Vast majority of Somali immigrants arrived as refugees

An interesting history of the Somali immigrants who are living in Maine. - - Donna Poisl

By Andrew Cullen, Staff Writer

LEWISTON — Virtually all of the Somalis who have come to Lewiston since January 2001 are legal residents of the United States.

The vast majority arrived with refugee status, meaning they had lived in refugee camps in Kenya or other countries neighboring Somalia and were not able to return home because of “well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group,” criteria for refugee status in the United States, according to a 2010 Senate report.
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