Imagine your homeland was being torn apart by civil war, genocide and every day you faced atrocities unfit for even the worst of individuals. You give up everything you have, risk your life and the lives of those you love in a last ditch effort to escape to a world in which you might leave in peace.
After days of hardship and crowded travel, you reach America. After everything you have gone through, there may not be a place for you. At least 36 states have released statements declaring that they will not take in any refugees.
Ohio Governor John Kasich and the Mayor of Cincinnati, John Cranley both “requested” refugees not be sent here. The irony is not subtle as just one month ago promised to make Cincinnati into the most immigrant friendly city on earth.
Jim Lynch, a spokesman for Kasich said, “The governor is writing to the President to ask him to stop, and to ask him to stop resettling them in Ohio. We are also looking at what additional steps Ohio can take to stop resettlement…”
These men are worried that by allowing refugees will give open access to terrorists like the ones involved in the Paris bombing on Friday. They are asking for the settlement to be halted until sufficient security measures can be taken.
I agree that safety needs to be a priority, but these men are asking for a full year of halted immigration. These individuals do not have a year to wait.
Over 76,000 people died in Syria in 2014. We cannot risk the lives of an entire race of people by waiting another year.
President Barack Obama said it best, “These people are victims of violence, they are fleeing … they are running for their lives and they are risking their lives to try to find safe harbor.”
By insinuating that these families are the same as the individuals they are running from is a sad case of stereotyping. Allowing for background checks upon arrival should be enough to prevent the few unsavory individuals there are from entering the country.
Luckily, experts are saying that Governors will ultimately have little power over this decision as long as the national government continues to support the movement.