San Diego is unique in a lot of ways. But there’s one thing about San Diego you may not know, even if you’ve lived here for years.
With all the talk about illegal immigration and border walls, you may not even realize that San Diego takes in more refugees from other countries than any other county in California. It began when many people in Iraq started fleeing persecution for their Christian faith back in 2007.
Many of them were re-settled in San Diego County, mostly in East County communities as Iraqi families came to the U.S. for religious freedom and in many cases, to avoid torture or death back in their home country.
But Iraq has not been the only country from where many of the refugees have come and now live in San Diego.
A report in the San Diego Union Tribune has a breakdown.
Close to half of San Diego’s most recent refugees are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Other new refugees have come from Syria, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar and Eritrea.
In recent months, the number of refugees arriving in San Diego has dropped dramatically. There were 68 this last month but the report says that’s way down from the hundreds of per month re-settling in San Diego County before the Trump travel ban changes slowed refugee arrivals.
However the national debate over refugees ends up, they will continue to be part of the unique fabric of San Diego. But time will tell if a city known as being America’s finest, will remain as welcoming a city.
(Photo credit Getty Images)