Making Sense of U.S. Refugee Resettlement: Utica as a Model for the Nation

Abstract

Refugee integration is a complex process, realized differently by different groups at different times. This article examines the larger global and national context in which decisions about refugees are made and illustrates impacts of these decisions at the local level. A close look at refugee resettlement in Utica, New York, reveals that positive benefits have accrued to the community there over decades. Trump administration policies have cut in half the number of refugees arriving in that city, but the resultant advocacy for the Utica refugee resettlement office led to new income from the State of New York, preserving the city’s ability to participate in the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program now and in the future.