This Monday, Governor Mike Pence said that he was halting Syrian refugee resettlement in Indiana. By Tuesday, twenty-two other state leaders had made similar statements. I will disregard the fact that these governors have no constitutional right to do so, and instead focus on the fact that these acts are simple fear mongering, ignoring the realities of the refugee resettlement process.
I came to know about the refugee resettlement process through a summer internship at Exodus Refugee Immigration, one of two refugee resettlement organizations in Indianapolis. Though this experience was life changing for me, I in no way claim to be an expert on refugees. However, I do know that the current rhetoric is misguided and lacks an understanding of fact.
First, for those of you concerned about American security: refugees are the most screened group of individuals who enter the United States. They have it much harder than tourists, students and essentially anyone else who could possible come into our country. The process takes years, in most cases, as they must first be given refugee status by the United Nations, then assigned to a host country and then dragged through a security process by that particular country. Refugees assigned to the United States are screened by the Department of Homeland Security, the Departments of State and multiple other security agencies. Again, this is a long, tedious process. If there is a single doubt about any individual, they will not be admitted to the country. It is important to note that this process is different from that in the European Union, thus it is not helpful to compare the two. Additionally, there is only limited evidence that one of the Paris attackers might be a refugee--maybe. The others were European nationals.
Second, let’s not forget what these refugees are fleeing: the same destruction and danger we fear. Syrian refugees, men, women and children running from everything they know and have, are just as disgusted by the attacks in Paris and Beirut and Baghdad as we might be--and they’ve experienced worse. By encouraging a political rhetoric that demonizes Muslims, we accomplish nothing except hatred, fear and the insecurity of millions of innocent people.
The refugees I worked with this summer were some of the kindest, most thankful and most hopeful people I have ever met. I beg of you, look at the facts and have a little humanity. We are in no way being the nation we strive to be. As the Statue of Liberty says,
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Bailey is a senior political science major from Columbus, Indiana.
