May 12, 2017. In an article featured in the Nonprofit Quarterly, the author argues that Syrian refugees contribute to their host countries’ economies and uses data on Turkey and the U.S. to demonstrate this. The author cites the report, “Syrian Immigrants in the United States: A Receiving Community for Today’s Refugees,” which was co-released by FPI and the Center for American Progress, to support her argument. She also argues that we should not focus on the negative rhetoric used, rather on the positive contributions that they can make to their host countries.
The Washington Post quoted David Dyssegaard Kallick, senior fellow at the Fiscal Policy Institute, as saying, “The United States accepts refugees on humanitarian grounds, not to improve the American economy. But, the striking success of Syrian immigrants in this country should give us some confidence that Syrian refugees can become integrated and successful here.”
Maybe it’s time for the conversation to focus not on how to minimize the damage, but how to maximize the benefits. Maybe nonprofits focused on economic growth and those focused on refugee advocacy and integration have more in common than we previously thought. When we say that we’re stronger as a country when we’re inclusive and open, it has real meaning, and there’s data to back it up.
Here is the link to Nonprofit Quarterly.