Over 79 million people around the globe have been forcibly displaced from their homes. Less than one percent of the world’s refugees receive the chance to rebuild their lives in a new country. Take it from those of us who have gone through the resettlement process and come to America – the process has never been easy, and a rejection means a return to the dangers of displacement.
But for refugees — like Ata and Emma — who make it to the United States, the chance for new opportunity and a renewed sense of safety provides more than the opportunity to rebuild. It provides hope for millions of people around the world.
Over the last four years, the Trump Administration has chosen – time and time again – to rob the world of that hope.
In 2016, President Obama’s last year in office, America accepted 85,000 refugees into the country. People from all around the world were welcomed, with a chance to rebuild their lives in safety. Over President Trump’s four years in office, that resettlement has dropped precipitously year over year. This year, the administration plans to drop the acceptance number to only 15,000 refugees.
The administration has robbed us of the wealth of culture, beauty, strength, and resilience that comes with refugee communities. As refugees resettle in the United States, they bring vitality to neighborhoods. They build communities, start businesses, and contribute to the rich tapestry of our nation. Refugees have always made significant and meaningful contributions to our society.
But now, the refugees we work with have expressed frustration, fear, and despair as they remain separated from family members living in insecurity. As COVID-19, an economic crisis, and ongoing injustices leave many feeling a lack of hope, that feeling is compounded as we see the door to opportunity and safety closing shut.
The impact of these dramatic reductions has an even more insidious impact across the globe. As the refugee resettlement numbers drop, resources that once built our resettlement infrastructure have dried up. Many agencies around the country have had to dramatically reduce services or even shut down. The infrastructure that helped our newest Americans thrive has dried up, and other nations that once saw us as a resettlement leader are now following suit.
Immeasurable damage has already been done to the global resettlement infrastructure. The continued attacks on our world’s most vulnerable people leave a wound that will take incredible efforts to heal.
Historically, the United States was one of the most welcoming countries. We were a place that inspired hope, that aspired to act on its ideals, that welcomed refugees and immigrants. It is time to ask ourselves as a nation: Do we want to provide a solution to one of the worlds greatest crises? Or do we want to create be a part of the problem?
Whoever leads our country in the years ahead, it’s time to reverse this tide of xenophobia and otherism – and stand for the hope that this country once represented.
