This Wisconsin town has many Somali refugees who have settled in their community. Most arrived 15 years ago, and are citizens now. - - Donna Poisl
Barron News Shield staff
Hijacking and hostage taking by Somali pirates have brought lots of national media attention in recent weeks to the turbulent East African country, but the ramifications of Somalia's violent history are not isolated to its immediate area. It has resulted in a flow of refugees to Barron and elsewhere. The refugee phenomenon has also led to much curiosity in the Barron area, as people try to understand their new neighbors.
The Somalis have been arriving as refugees to the United States since 1992 and are protected from being sent back to their war-torn homeland. The largest wave of Somali immigrants came in 1994-1997, and the majority of these refugees have since become citizens.
For those who didn't make that first wave, there is a family reunification program that allows an immediate family member to rejoin his/her relatives in the United States. Due to the ongoing conflict in Somalia, there were still 60,000 Somalis in refugee camps in neighboring Kenya as of 2008.
Be sure to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
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