>>> HELLO, I'M WILLIAM JONES AND

WE'RE HERE IN PATERON, NEW

JERSEY, AS PART OF OUR CHASING

THE DREAM, POVERTY AND

OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA

INITIATIVE.

WE'VE COME HERE TO MEET THIS

FAMILY, THEY FLED THE CONFLICT

IN SYRIA AND MOVED TO THE UNITED

STATES JUST SIX MONTHS AGO.

THAT WAS TWO DAYS BEFORE

PRESIDENT TRUMP'S TRAVEL BAN

WENT INTO EFFECT.

WE WANTED TO FIND OUT WHAT

STRUGGLES THEY ARE FACING AS

THEY ATTEMPT TO BUILD A NEW LIFE

HERE IN AMERICA.

IT'S BEEN A LONG JOURNEY FOR

THIS FAMILY.

THE CITY HAS BEEN AT THE CENTER

OF THE CIVIL WAR IN SYRIA, IT

WAS ONCE A STRONG HOLD FOR THE

OPPOSITION FORCES, BUT THE A

SASS REGIME LAUNCHED A MILITARY

ASSAULT ON THE CITY IN 2011,

PLACING IT UNDER SIEGE.

WHEN THE CITY WAS UNDER SIEGE,

WHAT WAS IT LIKE LIVING THERE?

HOW DANGEROUS WAS IT FOR YOU AND

YOUR FAMILY?

>> Translator: I WAS DEEP ASLEEP

WITH MY FAMILY WHEN SUDDENLY AT

5:00 IN THE MORNING SHOOTING AND

SHELLING STARTS IN OUR

NEIGHBORHOOD.

A BOMB HIT THE SIDE OF MY HOUSE

AND THE WHOLE APARTMENT SHOOK.

WE WERE VERY SCARED.

THEN I IMMEDIATELY LEFT THE

HOUSE WITH MY WIFE AND CHILD.

WE LEFT THE HOUSE AND I NEVER

RETURNED BECAUSE IT WAS

COMPLETELY BOMBED.

>> THE FAMILY FLED TO DAMASCUS

BEFORE CROSSING THE BORDER INTO

JORDAN.

THEY SPENT FOUR YEARS IN THE

CAPITAL AMMAN WHERE THEY WOULD

WELCOME THEIR SECOND SON.

BUT IT'S THEIR ELDEST CHILD WHO

HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM

WHO HAS BEEN HIT HARDEST BY THE

IMPACT OF CONFLICT.

YOU HAVE TWO ABSOLUTELY

DELIGHTFUL YOUNG BOYS THAT

THEY'VE EXPERIENCED THINGS IN

THE PAST FEW YEARS YOU WOULD

NEVER WANT ANY CHILD TO

EXPERIENCE.

WHAT IMPACT DID THE WAR, THE

CONFLICT IN SYRIA, HAVE ON THEM?

>> Translator: HE WAS TEN MONTHS

OLD WHEN THE WAR STARTED AND THE

SHELLING AND THE BOMBING BEGAN.

HE WOULD FEEL EXTREMELY SCARED,

HE WOULD START SCREAMING BECAUSE

OF THE SOUNDS.

AT TIMES WHEN I'M WATCHING TV

AND THE NEWS IS ON THERE ARE

VIDEOS OF BOMBINGS AND SHELLINGS

SO HE REMEMBERED AND STARTS

GETTING SCARED.

>> HE MENTIONED TO US THAT HIS

SON STILL WAKES UP SCREAMING IN

THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

THE FAMILY WAS PRIORITIZED TO

REFUGEE RESETTLEMENTS, IN

JANUARY OF THIS YEAR TWO DAYS

BEFORE THE PRESIDENT'S TRAVEL

BAN CAME INTO EFFECT THEY LANDED

IN THE UNITED STATES.

THEY WERE RESETTLED IN PATTERSON

AND THROUGH NEW JERSEY'S RENTAL

ASSISTANT PROGRAM THEIR RENT IS

COVERED, BUT IT'S A SMALL

APARTMENT IN A RUN DOWN BUILDING

LOCATED IN WHAT'S A DEPRIVED

NEIGHBORHOOD.

>> Translator: WHEN WE WERE

FINALLY APPROVED WE WERE

EXTREMELY HAPPY THAT WE WERE

GOING TO BRING OUR CHILDREN AND

START A NEW LIFE IN THE UNITED

STATES, BECAUSE IT'S A COUNTRY

OF OPPORTUNITIES, OPPORTUNITY TO

WORK AND ALSO HAVE A FUTURE FOR

OUR CHILDREN.

>> WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS

PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD?

DO YOU FEEL SAFE HERE?

DO YOU FEEL AS IF THIS IS A

PLACE YOU WANT TO STAY

PERMANENTLY OR ARE YOU PRETTY

SET ON MOVING OUT OF THIS HOUSE

AS SOON AS POSSIBLE?

>> Translator: THERE'S SO MUCH

NOISE, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE

WHO DON'T WORK, THEY SIT AROUND

IN THE STREET, THEY CREATE

PROBLEMS, THERE'S SO MUCH LOUD

MUSIC, IT'S VERY NOISY,

ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT.

