People We Serve
Refugees:
Refugees are individuals and families who have fled their countries of origin and have met the United Nations’ criteria of having a “well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion.”
The number of refugees admitted into the United States annually is determined through a consultative process between the Administration and the State Department. There are an estimated 15 million refugees worldwide; the United States typically accepts 50,000 to 75,000 of these refugees each year. Eighty percent of all refugees are women and children. Every refugee goes through an extensive interviewing, screening, and security clearance process before being admitted.
Refugees arriving here – after losing their homes, countries, livelihoods, possessions, families, friends, and at times even their health – need help starting over and rebuilding their lives. Their initial needs are many – they need food, clothing, shelter, jobs, English language training, and help in adjusting to a new culture. In partnership with U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants , and community partnerships Youth Co-Op meets the needs of refugees admitted for resettlement in South Florida.
Asylees meet the definition of "refugee" in the Immigration and Nationality Act. However, asylees are individuals who travel on their own to the United States and apply for and receive a grant of asylum. They do not enter as refugees, but come as students, tourists, businessmen, or without immigration status. Once they are in the United States, or at a land border or other port of entry, they apply to the U.S. authorities for asylum, a status which acknowledges that they meet the definition of a refugee and allows them to remain in the United States.
Entrants:
The Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA), Public Law 89-732, was enacted on November 2, 1966. The law applies to any native or citizen of Cuba who has been inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States after January 1, 1959 and has been physically present for at least one year; and is admissible to the United States for Permanent Residence./span>
Legal Migration to the United States
Cubans in Cuba can legally migrate to the U.S. through various migration programs that include immigrant visa issuance, refugee admission, the diversity lottery, and the Special Cuban Migration Program, otherwise known as the Cuban lottery.
Immigrant visas are issued to the parents, spouses and children (unmarried and under 21 years of age) of U.S. citizens as soon as the immigrant visa petition is approved by the Department of Homeland Security.
The Special Cuban Migration Program, or "Cuban lottery," is open to all adult Cubans between the ages of 18 and 55 years of age who are resident in Cuba regardless of whether they qualify for our immigrant visa or refugee programs. The lottery provides an avenue of legal migration to a diverse group of Cubans, including those who might not have close relatives in the United States. The last registration period was held from June 15- July 15, 1998.
Legal Issues in Refugee Employment
Certified Victims of Trafficking:
Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. Victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. Examples of recent cases of human trafficking in the U.S. include adolescent Mexican girls trafficked to the U.S. for forced prostitution, Indian men trafficked for forced labor, and African women and children trafficked for domestic servitude, among others.
The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 define “severe forms of trafficking in persons” as follows:
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Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age, OR
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The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.
Someone identified as a possible trafficking victim, but is not yet certified as such, may also be eligible for assistance through Youth Co-Op programs. Email us at
refugees@ycoop.orgMigration & Refugee Services | Youth Co-Op, Inc. Tel (305) 643-6730, Fax (305) 643-1908.