The U.S. refugee family reunification program was suspended in 2008 because of various cases of alledged fraud in submitting affidavits of relationship (AORs). It is scheduled to restart in 2011 with new guidelines that might reduce fraud, but at the cost of creating high walls between refugees and the loved ones they left behind.
Family separation hinders former refugees’ success and negatively affects their well-being. To be truly welcoming, our nation’s policies should seek to remove barriers to reuniting family members, not build them higher than they’ve ever been.
Read this important article from our Words of Welcome newsletter on how the proposed changes will affect refugee families across the nation.