The Travel Ban and Refugees

What’s the issue? There are two clauses in the executive order signed by Donald Trump last week that are particularly problematic for refugees. The first suspends the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days, and the second limits the number of refugees to be admitted to the US in 2017 to 50,000 down from the 110,000 stated as a goal for 2017 by the Obama administration. The reason given in the executive order is “to ensure that individuals seeking admission as refugees do not pose a threat to the security and welfare of the United States.”

Why do I care? First of all, suspending and limiting our refugee program is heartless. This is not a policy argument, but I think it’s an important point. Refugees are individuals fleeing the most dire circumstances, including war and extreme violence. As a wealthy and powerful country I believe we have an obligation to do everything we can to help those whose lives are in danger in their own homes. That’s just part of my worldview.

Feelings and moral obligations aside, refugees are among the most extensively vetted groups that enter the United States. Refugees must apply for refugee status with the United Nations. The United Nations decides whether the person meets their definition of a refugee*, and may refer them to the United States. Fewer than 1% of refugees worldwide are referred for resettlement in the United States. From there the US government checks begin. The National Counterterrorism Center, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, the State Department and the intelligence community work together to conduct an interview with the potential refugee as well as multiple background, fingerprint, and photo checks. After that the case is reviewed by the Unites States immigration headquarters, and Homeland Security must grant their approval after an extensive in-person interview. Next the refugee is screened for contagious diseases, attends a cultural orientation class, and is matched with an American resettlement agency. There is then a final multi-agency check, and of course a final security check at an American airport. This process can take up to two years, during which time refugees can be living in refugee camps or at risk in their home countries. And to think all I had to do to get to Brazil was pay $160 and show financial solvency!

After all of this vetting, you will probably not be surprised to learn that not many refugees end up being terrorists. Of the 3.25 million refugees settled in the US in the last four decades, only 20 have been convicted of committing or attempting terrorist activities in the US. Twenty out of 3.25 million. Additionally, in the past forty years, only 3 Americans have been killed in terrorist attacks by refugees, and all were killed by Cuban refugees in the 1970s. It’s worth noting that as part of the justification for the current travel ban, Jeff Sessions said that the FBI is currently investigating 300 individuals for potential terror-related activities. However, according to the BBC (and others), “Most of these [FBI] investigations turn up nothing, and the cases are closed. At this point it’s not clear how much of a danger these particular individuals pose – or what the investigations will show.” So for now we are left with the facts- more Americans died taking selfies in 2015 alone than have been killed by refugee terrorists in the past 40 years.

So, I’m not sure what the Trump administration thinks it can do in 120 days to improve those statistics and better “ensure that individuals seeking admission as refugees do not pose a threat” to the United States, but meanwhile the ban itself may be making the United States less secure. Madeleine Albright (former Secretary of State under Bill Clinton), Paul Wolfowitz (former deputy Secretary of Defense under George W. Bush), and other national security experts wrote in signed statement of principles that accepting refugees increases the security of the United States both by increasing the stability of US allies and by demonstrating the falseness of terrorist propaganda. Indeed, after the first travel ban was signed, Madeleine Albright said in an interview with PBS that the travel ban is, “a gift to those that hate us” because now ISIS can point to the ban as proof that Americans are not welcoming.

* The UN definition of a refugee is, “someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.”

What to do if you care too:

1. A lot of my advice from last week still applies: call/write/visit your congresspeople, donate, and volunteer.
2. Donate to Refugee Council USA, a coalition of 22 U.S.-based non-governmental organizations that are dedicated to refugee protection, welcoming, and the U.S. refugee resettlement program. This includes the nine NGOs who help process refugees when they come to the US.
3. Launch a campaign to fundraise for a specific refugee (or donate to an already active campaign) through Humanwire. You can help raise money for things like medical expenses and household supplies for refugees.
4. Take this online course about what it takes to volunteer with refugees, and then search your local area for organizations that host refugees or places where refugees may gather (like after school programs and mosques) and see if there are volunteer opportunities. You can start with this search tool from the Refugee Council.
5. Apply to be a mentor for newly arrived refugees through the website Hello Neighbor. Right now it’s only open to people in Pittsburgh, but may be expanding soon. I think it’s worth keeping tabs on.
6. Support this small nonprofit, Paper Airplanes (started by students from my alma mater, Carleton College). They are using Skype to connect mentors and Syrian students to help teach language and coding skills to those in conflict-affected areas. They have a gofundme site to raise money to hire a few part-time staff and pay for English exams for their students.
7. Open your home to refugees (and others). Invite community members, including refugees, over for a potluck and to discuss a certain issue (like how the travel ban will affect your community). Read this article about similar groups forming around the country to get neighbors together in support of refugees, immigrants, and many others.
8. Learn more about who refugees are and what challenges they face. Start with some of my suggestions for further reading below.

Further reading (some resources that put a human face on what it means to be a refugee):

• This story from the New York Times about two Central American girls who are in hiding from a powerful gang that has threatened to kill them while they await refugee status in the United States.
• This in depth feature about the refugee program in Canada.
• One of my favorite books, What is the What by Dave Eggers. It’s technically a novel, but it’s based on the true events of the life of Valentino Achak Deng, who fled Sudan as a young boy and was eventually resettled in the United States.

Sources:

The New York Times, Refugees Entering the U.S. Already Face a Vigorous Vetting Process

UN Refugees, What is a Refugee?

U.S. Department of State, U.S. Refugee Admission Program

Cover image by Taymaz Valley.