It is 2017. The Kalaji family – originally from the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo – seek a new life in the United States with dreams of owning a house and car.
They leave their temporary home in Jordan, saying goodbye to beloved family, and move to Philadelphia, where they must adjust to life in a new land.
Upon their arrival, the Kalajis seem lucky: They are among the last refugees to make it into the US before Donald Trump’s travel ban is implemented.
But their private victory over public policy is bittersweet, as they think of their family and the eldest daughter, Ju-Ju, who is pregnant and has remained behind.
When they realise they have only three months of financial aid from a refugee resettlement organisation, after which they need to be financially self-sufficient, another harsh reality sets in: They could be displaced and dispossessed all over again.
Meet the Syrians chronicles the Kalaji family’s first 18 months as they discover both the joys and difficulties of refugee life in the US.
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