>>> FOR REFUGEES, THE ROAD TO RESETTLEMENT IS OFTEN FAR FROM SMOOTH.

NOT ONLY IS A JOURNEY TO THE U.S. OFTEN DANGEROUS, BUT ONCE THEY ARRIVE, THEY CAN FACE LANGUAGE BARRIERS, LEGAL CHALLENGES, AND FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES.

TUESDAY, JUNE 20th IS WORLD REFUGEE DAY.

IT'S A DAY RECOGNIZING PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHO HAVE BEEN FORCED TO FLEE THEIR HOME COUNTRIES.

CHICAGO, A NUMBER OF EVENTS ARE TAKING PLACE TO HONOR THE EXPERIENCES OF REFUGEES AND CELEBRATE THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THEIR NEW HOME.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE ARE STACY FUNES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR , LOU SAID KROLL, WHO RUNS A FREE STORE TO ASSIST REFUGEES, AND ALISA BUT TRUE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CHICAGO REFUGEE COALITION.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY.

THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING TOPIC.

STACY, I WANT TO START WITH YOU TODAY.

YOU YOUR ORGANIZATION WORKS DIRECTLY AND PRIMARILY WITH LATINOS.

WHAT CHALLENGES DO THEY ENCOUNTER WHEN THEY ARRIVE?

>> ONE OF THE CHALLENGES, I WOULD SAY, THAT THEY DON'T HAVE NO ECONOMICAL HELP, ONE.

SECONDLY, THEY DO HAVE A GUIDE, WELL-QUALIFIED HERE.

HOW TO QUALIFY.

PEOPLE WITHOUT A PERMIT TO WORK WAS THINKING OF LEGALLY IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO RUN A JOB.

NOBODY WILL GIVE YOU A JOB WITHOUT SOCIAL SECURITY FOR YOU TO WORK.

SO THOSE ARE ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES RIGHT NOW AND HEALTHY.

SO WE WANT TO DO THE MOST WRAPAROUND SERVICES CREATING ARRIVALS.

>> ALISA, WHAT'S THE LEGAL DEFINITION, BECAUSE MAYBE SOME PEOPLE, WE MIGHT HAVE IT CONFUSED, BETWEEN AN ASYLUM SEEKER AND A REFUGEE?

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES, ACTUALLY, IN THAT TITLE?

FOR EXAMPLE, REFUGEE, THAT OTHERS CATEGORY?

>> YES, THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION.

SO THE DEFINITION OF A REFUGEE IS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS BEEN FORCED TO FLEE THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN BASED ON PERSECUTION, ASSOCIATION WITH A POLITICAL GROUP, A SOCIAL GROUP.

AND REFUGEES ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE GIVEN REFUGEE STATUS.

HAVE TO GO THROUGH EXTENSIVE SECURITY AND ALL KINDS OF BACKGROUND CHECKS IN ORDER TO BE GRANTED THE REFUGEE STATUS THAT IS GIVEN TO THEM AS A HUMANITARIAN PROTECTION BY NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS AND STATES AND SO FORTH.

>> OKAY.

SO IT'S, IT'S A DIFFERENT PROCESS.

>> YES.

IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARILY DIFFERENT PROCESS IN TERMS OF THE, THE STEPS THAT AN ASYLUM SEEKER NEEDS TO, TO DO.

SO YOU HAVE TO AVAIL THEMSELVES TO UNHCR, AND A SECOND COUNTRY OF REFUGE.

THEN THEY HAD TO, TYPICALLY, THE AVERAGES SIX YEARS THAT A REFUGEE GOES THROUGH THE PROCESS BEFORE THEY'RE CLAIM IS EVEN, COMES UP TO BID.

AND VERY FEW INDIVIDUALS ACTUALLY GARNER A REFUGEE STATUS.

LESS THAN 1% OF THE WORLD POPULATION BECOME REFUGEES.

SO THOSE INDIVIDUALS ARE, HAVE A UNIQUE SORT OF STATUS COMPARED TO SILENT SPEAKERS.

>> LET'S SPEAK PARTICULARLY ABOUT THE VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS WHO HAVE ARRIVED IN CHICAGO IN THE LATEST MONTHS.

