News

We Spoke With A Syrian Refugee About Making A New Life In The US

by John Haltiwanger
Facebook

On Friday, we spoke with 24-year-old Syrian refugee Sana Mustafa about what it's been like making a new life in the US.

She is one of 4.8 million refugees around the world, and it's an unfortunate fact there are many other people with stories like hers.

At the moment, she's separated from the rest of her family. Her mother and sisters are living as refugees in Turkey and, in the midst of the resettlement process, they'd like to be reunited in the US. Sadly, her father was taken by the Assad regime and they haven't heard from him since 2013.

There's a huge misperception across America that it's very easy for refugees to gain entrance into the US — this couldn't be further from the truth. The resettlement process is an extremely difficult, complicated, lengthy and emotional ordeal.

Elite Daily recently released a mini-documentary on Sana and her family, "Sana's Story," which really puts the refugee crisis into perspective.

Sana is very grateful to be in the US, but the fact of the matter is all refugees would rather be in their countries of origin, but it's not a realistic choice given the circumstances they face. As Sana put it,

I have to stay [in the US], I could not go back home... We have no options to go back home... Maybe this is the feeling we'll always have as refugees... We will never feel home.

Watch our conversation with Sana here, and be sure to check out the mini-doc, "Sana's Story," which delves more deeply into Sana and her family' struggles.