A better life for refugees in America? Maybe not…

Throughout the camp, the refugees held out hope for the Land of Opportunity, an America with gold lined streets and money spilling out of pockets. “Of course you’re rich, you have all of our oil now!” The perception is that money spills out of our pockets and we spend all of our time trying to spend it. I guess thats the image American TV sends. But the reality is much more difficult, especially with the economy in its current state. A brilliant article in Sunday’s Washington Post tells the story of Iraqi refugees unable to make it in the US, unable to find jobs, and wishing they had never come here.

But now Joodi, who immigrated here on the possibility of a new life he saw in that visit, has more pressing matters on his mind: Should he swallow his pride and ask Fairfax County to move him, his wife and four children into a homeless shelter, or pack it in and return to Iraq?

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Last year, Congress passed legislation to accept more Iraqi refugees, and the number climbed to more than 12,000, plus 800 others on special visas who had worked for the U.S. government. Now, these same refugees struggling in the economic downturn are at the center of another debate: Does the United States owe them something more?

“We have an obligation to Iraqi refugees, because many in the United States, if not most, were persecuted because of their associations with the United States. . . . So many of these people did put their lives in danger on behalf of America. I think there was an expectation that, as a result, they would be taken care of,” Carey said.

Instead, they’re given $450 from the U.S. State Department and help from a resettlement agency. The amount of aid varies by state and agency.

So if we feel powerless to help the refugees in Syria, is there anything we can do to help them once they arrive to the US?