New refugees are starting to come from all over the world in order to find a better life, better environment, and less contaminations with the COVID-19 rates. Citizens in the United States are frightened that they will further COVID-19 cases, but for refugees this is to escape away from war and chaos in their own countries.

What will happen if this continues going forward? Refugees already have a limited access to health care, and have been living under poor medical conditions that put them at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 compared to the conditions for the U.S. population. But the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of resettled refugees remains unknown as COVID-19 is still a new disease. Therefore, it may cause the rate of COVID-19 to skyrocket if the U.S. doesn’t solve or provide a more suitable solution for refugees going forward. 

When did all this all happen? Between 2008 and 2019, about 750,000 refugees were relocated in the United States with thousands more arriving since then. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) the number of individuals has increased by 4% in 2020 with COVID-19 reaching a new high of almost 82.4 million people. Being only 1% of the world population.

Where are all the refugees coming from mostly? More than 80% of the refugees we have in the United States are from countries like Jordan, Colombia, Iraq, Lebanon, and Bangladesh. They are refugees that have been losing their jobs and have ended up in poverty because of their low income. Most refugees are resettling in Texas, California, and New York.

Why did refugees come to the United States? Most refugees are just temporarily looking for a place stay during a war impact or a political conflict that created chaos, but the other mass majority seek safety and want a better life for themselves. 

How will this affect citizens of the United States? U.S citizens are starting to become weary of COVID-19 increase in refugees because it has increased depression, fear, anxiety, and loneliness. as well as an increase in the usage of drugs and alcohol in the United States. U.S hopes to find a way to help refugees with a better life and hope that they can accomplish a better life for themselves.