Sitting here alone, nobody to talk to, nobody excepting me for who I really am but just for being a refugee. This is what goes through the minds of millions of refugees around the world today. Have you ever been walking through the hallways at school, or down the street somewhere and seen a refugee? But you didn’t ‘’just see’’ the refugee, in your mind you judges him or her. Many people do this on a daily basis. If you have done that, think to yourself… What makes you better than that person or what makes them less than you? The answer to that question is simple, nothing. The answer is nothing. In too many cases around the world today refugees are viewed as lesser humans or not as good as other or not able to fit in because they have …show more content…
The U.S. accepted more than 2,300 Syrian refugees in June alone, sending the fiscal year total soaring past the 5,000 mark and putting the government on track to surpass President Obama’s goal of 10,000 by the end of September, but raising questions about screening out potential terrorists. June’s numbers set a monthly record for the Homeland Security and State departments, which committed resources received earlier this year to streamline the process, in what critics say amounted to corner-cutting, to get back on track toward Mr. Obama’s political goal.’’(New York Times). As refugees are brought into America they are already labeled or stereotyped. Whether it is as a terrorist, has diseases, or just a lesser person. By being labeled they feel threatened or damages their confidence. Refugees are people just like you and I that are trying to escape a situation that is worse than what they would have here in America. They want a better life just like the rest of us. “I saw with my own eyes the killing of the civilians who were protesting and calling for change from the police force and the military force,” he says, his bright blue eyes filled with intensity. “They were brutally shot right in front of my eyes.”(Connor). This is a quote from a refugee describing what he saw before he came to America. People need to put themselves in their shoes before they are so quick to make assumptions and judge them. They have been through a lot worse things then we have in America. We do not have groups of people come in and murder thousands of people each day like they
One of the more disconcerting aspects of Bill C-31 is the newly adopted Designated Country of Origin (DCO) legislation which has permanently labeled particular nations as “safe”. Consequently, individuals claiming refugee status who originate from these countries no longer have the same rights and privileges afforded to their refugee counterparts from other nations (“Overview of C-31,” 2013). In turn, this has led to a dichotomy between those who view this change as necessary in order to diminish the influx of embellished and falsified refugee claims and those who view this policy as discriminatory and prejudiced towards people originating from certain nations.
The three topics I picked are gender, race, and religion. However, my views on these subjects have not changed because I considered myself to be a very open-minded person. After reading "The Berdache Tradition" I learned that the several Native American tribes had a different kind of cultural construction of gender within their group. I was very fond of their origin myth that was about several worlds and crossing over them to find equal ground for everyone. I found this reading to be very interesting because it seems that no one takes the chance to mention the subject of having more than one gender. Usually people are focused on physical differences of sex and the expectations that are associated with gender. The same goes for the group in
My essay focuses on discrimination as one of the main challenges that refugees face. I discuss some instances of discrimination that occurred in the book, whether based on race or culture,
There was light inside the container. He looked around. Two dozen anxious faces stared at him. It seemed he wasn’t going to make this part of the journey alone.” This text evidence supports the idea because when you are surrounded by refugees who live a life completely different from yours, it might be okay to them to do something that might never ever be done in your country.
U.S. immigration law is very complex, and there is much uncertainty as to how it works. The Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA), the body of law governing current immigration policy, provides for an annual worldwide limit of 675,000 permanent immigrants, with certain exceptions for close family members ("How the United States Immigration System Works: A Fact Sheet"). Around the world there are so many immigrants/refugees who are in the hunt for a fitter life. Some come from places where civil war occurs or some suffer economically trying to support their family. Knowing the fact that they are desperate to seek for a better life, the best option is to migrate to the U.S, the land of opportunities. The problem lies in the migration to the U.S. What are the quotas for new immigrants arriving to the U.S? What are the eligibility requirements to becoming a permanent citizen in the U.S? With much inquiry, this topic has become very intriguing. What people must understand is that
The life of a refugee is not just a life of trials and ordeals, but also has rewards for those who pushed through the pain.
