Contributed by MIRA’s Communications Director Laura Perras
Friday June 20th was World Refugee Day – reminding us that we must call on our leaders to immediately implement the court order to restart refugee admissions. We must urge our communities to support local resettlement agencies that have been devastated by funding cuts and program suspensions. Most importantly, we must remember that being a refuge for those forced to leave their homes isn’t just good policy – it’s the only way we can authentically be in alignment with so-called “American values”.
The famous inscription on the Statue of Liberty doesn’t say “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” as a suggestion. It’s a promise that we have a responsibility to uphold.
Connect With Your Own Immigrant Story
Not everyone in the U.S. is descended from immigrants. Many are descended from the original Americans, the indigenous folks who were here when colonizers arrived bringing disease and genocide and forcibly displacing at least an estimated 100,000 people from their own land. Many others are descended from those who were abducted from other lands and brought here against their will, then subjected to forced labor and other horrors. This dark history is readily apparent today, echoing loudly in the experiences, customs and policies of U.S. culture and government. Many of us, like myself, have ancestors from multiple different backgrounds. And according to scientists, we can all claim genetic ancestry linked to 2 individuals who were alive (not necessarily at the same time) between 100,00 and 160,000 years ago. If you live in the U.S., it is highly unlikely you do not have some connection – past or present, be it in yourself, your family, or your community – with an immigrant. This connection is your immigrant story.
As the descendant of an immigrant from Ukraine who arrived under the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, I am aware that if she had not been allowed to enter, I would not exist. Katarina Fidirka arrived in 1915, at age 15, sent with money raised by her church parish, to stay with a cousin in New York. Her four younger sisters and two younger brothers planned to join her when finances allowed. Before this could happen, Katarina discovered through the Red Cross that her entire family had been killed shortly after she had left. Katarina (now Katherine) died in 1980, the same year the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program (USRAP) was established with the passage of the Refugee Act of 1980.
Whenever I hear news about the ongoing violence and displacement in Ukraine, or anywhere else, I think of her. I think of how common a story like mine is; yet somehow so many American citizens fail to see the connection between their lives now and what is being denied to families and individuals going through the same hardships their ancestors went through.
When I consider that today she would not have the opportunity to even apply for refuge in the U.S., I think of everyone in my family who is alive and safe now because of her. Then I think of the exponential number of people like us who likely won’t have that opportunity, because of the whims of a government empowered by its own people to carry out exclusionary and heartless policies. And it must be acknowledged that while refugees from the Ukraine initially inspired an outpouring of support, we did not and do not see the same support extended to all displaced people. Refugees who come from other regions across the world and have different religious backgrounds and darker skin tones are not always portrayed as innocent victims, or brave survivors; often they are portrayed as somehow being to blame for the conditions they’ve had to endure and escape from. White refugees are often accorded special privileges – a stunning example being Trump’s enthusiastic welcome of white Afrikaners from South Africa in the midst of pausing the refugee admissions from everywhere else.
American citizens, now viewed by the rest of the world as heartless and exclusionary, also have the power and the responsibility to make this right. It was gifted to us by our ancestors.
We Are Experiencing A Global Displacement Crisis
We face a stark reality: the global displacement crisis has reached unprecedented levels. According to the UN refugee agency’s latest Global Trends Report, more than 122 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced by violence and persecution – a staggering increase that represents nearly a doubling over the past decade. This means that 1 in every 67 people on Earth is fleeing their home.
These statistics represent REAL PEOPLE – mothers fleeing war zones with children in their arms, families escaping famine, and individuals whose only crime was being born in the wrong place at the wrong time. The report reveals that Sudan has become home to the world’s largest displacement crisis, with more than 14 million people displaced, surpassing Syria at 13.5 million.
America’s Moral Imperative
While the global need grows ever more urgent, America’s response has been deeply troubling. Despite a federal judge’s order three months ago to restart the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, more than 125,000 refugees remain in limbo, even though they were vetted and their travel to the United States was approved. These are individuals who have already endured years of vetting and approval processes, with 12,000 who had already booked travel plans. Imagine how many more are suffering without the opportunity to apply for relief.
A Global Crisis Demands Global Leadership
The UN report reminds us that nearly two-thirds of people who crossed national borders to flee remained in neighboring countries, countering misconceptions about refugee destinations. The truth is that the world’s poorest countries bear the heaviest burden while the world’s wealthiest nations often do the least.
This is both a moral failing and a strategic mistake. In an interconnected world, instability anywhere affects stability everywhere. By providing safe haven and opportunity to those fleeing violence, famine, and persecution, we not only save lives – we invest in global stability and benefit from the cultural and economic contributions that immigrants carry with them. We demonstrate alignment between the words we use to represent American ideals and the actions we take.
More information, updates and ways you can take action
Urge your Senators to vote NO on the budget reconciliation bill that cuts funding for human needs to spend it on detentions and deportations!
Thank your Senators (this one’s for you, if you live in Massachusetts!) if they already oppose this “Big Beautiful Bill”! They need to hear from you.
Call friends and family in other states and urge them to do the same!