Escape to America

Today the Alsaadis are among approximately 20,000 Syrian refugees who have been admitted to the U.S. since the war began. Gaining entry as a refugee—someone forced to leave his or her home country because of danger or persecution—is a long and difficult ordeal. The application process can take up to two years and includes extensive background checks by the FBI and other intelligence agencies to screen out potential threats. 

But while it’s difficult for refugees to gain entry to the U.S., they face potentially more difficult obstacles once they’re here, such as learning English and finding jobs. And for the more than half of Syrian refugees in the U.S. who are teens or children, there is the added pressure of trying to fit in with American kids while catching up on years of missed schoolwork. Yet young Syrians like Yaman welcome the hurdles that come with trying to assimilate if it means a chance for a new life.

“Walking down the street in Syria was scary because it was so unsafe, and very bad things could happen to you,” Yaman says. “Now that I’m in a safe country, I’m only afraid of being in a new place and speaking a new language. It’s a better kind of fear.” 

Today the Alsaadis are among approximately 20,000 Syrian refugees who have been admitted to the U.S. since the war began. Refugees are people who have been forced to leave their home country because of danger or persecution. Gaining entry into the U.S. as a refugee is a long and difficult ordeal. The application process can take up to two years. It includes extensive background checks by the FBI and other intelligence agencies to screen out potential threats.

It is tough for refugees to gain entry to the U.S. But they face what can be more challenging obstacles once they are here. For example, it can be hard to learn English and find a job. And for the more than half of Syrian refugees in the U.S. who are teens or children, there is the added pressure of trying to fit in with American kids while catching up on years of missed schoolwork. Yet young Syrians like Yaman welcome the hurdles that come with trying to assimilate if it means a chance for a new life.

“Walking down the street in Syria was scary because it was so unsafe, and very bad things could happen to you,” Yaman says. “Now that I’m in a safe country, I’m only afraid of being in a new place and speaking a new language. It’s a better kind of fear.”

Syria’s civil war began in March 2011 with a series of protests against the country’s authoritarian president, Bashar al-Assad. As peaceful demonstrators called on Assad to resign, his forces violently cracked down on them. Rebel armies sprang up to fight Assad’s forces, and before long, the conflict evolved into a bloody civil war.

Soon, terrorist groups such as ISIS—the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria—took advantage of the chaos, using force to gain control of large parts of the country. (Most of the territory once claimed by ISIS has since been recaptured, however.) 

As the civil war now enters its eighth year, many refugees are still fleeing the country today.

Syria’s civil war began in March 2011 with a series of protests against the country’s authoritarian president, Bashar al-Assad. As peaceful demonstrators called on Assad to resign, his forces violently cracked down on them. Rebel armies sprang up to fight Assad’s forces. Before long, the conflict evolved into a bloody civil war.

Soon, terrorist groups took advantage of the chaos. One such group was ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. It used force to gain control of large parts of the country. (But most of the territory once claimed by ISIS has since been recaptured.)

The civil war has now entered its eighth year. Many refugees are still fleeing the country today.

Refugees trying to escape conflicts like the one in Syria have an extremely slim chance of being resettled in another country. There are more than 22 million refugees worldwide, but the UN generally recommends less than 1 percent of them for resettlement each year. (A person must be fleeing war, persecution, or a natural disaster to be eligible.)

Historically, the U.S. has accepted more refugees than any other nation in the world—about 3 million since Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980. But in recent years, the issue of refugees—and the debate over accepting those from majority-Muslim countries like Syria—has become mired in controversy. This includes fears of terrorist attacks and a broad backlash against immigration (see "The Refugee Debate" sidebar, below). 

In early 2017, following the election of President Donald Trump, the U.S. temporarily stopped accepting refugees. And this year it will take just 45,000, a new low.

Refugees trying to escape conflicts like the one in Syria have an extremely slim chance of being resettled in another country. There are more than 22 million refugees worldwide, but the UN generally recommends less than 1 percent of them for resettlement each year. (A person must be fleeing war, persecution, or a natural disaster to be eligible.)

Historically, the U.S. has accepted more refugees than any other nation in the world. It has taken in about 3 million since Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980. But in recent years, the issue of refugees has become mired in controversy. That includes debate over accepting refugees from majority-Muslim countries like Syria. The controversy stems from fears of terrorist attacks and a broad backlash against immigration (see "The Refugee Debate" sidebar, below).

In early 2017, after the election of President Donald Trump, the U.S. temporarily stopped accepting refugees. This year it will take just 45,000. That is a new low.

The Alsaadi family arrived in the U.S. in August 2016, five months before the refugee ban went into effect. Before being accepted for resettlement, they were interviewed four times, fingerprinted, and subjected to background checks.

Like all refugees, they were given a loan for their travel expenses to come to the U.S. and funding to cover one month’s rent. The three-bedroom apartment that the Alsaadis now inhabit bears little resemblance to the two-story townhouse they left behind in Syria. 

Their living situation is just one of many changes for the family. As for most refugees, the language barrier has been the hardest adjustment. Yaman’s father was a lawyer in Damascus, but his limited English has made it difficult for him to find a job in the U.S. 

