Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

where i stand:

How do we handle refugees? MLK had the answer

2015 Sun Youth Forum Luncheon

Steve Marcus

Devon Brown of Palo Verde High School, a 2015 Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum representative, poses during the annual Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum luncheon at the Las Vegas County Club Tuesday Dec. 8, 2015.

What’s on our teenagers’ minds? In its 59th year, the Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum is intended to answer just that question. The annual gathering, which this year attracted about 1,000 students, provided an opportunity for public high school juniors and seniors to discuss issues of the day in groups of 40 or so students and was moderated by a community leader. Each group selected one of its participants to reflect on the experience. This column is written by Devon Brown, a senior at Palo Verde High School. Publisher and Editor Brian Greenspun is turning over his “Where I Stand” column to these young adults, who have something to say.

Civil rights leader and Baptist preacher the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once explained, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” The greatest injustice in our society exists in the Middle East, where as many as 9 million Syrians have been forced into refugee status due to the Syrian civil conflict.

In our “Around the World” discussion, students involved with the Sun Youth Forum chose the broad theme “Syrian refugees” to discuss, something we agreed warranted attention. However, we were polarized on whose responsibility it was to handle the refugees. Whereas a majority in our room saw a European obligation due to proximity, the remaining students felt the Unites States shared responsibility with the Europeans. Surprisingly, many students contended the United States had no responsibility.

Those who said Europeans and the United States had a shared responsibility argued three points. First, we have a moral responsibility and obligation to the refugees. The Syrian crisis is tied to the Iraq War and its aftermath. The U.S. tolerance of the divisive Nouri al-Maliki government allowed the poison to spread into Iraq. As a consequence of our inaction, we should bear the cost. Second, accepting the refugees protects our future. History has proved the United States has largely benefited from refugee populations we have helped, which have included such greats as Hungarian refugee Andy Grove, who became chairman of Intel, and Cuban refugee Carlos Gutierrez, who became secretary of commerce and CEO of Kellogg. Lastly, by accepting refugees we stimulate our economy. There will be immediate costs as refugees are resettled and acclimated to their new environments. However, when given opportunities, refugees make significant social, cultural and economic contributions to their host countries. They increase consumer markets for domestic commodities, create markets, bring new skills, provide employment and fill vacant employment positions.

As expected, others had equally unwavering views. They argued the United States has no responsibility with three points as well. Primarily, we cannot accept the refugees because it would not be in the best interest of our national security. They said Paris, which accepted Syrian refugees, paid the price for their gratitude when 150 innocent Parisians lost their lives. Figuratively, if you had 1,000 M&M candies and 10 were poisonous, would you eat any? Likewise, continued threats to our national security and hidden interests among Syrian refugees are not worth the risk of accepting them. Further, there is simply no money to support the refugees given our ever-increasing multitrillion-dollar debt. We don’t have the funds to transport these refugees in need of assistance now. Finally, by accepting Syrian refugees, nations destabilize themselves. In Jordan, 20 percent of refugees live in substandard accommodations such as chicken houses, tents and garages. Those in these informal accommodations lack basic necessities such as food, water, health care and education because countries are first obligated to protect their its own citizens, often leaving nothing for refugees.

The greatest injustice currently in the world is the displacement of 9 million Syrian refugees.

King not only recognized injustice but had a solution for it, expressing, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy