See what did I tell you! This is the second story today where refugees “find haven”, this one is in Idaho and the other was in Florida. I might have lost count, but Boise, ID must be city number four in our quest to discover nine “Iraqi recieving areas” in the US. Way back in July we reported that Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI) said there were nine cities expected to recieve Iraqi refugees in the coming year.
So, on our Iraqi refugee hit parade we have identified five so far: Harrisonburg, VA, Warren, MI, Denver, CO, Boise, ID, and according to this article, Spokane, WA. The U.S. State Dept. goal is to resettle 12,000 Iraqis during FY 2008. That should be about 1,300 Iraqis per each of nine sites.
Unlike Hagerstown, MD, Boise is welcoming.
Boise has become something of a magnet for refugees, in part because it has three active refugee resettlement agencies, a relatively low cost of living, lots of job opportunities and a welcoming community. Since 1980, 12,000 refugees have been resettled in Idaho, mostly in Boise. They’ve come from around the world, with large groups arriving in recent years from Bosnia, Uzbekistan and Somalia. Just in the past year, Boise has received 800 refugees from 20 countries.
Bosnia, Uzbekistan and Somalia, gee the Mosque building industry must be booming in Boise.