In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut, Americans are justifiably concerned about the prospect of similar attacks in this country. Alabama Governor Robert Bentley has announced his intention to oppose the resettlement of any Syrian refugees out of fear that extremists might be hidden among them. While this anxiety is not entirely misplaced, Alabamians must not allow fear to cause a repeat of historical mistakes. Indeed this is not the first time that this nation has considered whether to admit a large number of religious minorities fleeing imminent peril. Neither is it the first time that Americans have considered whether to admit such minorities in the face of security concerns.
As Nazi Germany took an increasingly oppressive stance toward its Jewish population, the United States government, citing fears of possible German conspirators, tightened its immigration policy. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Jews and other minority groups were denied sanctuary. By the time that Americans became aware of the scale of the Nazi genocide, it was already too late to save the millions that this nation might otherwise have rescued if not for fear and xenophobia.
This immigrant nation now risks repeating the same terrible omission by turning a blind eye to the largest humanitarian crisis since the end of World War II. Thus far, the United States has accepted only 1,854 of the over four million Syrian refugees fleeing a conflict that has already claimed 250,000 lives. Alabama has accepted one. While safety and security must be considered, the paltry number of admitted refugees might prove to be one of the greatest abdications of American ideals since its failure to provide aid to those fleeing another maniacal regime some 80 years ago.
While there are no absolute guarantees of safety, refugees admitted to this country are pre-screened for possible links to extremism by the United Nations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State and the Department of Defense. Moreover, of the almost 750,000 refugees admitted since September 11, 2001, zero have been arrested for suspicion of domestic terrorism. To suggest that even a significant percentage of Syrian applicants (over half of whom are children) mean harm to the West is fear-mongering at its worst. Almost without exception, these refugees are friends of civilization fleeing the same purveyors of terror to whom we are opposed.
In Alabama, only 3.5 percent of the population is foreign-born compared to 13 percent on average nationally. Surely 4.8 million Alabamians can find space in our towns and our hearts to resettle a few properly-vetted Syrian families seeking safety and a new start like so many before them? Setting aside the question of whether a governor has the legal authority to exclude refugees, the categorical denial of any Syrian refugees by Governor Bentley is not only reactionary; it is insulting to the generosity and warmth of the people of Alabama.
If America allows fear to cause abandonment of its deepest ideals, then the terrorists have succeeded. Rather than allowing the Paris attacks to drive division, Americans should reaffirm our commitment as protector of the downtrodden. One is reminded of the sonnet by Emma Lazarus which is inscribed at the base of Lady Liberty which reads, “. . . give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Had they a voice left with which to speak, surely the millions killed in the genocides of the 20th century would implore the American people to adhere to their principles of compassion and humanity by directing Lady Liberty to lift her torch to this latest group of huddled masses. This nation — and Alabama — must do more to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated.