Seeking Asylum

One only needs to listen to the news for a few minutes to be reminded of the myriad crises affecting the world. Whether impacted by natural disasters, war or persecution, millions of people are presently suspended in a state of desperate uncertainty. Thankfully there are some who are driven to assist those who are fleeing for their lives. Among them is Aniko Szabo ’05.

Szabo works for Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) in New Haven as an employment specialist for refugees and asylum seekers. A first-generation immigrant and former refugee herself, she can relate to the plight of many of her clients.

Szabo and her sister were born in a refugee camp in Italy after her parents fled communism in Hungary. When Szabo was four months old, her family resettled in Hartford with the support of Catholic Charities. Her parents spoke no English when they arrived, and the family grappled with their assimilation to American culture.

“I saw my parents struggle. My sister and I struggled. … Hungarian is my first language; I didn’t know a word of English when I started kindergarten.” In her work with IRIS, Szabo is gratified to help alleviate some of the challenges that she, too, once faced. “My work is so meaningful.”

Many refugee families have lost their homes, jobs, family members and overall sense of identity. IRIS works to secure housing, donated furniture and household goods. Their food pantry distributes more than 2,000 pounds of food to refugee and immigrant households every week. Clients are connected to lawyers and doctors, children are enrolled in school, English tutors are secured and employment is found.

“Our clients are amazing people,” said Szabo, who has worked for IRIS since 2016. “What they’ve been through, not everyone can come out of it. … I want the public to know about the refugee resettlement process, how difficult it is, and the circumstances under which people flee their countries.”

While IRIS clients are granted temporary rental assistance, they’re expected to pay their own way after three months. This is where Szabo and her team come in, helping with employment paperwork, coordinating transportation and locating interpreters. IRIS has built a network of hundreds of prospective employers who support its mission and welcome refugee labor.

Common job placements include land-scaping or manufacturing companies, a large New Haven-area bakery and many other roles in the service industry. Some clients come with great English skills and a history of working in high-level jobs, but due to differing employment rules they must start at a lower level.

“There is so much misinformation out there about refugees and immigrants,” said Szabo. “It’s important to set the record straight and, most importantly, humanize the ‘other’ and to emphasize the value and talent refugees and immigrants bring to the United States.”

Over the years, Szabo has helped resettle refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iran, as well as Puerto Ricans displaced by Hurricane Maria. IRIS is currently resettling Ukrainian refugees due to the war with Russia.

IRIS is a partner agency with the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which connects them with clients. It can take a long time for a person to gain refugee status. The process involves several interviews and back- ground checks by multiple agencies. The entire process can take up to two to three years. In the meantime, people put their lives on hold and wait in refugee camps, often in a third country.

“The individuals I serve at IRIS are people just like the rest of us,” said Szabo. “They fall in love like us. They want to educate themselves like us, get married, have kids, share their skills through their work, and live in peace.”