A Plea to Our Leaders

I stand with the millions of Americans who are concerned about the recent executive order banning refugees from seven countries from entering American borders.  I do not pretend to be well-versed in politics, international relations, or national security, and I can offer no long-term solutions to questions of immigration or welcoming refugees. But I am a concerned citizen with a strong sense of morality and human compassion, and I write to encourage you to consider the recent executive order not merely in light of what is politically best, but to also take into consideration the dictates of genuine human feeling.

It has been my privilege over the past several months to work with a sweet family from the Middle East. Their story is similar to that of so many, and they have moved from country to country in the Middle East before finally reaching the safe and welcoming shores of America. It has been unspeakably difficult for them, yet they are seeking to build a new life in this country. I look into the bright eyes of the three teenagers and the toddler in the family, and I see in them the future of America. This family has become part of us. There are so many families like this one, fleeing war and seeking refuge. Yet under the current executive order, America has been stripped of the promise and potential of these great people. We are weaker without those we are currently banning from our borders. How much are we losing by turning away future engineers, professors, doctors, businessmen, and musicians? What discoveries will not be made? What books will not be written? What lives will not be touched by the positive influence of these refugees?

We cannot allow fear to strip us of our human compassion. Who are we to ignore the helpless members of the human family because we are comfortable in our safety and abundance in America? The haunting “what if” questions inspired by violent acts of terror around the globe do not give us sufficient excuse to turn our backs on suffering children, women, families, and individuals who have lost everything and who petition us for safety. Were our homes to be war-torn and ravished, with no prospect of peace for ourselves or our children, I can guarantee that we would want other nations to open their doors to us, offering us safety and peace and a chance for a new life. We are too proud to admit that this could ever happen in America, yet we must place ourselves in the shoes of those we are currently discriminating against. Too often we are too focused on ourselves and our comparatively insignificant problems to acknowledge the genuine and heart-wrenching suffering of those who are displaced, lonely, heartbroken, and dying. We must turn outward to others in compassion.

With the exception of the Native Americans, all of us living in America today are the descendants of refugees and immigrants. This land welcomed our fathers, regardless of their country of origin. Our ancestors were allowed to come to this land and find peace and plenty. Who are we to now selfishly guard the gift we have received and declare that the window is closed to certain nationalities? Obviously, it would be logistically impossible for us to accept every refugee in the world or welcome every immigrant seeking a new life among us: our own space and resources could not accommodate such an influx of inhabitants. But surely we can do more than unilaterally close our borders to everyone of certain countries. Surely our human compassion can extend to more of them. Surely we can alleviate the suffering of at least some of our brothers and sisters.

Please let the refugees come. We will welcome them. We will be their friends. We will help them find jobs. We will help them learn English. We will help them put back together the pieces of their shattered lives. We will support them as they begin to stand on their own feet again and become part of America’s greatness.

The people of America stand ready with open arms to welcome the refugees. We ask only that our government will let them come.