The High Cost of Resettling MiddleEastern Refugees
Given limited funds,
relocation to the U.S. may not be the most effective way to help
As Americans continue to debate what to do about the
humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, this analysis attempts to estimate the
costs of resettling refugees from that region in the United States. Although we
do not consider all costs, our best estimate is that in their first five years
in the United States each refugee from the Middle East costs taxpayers $64,370
— 12 times what the UN estimates it costs to care for one refugee in
neighboring Middle Eastern countries. The cost of resettlement includes heavy
welfare use by Middle Eastern refugees; 91 percent receive food stamps and 68
percent receive cash assistance. Costs also include processing refugees,
assistance given to new refugees, and aid to refugee-receiving communities.
Given the high costs of resettling refugees in the United States, providing for
them in neighboring countries in the Middle East may be a more cost-effective
way to help them.
Among the findings of this analysis:
On average, each Middle Eastern
refugee resettled in the United States costs an estimated $64,370 in the first
five years, or $257,481 per household.
The UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) has requested $1,057 to care for each Syrian refugee annually
in most countries neighboring Syria.
For what it costs to resettle one
Middle Eastern refugee in the United States for five years, about 12 refugees
can be helped in the Middle East for five years, or 61 refugees can be helped
for one year.
