Recession dims job prospects for Iraqi refugees

Thousands have settled in San Diego County

By Anne Krueger
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
2:00 a.m. September 6, 2009

Najeeb Odeesh came to San Diego County a year ago with his wife and five children, hoping for a new start after fleeing the violence of Baghdad.

But Odeesh discovered there weren't any jobs for a 50-year-old junkyard dealer who doesn't speak English. He and his family reside in a three-bedroom apartment in El Cajon, living on $820 a month in welfare and help from family and friends to pay the $1,200 monthly rent.

“It was a dream for usâ€