Fragmented Integration: Social Welfare and Differential Inclusion among Forced Migrants in the U.S.

Abstract Forced migration pushes individuals and families into vulnerable and precarious situations. In the United States, immigration policies over the last several decades have created different immigration statuses that provide humanitarian protection. However, these statuses vary regarding social and economic rights, including rights to social welfare, leading to differential inclusion of forced migrants based on their type of humanitarian protection status. This study takes an exploratory approach, examining how different forced migrants outside of the refugee legal category are experiencing the U.S. welfare system. Because a significant proportion of the social welfare literature has focused mainly on those who came to the U.S. on a refugee status, we interviewed individuals who fall outside of the refugee category but, nevertheless, need long-term humanitarian protection. Our sample includes individuals who currently or previously held the following statuses: Asylum Seeker, Asylee, Temporary Protected Status, and Humanitarian Parole. Our findings suggest that differential inclusion embedded in immigration and welfare policies shapes forced migrants access to and utilization of welfare programs. Furthermore, we recommend future research on forced migrants consider the importance of immigration status in shaping their experiences with the welfare system and their social and economic trajectories in host country contexts.