10,000 Syrian refugees find new home in US
On Wednesday, the 47-year-old former construction worker and his family were walking grocery aisles, stocking up on roasted chicken, milk and lemons for their new home outside San Diego.
"America is a beautiful country," he said through an Arabic translator at the office of the International Rescue Committee in El Cajon, a San Diego suburb that has been a magnet for Iraqis and, more recently, Syrians who are fleeing war.
Refugees are typically assigned to cities where they have family and friends or, failing that, where there is an established community of immigrants who share their culture, said David Murphy, executive director in San Diego for the International Rescue Committee, one of nine organizations that helps refugee settle in the United States.
Extensive vetting by the International Organization of Migration and the U.S. State and Homeland Security departments in Jordan led him to San Diego.
The U.S. resettlement program focuses on the most vulnerable refugees, including those who were subjected to violence or torture or are sick.
Republican nominee Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would suspend arrivals from Syria, portraying them as a potential security threat.