America, the "Melting Pot"

By Sara Ritsch
Staff Writer

The United States accepted thousands of Jewish displaced persons from 1938 to 1944 during WWII. Less than five percent of Americans of the time thought that was a good idea. In the same decade, about 120,000 Japanese-Americans were confined to internment camps via Executive Order 9066.

One hundred years earlier, thousands of immigrants left Ireland to seek refuge in America. The Potato Famine and disease left them starving, and they were met with not open-arms, but marginalization at the difficulty of merging into American society.

Where did you come from? Did your ancestors pass the Statue of Liberty while they sought liberty for themselves?

There are currently thousands of Syrian refugees escaping national and religious persecution. Only a small fraction of these refugees are being accepted into the United States – and a large fraction of these persons are facing scrutiny and further oppression at America’s doorstep.

These current immigrants are facing social discomfort at their sudden appearance despite the fact that America was originally supposed to be prided on being the world’s melting pot.

The governors who are attempting to refuse acceptance of Syrian refugees have no constitutional ground to stand on.

According to Think Progress, “As the Supreme Court explained in Hines v. Davidowitz, ‘the supremacy of the national power in the general field of foreign affairs, including power over immigration, naturalization and deportation, is made clear by the Constitution.’ States do not get to overrule the federal government on matters such as this one.”

It is interesting, then, that the governors of 27 U.S. states are saying that Syrian refugees are not welcome. This nation has already accepted a low head-count of about 10,000 displaced persons. And with the given proof that the Syrian passport carried by an ISIS suicide bomber in Paris was planted and that each attacker was actually a European Union citizen, the fear should be at least slightly nulled.

Federally, however, the refugees will find a home despite further marginalization.

To quote the “Refugee Act of 1980”:

“SEC. 101. (a) The Congress declares that it is the historic policy of the United States to respond to the urgent needs of persons subject to persecution in their homelands, including, where appropriate, humanitarian assistance for their care and maintenance in asylum areas, efforts to promote opportunities for resettlement or voluntary repatriation, aid for necessary transportation and processing, admission to this country of refugees of special humanitarian concern to the United States, and transitional assistance to refugees in the United States. The Congress further declares that it is the policy of the United States to encourage all nations to provide assistance and resettlement opportunities to refugees to the fullest extent possible.”

These people fleeing to The United States of America and other countries are in need of humanitarian care and assistance, and it is within the executive branch’s authority to make all decisions regarding immigration.

Governors can’t refuse refugees.

The Gayly - 11/18/2015 @ 1:43 p.m. CST