WHERE DO THEY FALL?

>> THEY FALL WITH ALL OF THE HUMANITARIAN RIGHTS TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO APPLY FOR ASYLUM IN A COUNTRY OF SAFETY AND SECURITY.

SO THEY, THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO AVAIL THEMSELVES.

THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO BE HERE AND A RIGHT TO SEEK PROTECTION BASED ON THEIR UNIQUE CLAIMS.

AND ALL, ALL OF, YOU KNOW, EVERY INDIVIDUAL, ASYLUM SEEKER, REFUGEES, IMMIGRANTS STORY IS DIFFERENT AND UNIQUE IN TERMS OF WHAT THAT BACKGROUND IN STORY AND CLAIMS ARE.

>> LUISA, YOU ALSO HELP VENEZUELAN FAMILIES WHO HAVE ARRIVED HERE IN CHICAGO.

WHAT ARE THEIR NECESSITIES?

WHAT ARE THE NECESSITIES YOU'VE SEEN THAT THEY'VE, THEY'VE NEEDED?

WHAT WERE THEY EXPECTING WHEN THEY'VE ARRIVED IN CHICAGO?

>> I THINK THE BIGGEST EXPECTATION WOULD BE THAT THEY THOUGHT THEY WOULD WORK RIGHT AWAY AND PROVIDE FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILY HERE AND BACK HOME.

AND ONCE THAT IS CLEAR THAT THAT'S NOT HAPPENING, THEY SHOULD ACTUALLY BE, LIKE, REDIRECTED TO FINDING THEIR ASYLUM CLAIM.

AND FINDING THEIR, THE PROOFS THAT THEY HAVE FOR THAT ASYLUM.

SO THAT'S A PROCEDURE.

IT TAKES TIME, AND WE SEE THAT THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT.

SO THE DESPERATION, AND THEIR MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS -- >> THEY DEFINITELY NEED HELP.

I MEAN, THEY ARE COMING TO A NEW COUNTRY, NEW CITY, NEW LANGUAGE, NEW CULTURE.

SO THE ADAPTATION FOR THEM HAS TO BE -- SO THEY DEFINITELY NEED THE HELP.

HAS THE CITY DONE ENOUGH TO HELP THEM?

>> IN TERMS OF THE FIRST NECESSITIES, THERE HAS NOT BEEN ENOUGH HELP.

PEOPLE ARE BEING, COME TO CHICAGO WITH THE SAME CLOTHES THEY LEAVE THE, THE PLACES IN TEXAS, THE HOLDING CELLS, AND THEY HAVEN'T CHANGED CLOTHES IN DAYS, WEEKS, AND THEY DON'T HAVE A CHANGE OF CLOTHES.

SO THAT'S WHY WE STARTED, LIKE, A FIRST HEALTH, LIKE, THE CLOTHING STORE, LIKE, THE FREE STORE.

AND THAT'S JUST, LIKE, COME HERE, GET FOUR, FIVE CHANGES OF CLOTHES, GET A COUPLE OF PAIR OF SHOES SO YOU CAN AT LEAST PRESENT YOURSELF CLEAN AND NICE WHEN YOU GO TO THE JOBS OR TO THE LAWYER OR TO CENTROMERE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> AND THEN SPEAKING OF, ACTUALLY, YOU ARRIVED HERE IN CHICAGO.

YOU WERE A REFUGEE YOURSELF WHEN YOU WERE HERE, WHEN YOU FIRST ARRIVED IN CHICAGO.

CAN YOU TELL US, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE, AND DO YOU THINK THINGS HAVE CHANGED A LITTLE BIT?

>> YES, OF COURSE.

THINGS HAVE CHANGED, BECAUSE COMING IS A REFUGEE, YOU COME WITH ALL THE NEEDS INSTEAD OF AN IMMIGRANT, BECAUSE YOU'RE LEAVING.

AND IT IS DEFENDING, OR FLEEING TO PROTECT HER LIFE.

WHEN YOU COME AS AN IMMIGRANT, YOU'VE GOT TO MAKE A REASON.

YOU PUT IN THAT RISK THEIR LIFE IF YOU'RE JUST DEPORTING SOMEONE WITHOUT GOING THROUGH A PROCESS OF IMMIGRATION, WITHOUT BEING THE PROCESS FOR APPLYING FOR POLITICAL ASYLUM.