Yaman initially struggled to hold conversations even though he had studied English in Syria. But practicing with his new friends is helping him become fluent.

“Once you learn the language, the rest of the adjustment is a lot easier,” he says. 

Yaman’s first winter in Iowa—a harsh introduction to snow and bitter cold—made him miss the warm desert temperatures of home. But he’s enjoying his new life in other ways. He spends his free time playing soccer. He also works part-time packing desserts at the local Cheesecake Factory, which has helped him develop a taste for classic American foods.

“Pancakes are really, really good,” he says.

The Alsaadi family arrived in the U.S. in August 2016. That was five months before the refugee ban went into effect. Before being accepted for resettlement, they were interviewed four times, fingerprinted, and subjected to background checks.

Like all refugees, they were given a loan for their travel expenses to come to the U.S. They also were given money to cover one month’s rent. The three-bedroom apartment where the Alsaadis now live is very different from the two-story townhouse they left behind in Syria.

Their living situation is just one of many changes for the family. Like most refugees, they are finding the language barrier to be the hardest adjustment. Yaman’s father was a lawyer in Damascus. However, his limited English has made it hard for him to find a job in the U.S.

At first, Yaman struggled to hold conversations even though he had studied English in Syria. But practicing with his new friends is helping him become fluent.

“Once you learn the language, the rest of the adjustment is a lot easier,” he says.

Yaman’s first winter in Iowa was a harsh introduction to snow and bitter cold. It made him miss the warm desert temperatures of home. But he is enjoying his new life in other ways. He spends his free time playing soccer. He also works part-time packing desserts at the local Cheesecake Factory. The job has helped him develop a taste for classic American foods.

“Pancakes are really, really good,” he says.

Still, adapting to American life can be tough. One of the biggest challenges for young refugees in particular is school—catching up academically and fitting in socially. Many of them have spent years attending makeshift schools in camps or have gone long stretches without any schooling. By the time they’re resettled in a U.S. classroom, they’ve usually fallen behind.

That’s what 17-year-old Yasameen Muhammed, who now lives in Houston, Texas, is struggling with. Yasameen is from a small city in northern Syria. Her family fled in 2012 to escape food shortages and bands of thieves. Yasameen, her mother, brother, and five sisters walked for 15 hours from Syria to Iraq, where they spent three years living in a refugee camp before coming to the U.S. The camp lacked many basic facilities, including a decent school.

Still, adapting to American life can be tough. One of the biggest challenges for young refugees in particular is school. It can be hard to catch up academically and fit in socially. Many young refugees have spent years going to makeshift schools in camps or have gone long stretches without any schooling at all. By the time they are resettled in a U.S. classroom, they have usually fallen behind.

That is what 17-year-old Yasameen Muhammed is struggling with. Yasameen now lives in Houston, Texas. She is from a small city in northern Syria. Her family fled in 2012 to escape food shortages and bands of thieves. Yasameen, her mother, brother, and five sisters walked for 15 hours from Syria to Iraq. They spent three years living in a refugee camp in Iraq before coming to the U.S. The camp lacked many basic facilities, including a decent school.

Although Yasameen is catching up in her studies as her English improves, she’s still getting used to high school culture and things like homecoming dances, which don’t exist in conservative Muslim countries like Syria.

When she first arrived in Houston, kids at her school made fun of her for wearing a traditional Muslim head scarf known as a hijab. After enduring stares for two years, Yasameen stopped wearing it. “The hijab made me feel too different from everyone else,” she says.

Although the family’s transition hasn’t been easy—Yasameen’s brother had to go to work full-time because their mother is too ill to work—she is starting to make new friends. But above all, she is grateful to be attending school again. 

“Thank God it worked out this way,” she says, “because being able to study again means that my siblings and I have a chance to [make something of ourselves].” 

Yasameen is catching up in her studies as her English improves. But she is still getting used to high school culture and things like homecoming dances, which do not exist in conservative Muslim countries like Syria.

When she first arrived in Houston, kids at her school made fun of her for wearing a traditional Muslim head scarf known as a hijab. She endured stares for two years. Then she stopped wearing it. “The hijab made me feel too different from everyone else,” she says.

The family’s transition hasn’t been easy. Yasameen’s brother had to go to work full-time because their mother is too ill to work. But Yasameen is starting to make new friends. And above all, she is grateful to be attending school again.

“Thank God it worked out this way,” she says, “because being able to study again means that my siblings and I have a chance to [make something of ourselves].”

Back in Des Moines, Yaman also sees education as the key to a better life. He’s about to start applying to colleges. He wants to become an immigration lawyer to help other refugees. Many of them, Yaman says, are just hoping to find the same sense of security that he has found. 

“America gives you the opportunity to do what you want to do and be what you want to be,” he says. “It is a good country. I feel like I have a future here.”

Back in Des Moines, Yaman also sees education as the key to a better life. He is about to start applying to colleges. He wants to become an immigration lawyer to help other refugees. Many of them, Yaman says, are just hoping to find the same sense of security that he has found.

“America gives you the opportunity to do what you want to do and be what you want to be,” he says. “It is a good country. I feel like I have a future here.”