Looking for actual (non-alternative) facts on refugees?

Looking for actual (non-alternative) facts on refugees? 2017-02-02T16:30:29-04:00

This post is going to be my ongoing clearinghouse for fact and data-based references on refugee statistics, processes, and policies. I hope people find it useful. There’s a lot of heat out there right now, but I don’t know how much of it sheds any light.

I have not inserted pull quotes or summarized the information at any of the following links. That’s probably a mistake as far as creating something that will go viral and get me a lot of hits. I don’t want to host debates over my summaries or personal conclusions. This is about pointing you to information to inform your own conclusions, in the interests of promoting constructive, meaningful dialogue.

I started collecting these links in November 2015, so please let me know if anything is out of date or non-functional.

Syrian refugees' camp in Cappadocia, Turkey Syrian refugees went to Cappadoce to work in the 2014 harvest. Photo: Fabio Penna via flickr
Syrian refugees’ camp in Cappadocia, Turkey
Syrian refugees went to Cappadoce to work in the 2014 harvest.
Photo: Fabio Penna via flickr

What do we know?

About the immigration ban:

A more recent article from the Cato Institute analyzing recent decisions by the POTUS. Were refugees and immigration from the countries on the block list actually a danger to public safety?
https://www.cato.org/blog/trump-wrong-muslim-immigration-reducing-radical-islamism

Did Obama issue a similar ban?
http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/01/30/sorry-mr-president-the-obama-administration-did-nothing-similar-to-your-immigration-ban/ 
Was Obama’s increase last year an “aberration” from the norm? What time period did the US accept the fewest refugees? During what times did it accept the most, and how many was that?
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/refugees-and-asylees-united-states
But can’t we assume that Trump took expert advice and counsel into account while crafting this order?
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/28/politics/donald-trump-travel-ban/index.html
About the current refugee crisis: 

Who are the refugees, where do they come from, where are they going, how many are men/women/children?
http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php

Data on other active refugee situations can be found here:
http://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations

How does the UN assess claimants for refugee status? (Canadian perspective on the process)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/syrian-refugees-beirut-un-ormiston-1.3339066
How are refugees identified, screened, and resettled? (US process)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/02/01/refugees-are-already-vigorously-vetted-i-know-because-i-vetted-them/
How is refugee resettlement different in the US and Canada than in Europe?
Why don’t other Arab states take the refugees in?
Is there a difference between asylum-seekers in Europe and refugees accepted to the US? What is the risk of accepting thousands of refugees each year? (Note: the Cato Institute leans libertarian.)
 What does Scripture say about refugees?

 


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