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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There’s a huge Afghani population that already lives & thrives in Nova. They are more likely to thrive here where they have a long standing community that speaks their languages and can help them navigate US bureaucracy, find jobs, learn English, etc. If you plop them in the middle of rural Nebraska, they will have a very difficult time adapting and assimilating. [/quote]

It is easier to assimilate if they do not have a huge Afghani population.  Then there is less need to learn English or American culture.  
A little different for Afghanistan with Taliban banning everything, but you can just watch foreign satellite service TV and read foreign language newspapers while shopping at groceries that cater to your food style.[/quote]
I have to ask.. how welcoming would the folks in the middle of NE be to a bunch of Afghan refugees who may be Muslims?

Also, as a child of immigrants, I can tell you that it's really hard for older people to eat foods that are completely foreign to them. Do you think they can find food in the middle of NE that fits their Afghani palates?  And the local grocery store probably wouldn't carry the same things that Afghanis are used to. I know when my parents came to the US, they found grocery shopping difficult at the local American store.  they eventually found a tiny (and I mean tiny) store that catered to that ethnic group.

I recall a movie based on a true story with Tommy Lee Jones playing a Vietnam War vet with his Vietnamese wife whom he brings to the states. His family serve a huge American meal, one that is considered "normal", peas, carrots, mash potatos, and the Vietnamese wife and kid just stare at it, and find it hard to eat.

Imagine if you went to some strange place and had to eat only the local food there.  You would find it hard.  My white ILs lived in the middle east for a while, and they did all their food shopping at the compound grocery store that sold western goods.  They would have found it very difficult to shop at the local grocery store.[/quote]

This is one of the reasons why the refugee resettlement agencies resettle refugees in groups across the country.  They are also provided with community supports the most immigrants don’t have, like a non-proselytizing church or synagogue that sponsors them and makes sure they are set up with stuff they need.  
From my experience working with refugee families and immigrant families that I know (including my own grandparents), people who are young (under 20) “assimilate” easily and pretty quickly.  That’s not to say that they lose their native culture or that they don’t face discrimination but they usually can blend in with native Americans pretty completely.  Old folks (over 60 or so) have a lot of trouble learning a new language, even if they want to, and often have trouble with new foods.  That’s usually not a problem because they are old , people make allowances for them, and they can hang out with other old people or help with grandkids.  People in middle life 20-60 can have a whole range of experiences—some folks are just good at adapting and learning new things, others just aren’t, as a matter of personality and aptitude.  I think it can be hardest for adults that are by nature not adaptable or good with change, who can sometimes become unhappy or resentful, in part because they may struggle to pass the citizenship test or find meaningful employment.   But that’s just an observation, not a reason to exclude people that need refuge.  I fully admit that if I had to move to a totally different country—even someplace like Germany or Paraguay that isn’t that different—at this stage in my life, I would probably be deeply depressed and I don’t know how well I would adjust.[/quote]

The kids of the Hmong refugees plopped down in Minnesota post Vietnam have done well as have the kids of the Burmese in Texas. Young kids assimilate quickly. [/quote]

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