PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Van C. Tran
AU  - Francisco Lara-García
TI  - A New Beginning: Early Refugee Integration in the United States
AID  - 10.7758/RSF.2020.6.3.06
DP  - 2020 Nov 01
TA  - RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
PG  - 117--149
VI  - 6
IP  - 3
4099  - http://www.rsfjournal.org/content/6/3/117.short
4100  - http://www.rsfjournal.org/content/6/3/117.full
AB  - The U.S. refugee population not only has grown dramatically, but the countries from which the refugees are fleeing have also diversified over the last decade. Focusing on five recent refugee groups—Bhutanese, Burmese, Iraqis, Somalis, and Cubans, we examine how premigration characteristics and postmigration integration policies shape early socioeconomic integration in the United States. Our analyses point to three findings. First, early socioeconomic outcomes show only modest differences across refugee groups, despite significant variation in premigration selectivity in human capital. Second, the two possible pathways toward integration are schooling and employment. Third, postmigration integration policies matter. Our findings highlight the role of integration policies, programs, and practices in successful refugee integration, underscoring U.S. refugee policy as a key component of immigration policy.