Empathy is not always easy to achieve. Currently as a nation we are debating whether or not we should allow the Syrian refugees into our country. After the attack on Paris and the ISIS threat against America next, it is easy to see why Americans would not want to let Syrian refugees into our country. It is a difficult decision to make, especially since most of the refugees are women and children. These refugees are trying to escape the terrors and wars that are going on in their home country. However, United States officials must remain cautious with who we are letting into our country at this time. Many citizens are nervous to let so many people into our country. The challenge that the United States officials face is if we
Immigration has been part of America since before the 17th century. America has evolved into what it is today due to immigration; however immigration as negative effects as well. Immigration is the building blocks for America. Every one that lives in America today are here because their ancestors immigrated here long ago. Over the years immigration as evolved into a more sophisticated matter. There are many laws they have been put in place to monitor and stop immigration. Immigration I a big factor in America but must be done correctly to insure Americas safety.
Today, there are over 65 million refugees in the world. That means that one in every 113 people in the world is a refugee. To many, this number may seem extremely alarming. Many refugees struggle to find a place to resettle. America, along with other developed countries, has often been considered dreamland for these displaced people, making many wanting to get out of their war-torn houses and camps. Refugees immigrating to America have been displaced from their original homes, face frustrating immigration policies, and have difficulties starting a new life in a new land.
Maybe they don’t notice, maybe they don’t care, but for the most part people never think things will go as far as they do. So as more and more Syrian refugees try to escape their country, and ISIS becomes more and more powerful, we start realizing that things are beginning tog et seriously out of hand. We can help put an end to this now. Learn from our mistakes and do what we know is the humane thing to do. They say that the United States regretted not letting Jewish refugees in sooner. By the time they did, it was too late for millions of people. If we put aside our fears, we can help save so many people. They’re lives depend on these decisions. Their lives and the American citizens’ lives are at risk. It’s all about taking chances and trying to see the best in people. Ye, there might be one terrorist among the million refugees we accept, but are we not willing to take that chance for those millions of people for something that might or might not happen. The refugees will die without us. Terrorist are already a threat to America, so why not take a chance on a minimal to risk to save what could’ve been millions of
According to the 1951 Refugee Convention, refugee is a term applied to anyone who is outside his/her own country and cannot return due to the fear of being persecuted on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership of a group or political opinion. Many “refugees” that the media and the general public refer to today are known as internally displaced persons, which are people forced to flee their homes to avoid things such as armed conflict, generalized violations of human rights or natural and non-natural disasters. These two groups are distinctly different but fall ...
This process helped transform their perceptions of refugees by confronting them with the experiences they faced as they dealt with the realities faced by refugees and asylum seekers. The journey faced by the six participants support similar ideas about ‘The Perks of being a Wallflower’. Both texts examine how the ramifications of an individuals discoveries change the way they perceive themselves and their world. Discovery in this case has the power to transform an individual by confronting them with either a new or renewed ideas, understandings and perceptions of themselves and their
While Syrian refugees are often labeled as terrorists, they are actually the opposite. Through research, - Lauren Gambino, Patrick Kingsley, and Alberto Nardelli - three writers from an English Newspaper, “The Guardian”, have found interesting results. They admit, “Syrian refugees are generally afraid of exactly the same thing that Americans are: Islamist terrorism” (Gambino 3). Considering that the Syrians are seeking an escape from the same exact thing that Americans are, why have they not been accepted into America? Like many of the 70,000 refugees who are accepted into the United States every year, Syrian refugees search for shelter from wars and hope of a prosperous future (Welsh 1). Teresa Welsh, a writer for the “U.S. News and World Report”, describes in her article “Why the U.S. Can’t Resettle Syrian Refugees” that “the U.S. should be doing more to help resettle those fleeing conflict and repressive governments in the Middle East and Asia” (Welsh 1). The Syrians desire escape from a repressive government with no chance of rebuilding a better future; therefore, they seek support from outside countries, like the United States and other European
a topic of great debate for many years, both in the UK and across many
The first chapter of the book provides a highly informative background and history to the concept of refugees, as well as their relevance to the modern international political system. The authors importantly point out that defining a refugee is not simply a matter of academic concern because resulting definitions may mean the difference between life and death for people in conflict zones. Defining a refugee involves political and ethical considerations, inevitably creating disagreement regarding the issue. For example, when refugees are defined in a certain way by the United Nations, research will consequently revolve around such definitions and will help support the status quo of the institut...