WE FEEL SCARED TO LEAVE HOME AT

NIGHT SO AT THE SOONEST

OPPORTUNITY I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE

TO LEAVE THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.

>> THE LIVING SITUATION IS BY NO

MEANS IDEAL, BUT WAHID MENTIONED

HOW WELCOMING THE COMMUNITY IS

AND HOW GRATEFUL THEY ARE TO

HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A

NEW LIFE HERE.

HIS NEIGHBOR MOHAMMED, HOWEVER,

WHO IS ALSO A SYRIAN REFUGEE, IS

BECOMING INCREASINGLY

FRUSTRATED.

HE SHOWS US WHAT HE SAID WERE

BED BUG BITES ON HIS CHILDREN.

YOU'VE LIVED HERE NOW FOR A

YEAR, TELL ME WHAT IT'S BEEN

LIKE FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

>> Translator: THEY BROUGHT US

TO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE WE

SMELL MARIJUANA DAY AND NIGHT.

THE CHILDREN ARE SEEING THE DRUG

TRANSACTIONS IN FRONT OF THEIR

EYES.

IF YOU COME TO MY APARTMENT, YOU

WILL SEE TONS OF INSECTS AND

COCKROACHES.

AT NIGHT WE WAKE UP AND SEE

COCKROACHES CRAWLING ON US.

THE GOVERNMENT HAS DONE US A

GREAT FAVOR BY TAKING US AWAY

FROM THE WAR AND WE APPRECIATE

THAT VERY MUCH, BUT IF THE

GOVERNMENT HAD DONE THIS FAVOR,

WHY NOT COMPLETE IT BY PUTTING

US SOMEWHERE CLEANER, AN

ENVIRONMENT THAT'S MORE FITTING

FOR OUR CHILDREN.

>> THE FOCUS FOR BOTH OF THESE

FATHERS NOW IS TO FIND WORK

WHICH WILL ENABLE THEM TO MOVE

THEIR FAMILIES OUT OF THIS

NEIGHBORHOOD.

WAHID IS CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN

FULL-TIME ENGLISH CLASSES WHILE

VOLUNTEERING AS A CLEANER AT THE

NEARBY MOSQUE.

HE'S DEPENDENT ON WELFARE WHICH

PROVIDES $500 IN FOOD STAMPS AND

$300 IN ADDITIONAL SUPPORT EVERY

MONTH.

ALMOST HALF OF THAT $300 GOES

TOWARDS THEIR CELLPHONE BILL,

INTERNET AND TRANSPORTATION, SO

THAT LEAVES JUST $150 FOR THE

ABSOLUTE NECESSITIES, SUCH AS

TOILETRIES, LAUNDRY AND

EMERGENCIES.

>> Translator: IT'S A VERY

DIFFICULT FEELING.

THERE'S SOME OF MY FAMILY'S

NEEDS THAT I CAN'T FULFILL.

>> AND THE FAMILY'S FINANCIAL

SITUATION IS LOOKING

INCREASINGLY PERILOUS.

SIX MONTHS AFTER ENTERING THE

COUNTRY REFUGEES ARE RESPONSIBLE

FOR REPAYING A TRAVEL LOAN

THAT'S PROVIDED TO THEM BY THE

U.S. GOVERNMENT FOR THE COST OF

THEIR FLIGHTS.

WAHID HAS JUST BEEN INFORMED HE

NOW OWES $114 A MONTH UNTIL HE

PAYS THE FULL BILL WHICH TOTALS

MORE THAN $4,000.

THAT SPARE $150 EVERY MONTH

COULD BE ALMOST ENTIRELY WIPED

OUT.

>> WHEN YOU HEARD THAT, WHAT

WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND KNOWING

THAT YOU ALREADY ARE STRUGGLING

TO PAY THE BILLS?

>> Translator: I FELT SLIGHTLY

RESENTFUL AND DISAPPOINTED

BECAUSE THE ISSUE IS DIFFICULT.

I HAVE A MONTHLY PAYMENT SO I

FEEL PERPLEXED AS TO HOW TO MEET

ALL MY CURRENT FINANCIAL

OBLIGATIONS.

>> WITH NO SAVINGS IT'S A

DIFFICULT FINANCIAL TIME FOR

THEM, BUT THIS IS A DETERMINED,

RESILIENT AND ASPIRATIONAL

FAMILY.

>> Translator: I'M VERY

OPTIMISTIC BECAUSE THE SITUATES

IS A COUNTRY OF WORK AND

PRODUCING.

WHEN A PERSON WORKS HERE, THEY

WILL IMPROVE FOR THE BETTER.

>> WHAT HOPES DO YOU HAVE FOR

YOUR CHILDREN HERE?

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THEM

DO?

>> Translator: I WANT MY

CHILDREN TO BE EXTREMELY ACTIVE

MEMBERS OF SOCIETY IN THE

FUTURE.

I WISH THEY WILL HAVE A GOOD

FUTURE IN THE UNITED STATES AND

THANK GOD I'M QUITE CONVINCED

THEY DO HAVE A FUTURE HERE.