This is Deep Dive: WFHB and Limestone Post Investigate where we look into issues regarding Health, Housing, and the Environment that directly impact residents of Monroe County. For this series WFHB and the Limestone Post collaborated with the Arnolt Center for Investigative Reporting. We are looking into the refugee crisis, and how this global emergency is playing out here in Indiana. 

Before diving deeper, we wanted to cover some of the basics, like what is the definition of a refugee and how does someone become one? 

The formal definition of a refugee comes from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, also known as the U-N Refugee Agency, which the United Nations established following World War II to help the millions of Europeans who had fled or lost their homes. The agency is mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to a third country. 

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, “refugees are people who have fled their countries to escape conflict, violence or persecution and have sought safety in another country.” They expand upon that definition to share that many refugees have “been forced to flee with little more than the clothes on their back, leaving behind their homes, possessions, jobs and loved ones. They may have suffered human rights violations, been injured in their flight, or seen family members or friends killed or attacked.”

First, an individual might be recognized as an asylum seeker. Someone who has or intends to apply to be recognized as a refugee, but their application has yet to be processed.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, “Seeking asylum is a human right and every person in the world has the right to apply for asylum if they are fleeing conflict or persecution. They must not be expelled or returned to situations where their lives or freedoms would be in danger. This is the principle of non-refoulement which is enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention. It is also part of human rights law and customary international law and must be guaranteed by all countries.”

Currently, the United States allows the admission of up to 125,000 refugees to the United States, this is from the Memorandum on Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2024. 

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Exodus Refugee Immigration is a non-profit organization which serves the resettlement needs of refugees and other displaced people fleeing persecution, injustice and war, welcoming them to Indiana. Exodus is a federally funded program implemented by the state department, which began in Indiana in 1981. 

Erin Aquino is the Resettlement Director at Exodus Refugee in Bloomington. Aquino said the Bloomington office of Exodus has been open for two years. So far, the organization has welcomed refugees from over 17 countries – the majority of whom come from Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Syria. 

Right now, Aquino said that Exodus currently serves about 150 refugees every year. She said that the Biden Administration’s state department has requested that they attempt to increase their capacity. However, she said due to high housing costs and limited employment opportunities, the Bloomington office has struggled to expand the number of refugees they can serve. She touched on the difficulties that come along with serving refugees in Bloomington and surrounding areas. 

Aquino said that regardless of the difficulties, Bloomington has been a welcoming place for refugees. 

Aquino reiterated that refugees coming to Bloomington have to start their lives over and find community. She described the adjustments refugees have to make after coming to Indiana. 

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The Bloomington Refugee Support Network was founded in 2016. The organization supports asylum seekers, refugees and other displaced migrants in the community. Peter Lenzen, director of the Bloomington Refugee Support Network, provided an overview on the work the organization does. 

Lenzen said that the organization has helped those fleeing their home countries from all around the world – including Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine, among others.

While Lenzen maintains that refugees encounter a fair share of challenges and hurdles, Bloomington can be a fitting place for refugees to settle. 

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Anifa is a woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the Exodus website, her family fled to a refugee camp in Zambia when she was just 12 years old. She lived there for 15 years before  she was resettled in the United States in 2022. She said, “Nobody wants to be a refugee – it’s not a choice, just circumstances. Nobody wants to leave their life behind and leave where they come from. There is a good and bad side to everything.” 

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The award-winning series “Deep Dive: WFHB and Limestone Post Investigate” is a journalism collaboration between WFHB Community Radio’s Local News Department and Limestone Post Magazine. Deep Dive debuted in February 2023 as a year-long series, made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County. The Community Foundation also helped secure a grant from the Knight Foundation to extend the series for another year.

In the series, Limestone Post publishes an in-depth article about once a month on a consequential community issue, such as housing, health, or the environment, and WFHB covers related topics on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. during its local news broadcast.

In 2023, Deep Dive was chosen by the Institute for Nonprofit News as a finalist for “Journalism Collaboration of the Year” in the Nonprofit News Awards held in Philadelphia. And this year, the series brought home seven awards from the “Best in Indiana” Journalism Contest by the Society of Professional Journalists. Read more about the awards.

Here are all of the the Deep Dive articles and broadcasts so far:

Limestone Post article by Steve Hinnefeld, published February 15, 2023:

Deep Dive: Struggling with Housing Supply, Stability, and Subsidies, Part 1

WFHB reports:

Steve Hinnefeld won 1st place for “Non-Deadline Story or Series” in the Indiana Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists “Best in Indiana” Journalism Contest for parts 1 and 2 of this housing series. The staff of WFHB won 2nd place for “Coverage of Social Justice Issues” for its programs “Deep Dive: Housing Crisis.”

Limestone Post article by Steve Hinnefeld, published March 15, 2023 | photography by Jim Krause

‘No Silver Bullet’: Advocates, Officials Use Many Tactics on Housing Woes

WFHB reports:

Limestone Post article by Rebecca Hill, published April 12, 2023 | photography by Benedict Jones

How Will Opioid Settlement Monies Be Spent — and Who Decides?

WFHB reports:

Limestone Post article by Laurie D. Borman, published May 17, 2023 | photography by Jeremy Hogan

Trees Do More Than Add ‘Charm’ to IU Campus

WFHB reports:

Limestone Post article by Rebecca Hill, published June 21, 2023 | photography by Benedict Jones

The Power Struggle in Indiana’s Changing Energy Landscape

Rebecca Hill won 1st place for “Medical or Science Reporting” in the Indiana Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists “Best in Indiana” Journalism Contest for this article.

WFHB reports:

Limestone Post article by Michale G. Glab, published August 16, 2023 | photography by Anna Powell Denton

How Healthy Is Lake Monroe — and How Long Will It Survive?

Michael G. Glab won 3rd place for “Business or Consumer Affairs Reporting” in the Indiana Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists “Best in Indiana” Journalism Contest for this article.

WFHB reports:

Limestone Post article by Steve Hinnefeld, published September 13, 2023 | photography by Garrett Ann Walters

Local Parents, Educators Face ‘Attack’ on Public Schools from Indiana Lawmakers

WFHB reports:

Limestone Post photo essay by Steven Higgs, published October 18, 2023

On Saving the Deam Wilderness and Hoosier National Forest | Photo Essay

Steven Higgs won 2nd place for “Multiple Picture Group” in the Indiana Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists “Best in Indiana” Journalism Contest for this photo essay.

WFHB reports:

Limestone Post article by Christina Avery and Haley Miller, photography by Olivia Bianco, published December 18, 2023

One Emergency from Catastrophe: Who Struggles with Food Insecurity?

Christina Avery and Haley Miller won 1st place for “Coverage of Social Justice Issues” in the Indiana Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists “Best in Indiana” Journalism Contest for this article.

WFHB reports:

Limestone Post article by Christina Avery and Haley Miller, photos by Olivia Bianco, published March 13, 2024

‘Patchwork’ of Aid for Food Insecurity Doesn’t Address Its Cause

WFHB reports:

Limestone Post article and photos by Anne Kibbler, published May 15, 2024

What’s at Stake in the Debate Over Indiana’s Wetlands?

Limestone Post article by by Brookelyn Lambright, Karl Templeton, and Brenna Polovina, among others, from the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism, published August 1, 2024

Resilience Amid Hardship: Refugees Find Challenges, Opportunities in Bloomington