Welcoming Refugees
For over 20 years, the world has struggled with how to welcome members of the great middle eastern migration across borders when their own countries have failed. Some people say that welcoming middle eastern migrants is dangerous because they are too commonly affiliated with terrorist groups, but others argue that taking in migrant workers strengthens the economy. While the threat of terrorism is serious and lingering, we must stop associating all middle easterners and especially Muslims as being dangerous people. The sooner we can accept that the benefits welcoming refugees far outweigh the concern of their allegiances, the better off we will be.
I would like to turn to the slightly scaled-down example of the city of Riace, Italy. In the last 18 years, they have brought in more than 6,000 refugees into their town. Domenico Lucano, the mayor of Riace said in an NPR interview that the migration of refugees actually revived what was soon becoming a ghost town. “To those who fear migrants bringing disease, taking away jobs and sense of security,” he said, “they bring us their culture, their world, their colors and their knowledge.” Since then, Riace has thrived in its economy, employment rates and tourism and has been strengthened in cultural diversity and in connections between community members.
Associating an entire culture with violence and terrorism is not realistic, nor is it compatible with a history where the United States has welcomed the starving and sick at our borders.
In the NPR piece, some of the refugees who have now become full Italian citizens were talking about their experiences with the brutality of their homelands and how the people of Riace had helped heal them. By sharing their stories with the locals, and the locals in turn helping the migrants begin new lives, the immigration of refugees arguably has taught the inhabitants a deeper understanding of world politics and empathy, as well as provided a backbone for their municipal economy.
Here in the United States, we speak of building a wall enclosing our untouchable society. We call for closer border control with Mexico to filter immigrants as we wish. This idea, to me, is extremely ironic. Ever since our primary settlement, this country is made up of other countries. “Americans” are really Irish, Puerto Rican, British, Chinese, Canadian, Welch, French, Italian and Mexican. We are built on the spine of a collaborative and inclusive culture, one that iconically provides a welcoming harbor for migrants who left their home countries in hopes of a better life, a new start. We are a country of immigrants, that is just the reality. The notion that a literal wall must be built to exclude the immigration of people who are struggling in their home countries is backwards and selfish. If terrorism is really the pure concern, this is not the solution. Acts of terrorism, such as the tragic shooting at the Orlando night club, happen from the inside out. Gun violence exists everywhere, and in most cases it has nothing to do with our scrutiny of the borders. Terrorism doesn’t infiltrate, it begins and infiltrates from there.
Associating an entire culture with violence and terrorism is not realistic, nor is it compatible with a history where the United States has welcomed the starving and sick at our borders. Frankly, it strikes me as a bit racist. These people are not gunman, they are carpet makers, farmers, quilt embroiderers and so much more. We have the opportunity to remain a country strong with cultural diversity, and we are staining this reputation with propositions like “The Wall.” It is in everyone’s best interest that we ditch the finger-pointing game, and defeat terrorism with a stronger plan. We can be the land of opportunity once again, if we open our minds to what is possible when we work together.