Refugees find peace and safety in Northeastern Pennsylvania
By Frances Ruth Harris
SCRANTON — Sonya Sarner never stops. Her phone at Catholic Social Services is always ringing. She answers when she can.
Her team of case workers seeks her counsel and fills her in on the increasing tide of refugees coming to the area. They talk about how the newcomers are doing — finding jobs, learning English, enrolling in school, and getting help, if needed, for post-traumatic stress.
"We work hard," said Sarner, program director for refugee and immigration services for Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton. "Each refugee has his or her own story."
Three families from war-torn Syria have relocated to Northeastern Pennsylvania, two in Scranton and one in Wilkes-Barre. On this day in December, the discussion is about two single people due to arrive, one from Nepal, the other from the Congo.
When Sarner began, 100 refugees came to the diocese each year. They now welcome 200 each year. Before the refugees arrive at Catholic Social Services, they have already submitted to a 13-step security screening.
Sarner said the refugees must have jobs within 120 days of their arrival, and that 90 percent of those arriving in Scranton have jobs within 90 days. Many work two and three jobs, she said.
She said the employment rate for immigrants, who are willing to work hard over long hours, is higher than for U.S. citizens. T.J. Maxx clothing stores love migrant workers because of their work ethic, she said. But it's not only the adults who work hard.
“The schools love immigrant kids because they have a great desire to learn," Sarner said. "Their parents are determined the children will get a good education.”
Jeffers said the refugees "are not here for a handout. They are here for a hand of welcome to America.”
Sarner and Jeffers said most of the refugees have suffered because of their religion or nationality. Some are unaccompanied minors, who are placed with couples who speak the child’s language.
Jeffers said the workers at Catholic Services have learned to be patient with Americans who don’t understand their work.
“If anyone is judgmental about the refugee program, it is because they do not know about the program," Jeffers said.
Both women are unaware of any refugee coming through their program, in operation since 1975, who has ever committing any crime.
Jeffers said Sarner is a hero to many people. The refugees who land at their office from around the world depend on her strength and rely on her guidance.
Sarner speaks Russian, which was an immense help to Nasir Abdul Quddus, a case worker on her team, when he arrived with his family in 2007 at age 19. He speaks Exbeck, Farsi, Hindi, and Russian. But he couldn't speak English, so he and Sarner communicated in Russian.
Sarner suggested he begin classes in English. He soon graduated from high school, then received an associate's degree in business management. He followed these achievements with a bachelor's degree in international relations.
“We work hard, we try our best," he said of his case work.
Quddus lives with his family. One sister is a nurse. A brother is studying engineering at Penn State, and another brother is achieving top honors at his middle school. One of his sisters is in the second grade, and another is in kindergarten. His 78-year-old grandmother immigrated with the family.
A brother is studying international finance in China. Quddus admires his mother and all that she means to his dad.
Quddus' father, who almost completed his Ph.D in Afghanistan, served as a cultural advisor to the U.S. Army as it fought the Taliban. He taught language and lifestyle skills to American soldiers, informing them about the culture in Afghanistan, which is so different from that in United States, he said. The soldiers found that understanding other cultures was better than adopting an attitude of, “Their lifestyle is different from ours, let’s change it.”
He recommends the book, "The Last War Lord: The Life and Legend of Dostum, The Afghan Warrior Who Led U.S. Special Forces to Topple the Taliban Regime," by Brian Glyn Williams, Professor of Islamic History at the University of Massachusetts. Nasir treasures his signed copy.
He recalls his hard life in Afghanistan. He couldn't get work, even though he was trained in banking and accounting, because he didn't have the proper papers. His family would try to leave but were picked up by the police and returned.
"The main thing now is that each member of our family has passports," he said. "We have a proper place. Family is important."
Now Quddus is helping the current wave of immigrants find peace and safety in America.
“Hopefully we are going to have immigrants who make it greater than great," he said.