Dear Future President,

Resettling Syrian refugees is not an easy task. Refugees require assistance until they assimilate into communities - which often takes years, not months.  Imagine if you woke up and found that you had to make a completely new life for you and your family, and you did not speak the same language as your neighbors.  Since resettling is already so hard on these refugees, the process should not only be well thought out, but just as importantly, SUSTAINED, to prevent newly resettled immigrants from becoming isolated.  Small towns do not have the infrastructure or the finances to sustain Syrian refugees and should not be the first choice for refugee resettlement.  In the years since the 9/11 terror attacks, researchers have found that one major similarity between those who commit terror attacks is their feelings of being isolated or detached from the communities in which they live.  Future President, how will you ensure the successful and safe resettlement of refugees in the United States?

 A huge problem that would result in resettling Syrian refugees in small communities is the lack of easily accessible public transportation.  Motor vehicles are the primary mode of transportation for citizens of small towns, but giving each Syrian family a car would be too expensive for both the government and Syrian families.  Refugees would need to get to work, grocery shop, attend training, and complete all the errands that are typically required in day-to-day life.  In bigger cities there are buses, subways, trains, trolleys, and taxis. Not to mention some jobs could be walking or biking distance. However, in most small towns, at most there is a public transit which, in comparison to the transportation in bigger cities, is much less efficient and much more expensive.  Walking or biking to jobs is not practical because many smaller communities have few pedestrian thoroughfares. In addition to impracticality, this could create safety issues due to long distances between work and home where there is no designated travel space for bikers or pedestrians.  Without transportation refugees would find it very difficult to work, provide for their families, and pay for their homes. Additionally, but just as important, without transportation, refugees often become isolated from the very communities in which they are trying to become a part.

Another big concern when locating refugees is the language barrier. To communicate, Syrian refugees would initially need a way to efficiently communicate - translators.  In the best case scenario, these translators would be needed in the workplace, in public spaces, at school, at community functions, and possibly translators would have to accompany refugees in home or around town.  In reality, having translators for each Syrian family would be very costly and probably unrealistic.  Small towns could never support the cost because typically they already have strained budgets.  Furthermore, smaller communities typically do not have access to the level community resources and private philanthropic agencies like larger municipalities.

Settling Syrian refugees in small town sounds like a fine idea, a great way to share the beauty of America's "small town" nostalgia; there is plenty of land and tons of room for opportunities.   Who would argue with the idea of how warm and welcoming small towns appear?  In reality, while small towns have an outwardly aesthetic appeal, the number of resources needed for Syrian refugees to successfully settle in small towns is too great. The amount of money that the government would have to provide to prevent refugee isolation and ensure refugees have full access to become active citizens in their newly settled communities would be great.   

I am not xenophobic; America's greatest asset is its rich history of many different races coming together to build something great.  The pace of American life has changed drastically and immigration and resettlement has become much more complicated.  Historically, the majority of immigrants settled in large cities and built communities around themselves that became a well-accepted part of the larger community - consider places like Chinatown in San Francisco or Boston's North End - renowned for it's rich Italian restaurants.  Placing refugees in small towns ignores the importance of the benefits larger communities and cities offer:  transportation, community and philanthropic resources, already established and thriving ethnic communities who can provide first hand support to newly arrived refugees. Future President, please consider the importance of placing refugees in communities where they have greater opportunities to maintain some of their cultural identity, placing them where there is transportation that is easily accessible, placing them where community and private philanthropic resources are plentiful, and placing them in a situation where they are LESS LIKELY TO FEEL ISOLATED. 

In conclusion, small towns are ill-equipped to support the unique needs of Syrian refugees and should not be considered as a place of relocation. The transition for these refugees into their new lives needs to consider limiting feelings of isolation, which can lead to radicalization.  Small towns do not have the resources or the finances to sustain Syrian refugees and locating refugees in small towns would not only negatively impact the community by straining limited resources, but also could negatively impact the refugees themselves.   

 Thoughtfully, 

Hannah W.