When I saw the BBC headline yesterday that the Ohio State
attacker was a refugee, my heart sunk. We’ve seen the anti-refugee backlash –
after the Paris attacks, and after San Bernadino. As soon as I saw the headline
about the attacker’s background, I felt frustrated in anticipation of the
sentiments and story lines that will inevitably flood airwaves in the coming days
and weeks. It breaks my heart but also makes me livid, because I know the lies and fear that undergird this
anti-refugee rhetoric that will surely come.
Since it’s Giving Tuesday and the holiday season – I just
wanted to take a few minutes to pound out this blog post and reiterate why it’s
imperative that we don’t respond
with fear and withdrawal in light of the revelations about the Ohio State
attacker.
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We’re going to hear politicians, including our
President-elect, use the example of this attacker to promulgate anti-refugee
sentiment and fear. But let’s remember that refugees are thoroughly vetted.
They receive the greatest level of
screening of any group that moves to the United States. Refugees undergo screening by the National Counterterrorism Center, FBI, Department of Defense,
and the Department of State. They have interviews with the Department of
Homeland Security and undergo subsequent biometric security checks. (More
details on that process can be found here
and here.)
Let’s remember that the US has resettled 3 million refugees
since the passage of the Refugee Act in 1980. Aside from this isolated instance
and the arrest of two Iraqis in Kentucky, no other refugee has been arrested or
convicted on terrorist charges. (Source)
As The Economist article states clearly, refugee resettlement is the least
likely route for potential terrorists.
(The debating part of my subconscious would also like to make the oft-cited point here, that when our nation
has experienced countless mass-shootings, generally at the hands of loner,
white males, that zero action is taken to target this demographic. Calls are
made to ‘shore up mental health services’ and/or improve gun control measures,
but we don’t decry this demographic or slight low-and-middle income white men.)
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Additionally, as a Christian I want to remind those who
ascribe to Christianity that this season is all about a couple, who was forced
to flee their home and take refuge in a foreign land in order to protect their
newborn son. Please don’t miss that stark contrast you make if you give into
fear and support voices to close the door on the vulnerable during this holiday
season.
Beyond a Christian moral imperative, let’s not ignore the
humanity of refugees around the globe. I shouldn’t have to plead to my
Christian brothers and sisters to continue welcoming Somali, Syrian, and
countless other refugees out of a Christian moral imperative. I hope you will
think of what you would want to have done for your son or daughter, mother or
father, sibling, closest friend, if the roles were reversed.
I understand the counterpoint -- the impulse to want to
protect your children and country. However, I
think that impulse is stoked by
politicians who are selling a false narrative (lack of security in the process)
for political gain. We don't have to (and are not) diminshing our security in exchange for opening our doors to the most vulnerable.
I firmly believe in the safety security, and vetting
process woven through every facet of the US refugee resettlement process.
Refugees pose no greater threat to our nation than do other, fellow citizens. (See
the facts/figures above and here.)
Don’t let politicians deceive you with spurious threats
of ISIS lying in wait, cloaked as refugees trying to sneak their way into our
country via a weakly guarded resettlement process here in the US. This is unfounded
and untrue.
I implore that on this Giving Tuesday, please consider
supporting refugee resettlement agencies. Or at minimum, please don’t give in
to the anti-refugee rhetoric that will be circulating in the upcoming days,
weeks, and months. Speak out, and speak LOUDLY.
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