When Ndizeye was informed that he and his family would be accepted into the U.S., he spent a month communicating with various members of Catholic Charities’ refugee services team in preparation for the journey. We arranged for a medical escort to accompany Uwimana, who suffers from diabetes, and met the family at San Diego International Airport upon their arrival on January 18, 2019, to take them to their new, two-bedroom apartment in City Heights.
As I’m speaking with Ndizeye, his cell phone is making all sorts of noise. It seems as if he’s reading text messages. I eventually ask who is contacting him. It’s his employer.
“Research shows that over time, refugees contribute far more in state, local and federal taxes than any initial support they receive.”
