HOUSTON (AP) - A report finds Texas has become the favorite destination for refugees seeking haven in the United States.

Houston on Monday began marking World Refugee Day, which is June 20.

The Houston Chronicle reports more than 5,600 refugees reached Texas last year. Houston was the favorite city nationwide.

The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement says a total of 56,419 refugees settled in the U.S. during 2011, with about 10 percent in Texas.

Caitriona Lyons with the state’s Refugee Resettlement Program credits the strong Texas economy and affordable housing.

A refugee is defined as someone unable or unwilling to return to his or her homeland because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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