America’s oldest and most noble tradition: welcoming refugees

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy welcomed a Syrian family that had been turned away by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, now Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate.

Meanwhile, 30 Republican Governors and one Democratic Governor officially announced they would not be accepting Syrian refugees. Malloy told CNN that’s “a national embarrassment. … I think the most un-American thing we can do in America is to elect Donald Trump as president based on the things that he has said about refugees, about people’s religion, about women,” Malloy said.

The reason Connecticut is a leader in co-sponsoring Syrian refugees is that there is a strong system in place to provide support for the newcomers. Nonprofit agencies, church groups and volunteers are ready to do everything from driving refugees where they need to go, to teaching youngsters how to count in English.

“Sixty groups have offered to co-sponsor Syrian refugees in the state.” says Chris George, executive director of Connecticut Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services. “They’re incredible,” he adds. “They smother them (the refugees) with compassion, love, and friendship.”

He said if Trump is elected, the program will continue. “No single person, not even the president of the United States, can bring this tradition down. This is our oldest and most noble tradition: welcoming refugees from all over the world. We will always do it.”

[CNN]

This entry was posted in Humanitarian Aid, International Cooperation by Grant Montgomery.