SO THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS.

AND THINKING ABOUT THE VENEZUELANS, RIGHT, THE JOURNEY THEY HAVE, JUST NOT JOURNEY, IT'S A SURVIVOR.

SO WE CALL THEM HEROES ALREADY, BECAUSE THEY HAVE COME, PREGNANT WOMEN, CHILDREN, THEY COME HERE WITH MALARIA, FIGHT FULL, AND THEY DON'T HAVE THE SUPPORT, RIGHT?

SO THEY'RE SLEEPING, RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE SLEEPING IN THE POLICE OFFICERS, IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OUTSIDE, AND IN THE LOBBY.

AND WE HAVE PREGNANT WOMEN SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR.

>> DEFINITELY.

>> SO WHAT DO WE DO, RIGHT?

SO IT'S ABOUT US TO WELCOME THEM AND MAKING SURE THAT WE PROVIDE THE SERVICES NECESSARY TO MAKE SURE THEY NOT BECOME HOMELESS.

>> REAL QUICK, SAME QUESTION.

HAS THE CITY DONE ENOUGH?

>> KNOW, HAS NOT BEEN >> OKAY, THANK YOU.

ALISA, HOW IS THE REFUGEES YOU'VE WORKED WITH BEEN ABLE TO REVEAL THEIR LIVES?

ANY SUCCESS STORIES THAT YOU CAN HELP ME?

>> YES.

THERE'S SO MANY SUCCESS STORIES, AND I, I THINK THAT THE KEY TO SUCCESSFULLY INTEGRATING IN WHATEVER COMMUNITY REFUGEES FIND THEMSELVES IS ADAPTING CULTURALLY, AND BEING, FEELING AND BEING REALLY WELCOMED BY THE COMMUNITY THAT IS RECEIVING THEM.

AND THAT IS, THAT IS, REQUIRES WRAPAROUND SERVICES FROM ORGANIZATIONS, DIRECT SERVICE, LIKE ALL OF OUR ORGANIZATIONS.

BUT IT, IT ALSO REQUIRES A LONGER-TERM COMMITMENT FROM THE BROADER COMMUNITY TO HELP CONNECT THEM WITH NETWORKS, TO GET GREAT EMPLOYMENT, AND TO GET THEIR KIDS IN THE RIGHT SCHOOL, AND TO UNDERSTAND THE RISKS THAT COME WITH BEING REFUGEES.

THERE'S A LOT OF, THERE'S A LOT OF VULNERABILITIES THAT, MANY TIMES, ARE PREYED UPON WHEN YOU ARE WORKING WITH REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS, SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, THE COMMITMENT I SEE FROM THE COMMUNITY TO REALLY RISE UP AN ETHICAL AND MORAL CALLED TO WELCOME NEIGHBORS IS, IS A MOMENT THAT WE'RE IN IN OUR OWN CITY IN MULTIPLE WAYS.

>> HOW DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION CELEBRATE REFUGEE DAY NEXT WEEK?

>> SO FOR WORLD REFUGEE DAY, WE'RE HOSTING OUR ANNUAL GALA.

IT'S THE SECOND YEAR WE'RE DOING IT.

AND IT IS JUST A MOMENT TO LEVERAGE, GIVE AN AMPLIFIED VOICE TO THE REFUGEES AND THEIR STORIES AND THEIR EXPERIENCES, AND TO CELEBRATE THE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT THEY MAKE TO OUR COMMUNITY AND TO OUR ECONOMY.

SO WE'RE HOSTING A YOUNG MAN WHO WAS FROM AFGHANISTAN THAT WE SCHEDULE LAST YEAR FROM AFGHANISTAN WHO HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY RESETTLED HERE, PARTIALLY BECAUSE OF OUR EFFORTS, AND IN A NUMBER OF OTHER REFUGEE VOICES.

>> MANY MORE SUCCESSFUL STORIES FROM THE REFUGEES COMING HERE TO CHICAGO.

TAKE YOU SO MUCH TO ALL THREE OF YOU.

YOU'LL ACTUALLY FIND MORE ON