Beyond “Temporary Shelter”: A Case Study of Karen Refugee Resettlement in St. Paul, Minnesota

Since 2005, refugees from Burma residing in the nine camps on the Thai–Burma border have been eligible for third country resettlement. Approximately 75% of the refugees who have departed from the border camps have been resettled in the United States, including the majority of the largest ethnic group among the refugees, the Karen. This case study of the Karen refugee community in St. Paul, Minnesota supported the conclusion that although resettlement has yet to prove its effectiveness in resolving the refugee situation in Thailand in the absence of other durable solutions, it has succeeded in providing a viable alternative to life in the camps for thousands of refugee families from Burma. However, it was found that there were also lessons to be learned from the Karen in St. Paul about limiting the detrimental impacts of the program, better supporting the integration process, and broadening participation in resettlement.