Emily Harmon

7801 Titan Drive

Antelope, Ca 95843

Governor Gerry Brown

c/o State Capital, Suite 1173
Sacramento, Ca 95814

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a country of immigrants, and we must not throw away the tradition of helping
refugees. People are dying, and the U.S. is allowing this to happen, as they turn them
down and watch them walk straight into an open flame. Thirty-one governors have made
Syrian refugees feel unwanted, by saying things such as their states will refuse to take
them in. This enrages me as well as makes my heart drop. The Syrian people are
surrounded by murderers, in my opinion. The U.S., as well as Syria, have put the
refugees in a ludicrous amount of danger and has been responsible for the deaths of too
many. I know what you are going to say, that has nothing to do with us. See but the thing
is, it has almost everything to do with the U.S. We have given them no comfort and have
showed them nothing but inhumanity. Families are being murdered and we are watching
it happen, as well as shunning them completely. How are we any better than the
murderers and terrorists within Syria? By-standers who continuously watch others suffer
and remain silent are just as bad as those who acted as the catalyst of these traumatic and
horrific situations. I believe the U.S. may actually be more at fault for the mass killings of
innocent Syrian people, by rejecting these refugees in desperate need of a safe home.

Refugees are fleeing Syria and the overwhelming amount of chaos and war that has
sprung into action between the current government and those seeking to overthrow it.
This conflict has going on for a number of years in Syria and has put fear in the hearts of
the people there. They only desire a safer and brighter future, causing them to evacuate
the disaster and attempt to find refuge that the U.S. is coldly and selfishly denying them.

This crisis is often compared to that of the WWII refugee crisis. Proving that the tension
and friction between the U.S. and refugees has apparently been a heated issue for a while
now. Of course there are differences between the rhetoric of today and the attitudes
during WWII but the similarities are rather jarring and disturbing. The restrictions put on
the refugees and the ability to enter stemmed from the fear of Nazis and the distrust
factor regarding the idea of secret spies. Similarly the U.S. has not allowed Syrians in
America because they lack trust as well. They fear they will bring terrorism into the U.S.
America has based their decision making completely off fear. Yes, the idea of terrorism is
very scary and something no one wants to experience, but the chance of this actually
occurring by allowing Syrian refugees into the country is very slim. We must unveil our
empathy, and not repeat history. The German Jews imposed no threat and neither do the
majority of Syrians. Yes, majority is not the entire population, but what about security?
The scanning process is long and tedious, as well as very hard to get through. So what is
stopping the U.S. from letting them in? At this point I am seriously convinced the only
thing holding the U.S. back from being decent human beings is our own self-seeking
ways. We are scared for ourselves, but what are we scared of? We can prevent terrorism
just as easily as we could prevent the killings of the innocent refugees. Lets wake up
America, for crying out loud, where is our compassion?

To make myself as crystal clear as possible, I do not agree with the U.S governments
inhumane ways. We can save so many souls desperately and frantically searching for a
light in their lives, simply by further securing and advancing our scanning processes. The
U.S. can afford sacrificing a bit more time and effort regarding their security policies, in
exchange for the reward of saving hundreds and maybe even thousands of lives. Let the
U.S. show these refugees who we really are. We must redeem ourselves while we still
have time, and give the suffering some peace and sanctuary. We are betraying and going
against our own rituals and morals of tending to and aiding refugees. We must provide
liberation to all, and solve our problems instead of running from them. Let us all open our
minds and hearts. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Emily Harmon
Antelope High School Student