it who is a refugee a refugee is someone
who flees his or her country because of
persecution because of violence and
because of war the United States of
America has the strongest vetting
process in the world I will give you an
insight of that process the process I
went through when an individual flees
his country he goes he or she goes to a
nother country that country is
considered the secondary country when
they get into the secondary country they
will have to register with the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees
UNHCR when they register with the UN the
UN will have to obtain all the
identifying biometrics the UN will get
the bio-data that UN will interview them
and of all the refugees that will go
through that process
less than 1% will come to the United
States lucky me
and only the strongest applicants will
move forward to the various agencies of
the United States government those
agencies are the National
Counterterrorism Center that’s the first
agency the refugee will go and get
interview by the officials of that
Center they are specific to the area all
the enquiries all the interviews will be
specific to that area should their booth
should they pass the screening they will
move to the FBI the FBI will also be
very specific and they’re lucky and go
beyond that they go over to the
Department of Homeland Security they
will also do their screenings their
interviews their biometrics their data
after Homeland Security they will go to
the State Department the State
Department will conduct their interviews
and their security checks after the
State Department you go back to the
Homeland Security but this time you’ll
be interviewing with USCIS United States
Immigration Services and they will
interview you and go through their
security checks and if you’re lucky then
after medical you go through what we
call the cultural orientation that is
you’re almost there you almost able to
come to the United States this process
can take anywhere from eighteen months
to two decades after you go through the
culture orientation you have a final
screening to go through and prior to
coming to the u.s. that final screening
will go will be done will be conducted
by the US Customs and Border Protection
national targeting center what is that
have you all heard about it yeah
refugees will have to go through that
after all of that I’ll be honest with
you with all the culture orientation and
all it never prepared me for coming to
Montana never did
cuz I came here in February February 17
will make me 23 years here all of those
the screening processes I just mentioned
happen outside of the US in that
secondary country that you fled to so
none of it happens within here so it
took me two years and seven months to go
through my process and I thought that
was terrible that was wrong they kept me
away from my family’s for two years and
seven months but guess what
that was nothing
I just learned if another guy who
started the process at age 17 he finally
came to the US last year at age 34 do
you want to talk about extreme vetting
17 years of vetting which one of you are
ready to go through that process there
are other programs the u.s. that that we
should be focusing on instead we don’t
we focus only on and it’s been I don’t
know why it’s been this way but there
isn’t any evidence of refugees
committing terrorism not one not in the
US whenever you hear people talk about
terrorism and refugee to always give you
an example of where Europe the u.s. is
not Europe the US has her own screening
process vetting process that she puts
there are several myths that we go
through you know I hear all the time one
of them is refugees don’t pay taxes are
you telling me I lived in Montana for 23
years and didn’t pay taxes there pay
taxes refugees take jobs from US workers
is that real did I take anybody’s job
since I’ve been in this country for 23
that means that there are lots of jobs
refugees receives special money from the
US government to purchase homes and cars
and all where is mine I’ve been waiting
for mine for 23 years when I fled but we
fled Liberia into Montana
two weeks later I started my first job
with Intermountain Children’s Home I
didn’t even have time to get my feet wet
I was up and moving and my situation
it’s not unique
another one that the refugees come to
the US for economic reasons No what did
I say about the definition of a refugee
the first thing on their mind is safety
they are flee for safety not to get rich
when I fled Liberia 1994 when I entered
this country and arrived at JFK Airport
I had 25 cents in my pocket it wasn’t
enough
for a phone call I couldn’t even call my
wife to tell her hey I’m in America so
no if we were here for economic reasons
I’m supposed to be rich right now
because I’ve been here 23 years what am
refugees do not contribute or
participate in the communities where am
i today is this not part of my community
Grand Street
it’s TEDx not part of my community am I
not participating we do all of those
things and of course refugees present
health risk after going through the
health screening you don’t want to know
what we go through every part of you is
screen look I’m from a country Liberia
like there’s a small West African
country it was established by slaves
that were free from this country and
sent back to Africa when the slaves got
there to form the government they took
with them what they have learned here
and they were so honored by going back
to Africa they decided to honor one
person they honor your fifth our fifth
president who was he
Monroe didn’t name that capital city
after Monroe because he was instrumental
in sending the slaves back to Africa we
have places in Liberia I’m from Maryland
in Liberia I went to school in Virginia
we have Louisiana Georgia Mississippi
those were places the slaves lived and
when they went back didn’t name places
like that but I’m sure what some of you
have heard of Charles teal and Samuel do
we when we fled like deer were fled
because of one of Africa’s most brutal
civil war when I finally have my wife
and I finally fled the country
I was 90 pounds she was 87 we were dying
we’re looking to seek economic wealth we
were thinking about terrorism all we
were thinking about survival the second
air country we went to was Ghana who got
into Ghana my wife said hey I got family
in Montana I said where is that she said
oh it’s in America I know America know
Montana in America she so yes I do and
she called her my wife was an exchange
student and she went to hell in a high
and she lived with her family and she
called the family out and told them we
fled the country and we were in Ghana
and we were seeking help of course they
were excited we would get you all over
here soon don’t worry it was easy for my
wife because all they did was they went
to Karen Carroll College awarded her a
scholarship to do nursing so boom she
came to Montana not me
I had to go through that process and
that process was grueling
in fact when I got to the fifth step I
called my wife and said I’m done these
people will never let me get in don’t
worry about it let’s forget it I’ll stay
here you stay there it’s over and she
said she’d give me after I told her such
a speech I mean after I made such a
speech and told I’m done this she gave
me one line they know what they’re doing
become they know what to do and I’m like
what that process took two years and
seven months when I was finally cleared
after I went through the border custom
targeting center I called them up and
said I’m coming
tell me about Montana and my wife’s oh
it’s nice you’ll love it it’s pretty
warm too
in February so what’s the temperature
she’s always 29 degrees I said but water
freezes at 32 so how can it be 29 and
she said but yeah that’s I said no you
don’t understand it
let me talk to someone who understands
the temperature and she calls her host
mom and she comes home hi how are you
you’ll soon be here yes I said what’s
the temperature she said what’s 29 it’s
very warm today I said what is it when
it’s cold she sold 30 below I said the
little what she said below zero now
imagine I’m coming from a country the
average temperature is 80 degrees and
they’re telling me it’s warm at 29
it gives cold at 30 below and I went
through that Cultural Center and it
never told me about that so the crazy
thing I had a sister here and I called
her and told her I’m coming to America
she said okay I’ll meet you at JFK
whatever I bring you wear it all you’re
going to Montana you wear it okay she
brought two sets of long johns a
turtleneck went to jacket everything
what she didn’t tell me I had to go
through the airports I had to be on the
plane and everything that night I put on
two sets so I mean I’m morning put on
two sets of Long John put on my
turtleneck put on the vest and then I
got on the plane and I’m the only one
sweating I am the only one sweating and
the guy next to me it’s looking at me
like what the heck is going on so of
Koff ii and he turned how many laters
are you wearing you don’t want to know
man and then I when we were landing
descending into Helena the pilot said is
sunny and warm at 32 degrees I’m like
these guys are crazily in this place
what piqued my interest most was the
fact when I got down
I actually saw people in shorts at 32
ladies and gentlemen the process we have
in place works the process we have in
place is extreme it took me 2 years or 7
months it took the other guy 17 years
and there isn’t any evidence of
terrorism from refugees you make your
own conclusions thanks for having