Strangers in a Strange Land

The Syrian refugee crisis, while centered in Europe and the Mediterranean countries, has reached Latin America. Refugees who wish to cross the Atlantic pay fortunes, oftentimes as much as US$12,000, to make the trek to a port of entry (most likely in Brazil), from where they cross treacherous borders, often in hope of reaching the United States. Some, but not all, are being welcomed by national governments as part of resettlement programs. Brazil has welcomed over 7,000 refugees, while only about 2,000 have been officially registered. Venezuela has announced it will welcome 20,000 refugees, and Chile and Uruguay have offered to resettle a few families each. Assimilating life in what to them is a very remote corner of the globe, albeit one with a long history of immigration, has not been easy for refugees, among which many complain about lack of opportunities and insufficient services. Of the thousands of resettled migrants, few have had as successful of new lives as Ali Jeratli. Arriving in São Paulo in 2014 with only a cursory knowledge of Portuguese, Jeratli became an Arabic-language interpreter during the FIFA World Cup that summer. He was given priority access to all matches held in his new home city, and now works at Abraço Cultural (cultural embrace), a language school that employs refugees as teachers. Even though his story has been one of success, he misses his homeland and would like to reunite with his family. “Even in paradise, a Syrian would say: I want to go back.”, he said.

A group of five Syrian families previously housed in a refugee camp in Lebanon were resettled in Uruguay, but have been vocal in their demands to return to the Middle East and attempt to migrate to Europe, citing a lack of opportunity and a high cost of living. “This is a difficult country to live in,” the leader of the families said, claiming that Uruguay has not delivered on its promises of a better life. Refugees are also likely to face discrimination in the region, as studies show that what was initially a generally positive public opinion of refugee resettlement programs within Uruguay has deteriorated: domestic violence cases have been charged and local politicians are starting to propose a headscarf ban. Nonetheless, Uruguay plans to continue welcoming small amounts of refugees in the future.

The resettlement of refugees is a lengthy, costly process that involves risks and sacrifices from both the migrant families and the countries that choose to host them. While the efforts of the Latin American nations that have chosen to welcome refugees have been commendable and will serve to increase pressure on the rest of the region to resettle families, the lack of programs in place to facilitate assimilation and break down cultural and language barriers can often exacerbate the already existing sociocultural gaps between locals and refugees. The refugees are thus left in an uneasy position of cultural alienation and social stagnation without widespread opportunity. As Maher Aldees, a former owner of a real estate agency settled in Uruguay stated, “We escaped death, we escaped war, and we arrived in poverty”. Though Aldees has now found a construction job and is satisfied with the pay, he shares the sentiment that more should be done to ensure opportunity in the host countries.