According to a report by the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), 48,217 refugees were admitted into the U.S. in 2007. [6] Of that total, 2,619 (5.43%) resettled in Florida, [7] 2,978 (6.18%) relocated to New York [7] and 6,699 (13.89%) chose to resettle in California; [6] making the latter home to more incoming refugees than the next two states combined. Of all those who sought to make California their new home, 4,645 (69%) resettled in the five counties PTV serves [7] - Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura. Out of all of the counties in California, The Los Angeles Federal Immigration Court had greatest number of asylum seekers with 4,064. Between 2002 and 2008, the L.A. Federal Immigration Court adjudicated the highest number of asylum applications of any immigration court in California with 69,172 cases - 63% of the state total. [8] As states, Florida and New York had 75,499 and 73,746 applications for asylum, respectively; [8] just a fraction more than L.A. County alone.
Client demographics [9]
The demographic makeup of PTV's client population is ever-changing, as global, regional, and national sociopolitical dynamics are constantly in flux. Thus far, PTV has served clients from over 65 countries. [5]
According to its 2024 Impact Report, the Program for Torture Victims served 358 clients during the year, consisting primarily of adult survivors of state-sponsored torture and persecution, as well as a smaller number of minors and older adults. Approximately 85.1% of clients were between the ages of 18 and 25, 8.6% were under 18, and 6.3% were aged 55 and older. The client population was 53% women and 47% men.
Clients originated from multiple regions worldwide, with 50% from Latin America, 30% from Africa, 14% from Eastern Europe, and 6% from Southeast Asia. The organization reported providing services in 34 languages, with Spanish, Armenian, French, Russian, and Luganda among the most commonly used.
The most frequently reported reasons for persecution included membership in a targeted social group (55%), political or social activism (44%), and ethnicity (11%). Reported forms of torture and abuse included psychological torture (84%), beatings (69%), rape or sexual violence (34%), wounding or maiming (28%), witnessing torture (25%), kidnapping or enforced disappearance (25%), and deprivation such as food, water, or sleep (23%).
Socioeconomic data indicated that 79% of clients were unemployed at intake, 81% lived below the federal poverty line, and 48% lacked health insurance. A majority of clients were diagnosed with trauma-related mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (65%) and depression and anxiety (76%).
In recent years, PTV expanded services for undocumented and unaccompanied minors, including children and youth who arrived in the United States without legal guardians and had experienced violence, displacement, or exploitation prior to arrival.
