Burmese Christians escaping persecution, fleeing to U.S.

Burmese Christians escaping persecution, fleeing to U.S.

The approval by the U.S. State Department of the resettlement of refugees from Burma is bringing thousands of them to the United States, creating a need for adjustment help for families and foster homes for orphans -- needs that the humanitarian aid group Christian Freedom International (CFI) is trying to help meet.

A waiver under the Immigration and Nationality Act will allow the Karen, Karenni, and other Christian Burmese ethnic groups to escape starvation, persecution, and war from the Burmese government that goes back to World War II, when the natives and government helped opposite sides in the conflict.

Following the war, the government denied independence to the ethnic groups and has pursued and murdered them since, including a special push the last few decades, according to CFI spokesman Ben Duff. Many are in hiding or in refugee camps, he says.

"There's probably a little under 200,000 Karen and Karenni and Chin actually in refugee camps right now, and they have been systematically killed by the Burmese military government, starting around 1989, 1990," says Duff.

CFI has provided humanitarian aid and vocational training to them in their country since 1996, but now is asking Americans to reach out and provide support stateside through social service agencies and other organizations as well as churches -- especially since many unaccompanied minors are expected to arrive.

Duff says the State Department has done a fantastic job and has helped open the door for these people. "There are going to be a lot of families that are going to need support on the ground, and just learning how to be American," he says. "Then there are also going to be lots of foster care opportunities because many of these children are orphans or they just don't know where their parents are."