As Europe continues to recoil from the horrors of the refugee crisis — from bodies found in trucks in Austria to the discouraging picture of a drowned three-year-old boy — the United States has debated how best to deal with the situation.
Thousands of refugees are fleeing war-torn regions such as Syria in an attempt to reach resource-rich countries like Germany. Of the more than 300,000 refugees making the perilous journey to Europe, about 2,500 have died or gone missing in the past year.
Some people such as Pope Francis suggest that the Catholic community should house and donate provisions to refugees in their time of need, but solutions like these are short-term and will not provide migrants with the jobs or language skills they will need.
Others point out that the U.S. has a role to play in this crisis. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., said early this week that “the U.S. has admitted less than 1,000 refugees.”
Both Franken and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., were part of a group that contacted President Barack Obama in May recommending that the U.S. accept a minimum of 60,000 refugees during the next two years.
Minnesota is already involved. Groups such as the American Refugee Committee are trying to raise funds to provide Syrians with relief assistance. However, this isn’t enough as the numbers of those still trying to flee will show.
We feel that our senators are correct, and the U.S. has a moral responsibility to allow refugees a safe haven. A large humanitarian issue such as this requires solidarity and participation from every country, including ours.
