The country of Jordan has long been a haven for Middle East refugees. Due to its central location, its government, which has been relatively tolerant to refugees, and its peaceful history, Jordan has taken in a remarkable share of refugees over the last 70 years. Beginning with new state of Israel in 1948, Jordan accepted refugees from Palestine. This process continued following the 1967 war. The flow of refugees into Jordan increased with the rise of ISIL, and then even more with the current war in Syria.
About one-third of Jordan’s population are refugees from other countries in the Middle East. The government receives some assistance from other countries and aid groups, but in terms of the overall cost, this is minimal.
The costs to Jordanian society are immense. The country has insufficient water and sanitation resources. Health care facilities cannot manage the load. The increased competition for housing has driven up property costs. The crime rate is higher. Taxes have risen.
As a consequence, Jordanian citizens are restive and dissatisfied with response of their government. How long will the population tolerate the remarkable generosity of the government? Practically speaking, the government has little means to correct the situation. They have limited ability to restrict the influx and minimal means to repatriate the refugees.
Here in the US, we find our county more and more distrustful of immigrants. But as we continue to decrease the number of immigrants here in the US, we neglect a huge, smoldering problem in Jordan. And the problem may soon erupt and become our problem.
