it’s difficult, and I’m not sure what’s going to happen and what the solution is."

The Black Migrant Townhall, where Oshagan spoke, was hosted by the African Bureau for Immigration and Social Affairs. The turnout didn't surprise its executive director Seydi Starr. She said for the last year, there has been an outcry for support services for those seeking asylum, everything from housing and food to legal services and work permits. But now people may notice they've overflowed to the streets. "We've been calling on administrators. ... We have seen the lack of supportive services for that specific community primarily working with Black immigrants," Starr said. "... We have been working to secure the understanding that these people are here, and something needs to be done about it." Oshagan said many asylum seekers spoke about their hardships — winter is approaching and they lack shelter, work permits, licenses or any mode of transportation. Many also worry that immigration and medical services are costly, especially when families are fleeing their countries with next to nothing.

A refugee is a person who has fled their own country because they are at risk of serious human rights violations and persecution there. An asylum seeker is the same, but someone who hasn’t yet been legally recognized as a refugee and is waiting to receive a decision on their asylum claim. They are released near the border they entered after background checks and rely on community agencies for food and shelter. The state has no way to track the migration of those seeking asylum, and programs that support refugees and asylum-seekers get limited, if any, federal support.

"We do not have beds for all that need them," said Elizabeth Orozco-Vasquez, executive director of Freedom House Detroit, which works with more than 100 asylum seekers, providing temporary housing, medical and English classes. More than double show up at Freedom House's doorstep a month and have to be transferred elsewhere, she said.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...s/71910544007/