In light of the Islamic State’s murderous and devastating Nov. 13 attack in Paris, governors throughout the United States have grown increasingly anxious about President Obama’s recent plan to accept Syrian refugees. These reservations have since grown into seemingly unwavering determination to refuse any migrants from the region, with at least 31 governors opposing Syrians entering their states.
As at least one terrorist from the siege in Paris is reported to have faked refugee status in order to enter France, these fears are not unfounded, especially considering that Homeland Security officials have acknowledged the difficulty of thorough background checks for those arriving from the Middle East. While caution in accepting this displaced population is absolutely necessary, as a nation, we cannot let fear overcome our humanitarian and moral responsibilities to assist those in need. A loss of our empathy and morality in this time of crisis would be granting the Islamic State the victory it so desperately desires, and it would directly contradict the values our nation claims to represent.
So far in 2015, more than 700,000 refugees have fled Syria in hopes of finding asylum in Europe. Fortunately, countries like Germany have welcomed the Syrians with open arms, receiving 200,000 refugees in the first seven months of 2015 alone. From one of the largest producers of migrants at the end of World War II to the world’s most generous recipient, Germany has flipped the script entirely and is anticipating to accept 1.5 million refugees by the end of the year. This would be the equivalent of more than double the population of Detroit moving into an area half the size of Texas in one year. France similarly originally agreed to accept 24,000 migrants over the next two years.
In response to the growing number of displaced persons, President Obama has pledged to accept 10,000 refugees. Although this number is a mere fraction of those who have entered Germany and France, governors throughout the United States have nonetheless “forbidden” asylum for displaced Syrians. While experts say that the decision to accept refugees is a federal, rather than a state concern, the mere attempt at denying aid to those in need is immoral and antithetical to our nation’s values.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Americans opened the doors to Europeans escaping famine, religious persecution and war. Now it is our turn, as the children and grandchildren of those very immigrants, to return the favor. To turn our back on these people is a death sentence. To refuse these refugees asylum is to say that regardless of the extent of their suffering — never mind the loss of their families and homes — they are still unwelcome in the United States. To deny refugees would be to repeat a mistake this country has made one time too many and would be another stain on our nation, a nation of supposed hope and opportunity, that could never be removed.
In May of 1939, a ship of mostly Jewish refugees fleeing the oppressive government in Germany was denied entry into the United States. A poll taken prior to their departure indicated that 67.4 percent of American citizens were opposed to allowing such refugees into the country, mostly because of deteriorating conditions in Europe. The similarities to today’s political sentiment are uncanny. More disturbing, however, is that upon their forced return to Europe, more than a quarter of these refugees were murdered by the Nazis. The United States is responsible for these deaths and, if we ignore the mistakes of our past, will be responsible for many more.
Over the past few days, Congress has cited safety concerns as its justification for refusing migrants, as it did during World War II. It is terribly ironic, then, that mere days after the carnage in Paris, President Hollande of France has reinforced his commitment to accept refugees, increasing the limit to 30,000. Somehow, a nation that has been targeted twice in the past year by Islamic extremists is capable of aiding those in need, and the strongest nation on Earth is not. But, of course, it is for our protection …
Safety is undeniably essential and is arguably the most important responsibility a government has to its people. If Congress and more than half of our governors are so concerned with the safety of the American populous, perhaps it should protect the 210 American citizens killed each week by people in this country. In less than five days, Americans kill more of their fellow citizens than the Islamic State did in Paris Nov. 13.
It is our responsibility as Americans, as a country composed of what can only be described as refugees, to be at the forefront of the Syrian migrant crisis. We must put aside our fears and prejudices that so often rear their ugly heads in the aftermath of terrorist attacks and be the brightest source of light in a world that seems to be growing ever darker.