More migrants leave for the US - 223 in one year

A group of 35 refugees from Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea left Malta today to commence a new life in the United States. This latest departure brings the total number of refugees resettled in the U.S. since May 2008 to 223, the US Embassy said.

The programme is a collaborative partnership among the office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Office of Migration (IOM), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and a number of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Jason Davis, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy, said that the continuation of the refugee resettlement programme showed America’s continuing commitment to help ease the burden that migration had placed on Malta, enabling Malta to cope more effectively with those that remained.

"This demonstrates our recognition of the enormous challenges and dangers that many of the migrants have faced."

Mr Davis explained that all refugees are assigned a sponsor agency that provides initial services such as housing, food, and clothing, as well as referral to medical care, employment services, and other support during a transition period lasting up to two years in order to ensure integration and assimilation.

See also:

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090324/local/new-life-in-us-beckons-for-african-refugee-family