World events have continued to focus attention on immigrant and refugee issues. However, those who are refugees say the public doesn't really understand the difference between the two.
"People think refugees come here because they want to come here. Refugees come here because they are seeking asylum because they can't go back to their home country because they will be persecuted," said Buffalo attorney Emina Poricanin, who herself was a refugee and came to the U.S. with her family to escape the ethnic killings in Bosnia.
So, what is it really like to be a refugee creating a new life in Buffalo?
"Being a refugee is not fun," said Esperance Rwigamba, a former refugee from Rwanda.
"We are so hopeless with no future and are so depressed," said another family from Yemen.
In a special 7 Eyewitness News report, Ed Reilly talks with several members of Buffalo's refugee community about the struggles of being a refugee and how language/cultural differences can make life in America challenging at first.
Watch the video for Ed Reilly's full report.
