New US Citizen Refugees Excited for First Presidential Vote
2020-10-01
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1They came to the United States fleeing war and persecution in countries like Myanmar, Eritrea and Iraq.
2They were chosen by the Obama administration to resettle in the U.S. under longstanding humanitarian traditions.
3Now, tens of thousands of these refugees have become American citizens.
4They can now vote for the first time in what could be one of the most important presidential elections of their lifetimes.
5New voters from Arizona to Florida know they will help choose the country's next leader.
6That leader will decide the future of the very resettlement program they used to enter the country.
7President Donald Trump has all but stopped that program and may shut it down starting October 1.
8"Most refugees come to this country escaping political systems where the government is not their friend," said Hans Van de Weerd.
9He is the vice president of resettlement for the International Rescue Committee.
10Republican and Democratic administrations have resettled an average of 95,000 refugees each year over the last 40 years.
11The Trump government, however, dropped the number down to 18,000.
12Only about 9,000 refugees have come in this year during the coronavirus health crisis.
13The lower numbers are likely to continue if Trump is reelected.
14Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has promised to increase the yearly number to 125,000 if he wins the election.
15There are no voter registration numbers for refugees.
16But the National Partnership for New Americans predicted that about 860,000 immigrants would gain that right this year by becoming citizens.
17Through its citizenship classes, the International Rescue Committee has helped around 6,000 refugees and other newcomers become Americans each of the last few years.
18People seeking U.S. citizenship are facing some new barriers, such as a large increase in the amount the government charges to complete the process.
19The amount rose from $640 to $1,170.
20Department of Homeland Security numbers in recent years have shown that refugees and asylum-seekers have a new-citizenship rate of over 70 percent during their first 10 years in the country.
21Refugees can apply for citizenship after five years as permanent residents.
22Once they become citizens, they can register and vote.
23"So many want to vote this time," said Basma Alawee, a refugee and an organizer for the Florida Immigrant Coalition.
24She has been leading online classes to help other refugees prepare for Election Day.
25Alawee was born in Iraq and is now a U.S. citizen living in Jacksonville, Florida.
26She said she also plans to vote in her first presidential election on November 3.
27Another Iraqi, Bilal Alobaidi, recalls elections in Iraq under Saddam Hussein when only the leader's name was on the ballot.
28The choices were "yes" or "no."
29"And if you said 'no,' something bad could happen to you," said Alobaidi.
30He arrived in the U.S. in December 2013.
31Alobaidi was resettled in Phoenix, Arizona and became a citizen last year.
32He now works for the International Rescue Committee, helping other refugees find housing and other services.
33Alobaidi is excited about the upcoming election.
34"This is the first time I will practice democracy," he said.
35Nada al-Rubaye said she never voted in her native Iraq.
36She fled the country after her son and several other family members were killed in the country's violence.
37The Baghdad-born artist and another son spent a few years in Turkey, but in 2013 were settled in Phoenix.
38She became a U.S. citizen in September 2019.
39"I am so excited!" she said about the election.
40"It's so important for a person to feel like they belong to a country," she added.
41Habtom Gezhey fled Eritrea after being forced to join the military.
42At first, he lived in a refugee camp in neighboring Ethiopia before being resettled in Florida in 2012.
43Now a truck driver moving goods across the U.S., Gezhey lives in Jacksonville with his wife, Eyerusalem - whom he met at the camp - and their two young children.
44"I'm ready to vote. We had no election in Eritrea, no Constitution."
45Lian Kual never voted in Myanmar, where elections were criticized as fraudulent during many years of military rule.
46In 2008, Kual fled his country for Malaysia, and in 2014 was resettled in Salt Lake City, Utah.
47Kual, who works at Walmart, became a citizen this year.
48"I feel so free to be part of the United States of America," he said.
49"I already registered (to vote)...now, I'm waiting for my ballot. It's a really big deal."
50I'm Susan Shand.
1They came to the United States fleeing war and persecution in countries like Myanmar, Eritrea and Iraq. They were chosen by the Obama administration to resettle in the U.S. under longstanding humanitarian traditions. 2Now, tens of thousands of these refugees have become American citizens. They can now vote for the first time in what could be one of the most important presidential elections of their lifetimes. 3New voters from Arizona to Florida know they will help choose the country's next leader. That leader will decide the future of the very resettlement program they used to enter the country. President Donald Trump has all but stopped that program and may shut it down starting October 1. 4"Most refugees come to this country escaping political systems where the government is not their friend," said Hans Van de Weerd. He is the vice president of resettlement for the International Rescue Committee. 5Republican and Democratic administrations have resettled an average of 95,000 refugees each year over the last 40 years. The Trump government, however, dropped the number down to 18,000. Only about 9,000 refugees have come in this year during the coronavirus health crisis. 6The lower numbers are likely to continue if Trump is reelected. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has promised to increase the yearly number to 125,000 if he wins the election. 7There are no voter registration numbers for refugees. But the National Partnership for New Americans predicted that about 860,000 immigrants would gain that right this year by becoming citizens. 8Through its citizenship classes, the International Rescue Committee has helped around 6,000 refugees and other newcomers become Americans each of the last few years. 9People seeking U.S. citizenship are facing some new barriers, such as a large increase in the amount the government charges to complete the process. The amount rose from $640 to $1,170. 10Department of Homeland Security numbers in recent years have shown that refugees and asylum-seekers have a new-citizenship rate of over 70 percent during their first 10 years in the country. Refugees can apply for citizenship after five years as permanent residents. 11Once they become citizens, they can register and vote. 12"So many want to vote this time," said Basma Alawee, a refugee and an organizer for the Florida Immigrant Coalition. She has been leading online classes to help other refugees prepare for Election Day. 13Alawee was born in Iraq and is now a U.S. citizen living in Jacksonville, Florida. She said she also plans to vote in her first presidential election on November 3. 14Another Iraqi, Bilal Alobaidi, recalls elections in Iraq under Saddam Hussein when only the leader's name was on the ballot. The choices were "yes" or "no." 15"And if you said 'no,' something bad could happen to you," said Alobaidi. He arrived in the U.S. in December 2013. 16Alobaidi was resettled in Phoenix, Arizona and became a citizen last year. He now works for the International Rescue Committee, helping other refugees find housing and other services. 17Alobaidi is excited about the upcoming election. "This is the first time I will practice democracy," he said. 18Nada al-Rubaye said she never voted in her native Iraq. She fled the country after her son and several other family members were killed in the country's violence. 19The Baghdad-born artist and another son spent a few years in Turkey, but in 2013 were settled in Phoenix. 20She became a U.S. citizen in September 2019. "I am so excited!" she said about the election. "It's so important for a person to feel like they belong to a country," she added. 21Habtom Gezhey fled Eritrea after being forced to join the military. At first, he lived in a refugee camp in neighboring Ethiopia before being resettled in Florida in 2012. 22Now a truck driver moving goods across the U.S., Gezhey lives in Jacksonville with his wife, Eyerusalem - whom he met at the camp - and their two young children. 23"I'm ready to vote. We had no election in Eritrea, no Constitution." 24Lian Kual never voted in Myanmar, where elections were criticized as fraudulent during many years of military rule. 25In 2008, Kual fled his country for Malaysia, and in 2014 was resettled in Salt Lake City, Utah. Kual, who works at Walmart, became a citizen this year. 26"I feel so free to be part of the United States of America," he said. "I already registered (to vote)...now, I'm waiting for my ballot. It's a really big deal." 27I'm Susan Shand. 28The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 29________________________________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31persecution - n. discriminating against someone 32resident - n. one who lives in a certain place 33fraudulent - adj. false, untrue