As many of us celebrate Father's Day today, let's also be mindful that today is World Refugee Day, as well. Thanks to Barbara Peña of Raíces, Texas, for this reminder.
We totally need human policies for asylum seekers and refugees, as a staggering tens of millions annually of people are regularly displaced from their homes due to "violence, persecution, hunger, climate disasters, poverty, and political upheaval," as noted below.
Just like we wish and seek for ourselves and our own families, they deserve a life of dignity and respect.
Like Mahatma Ghandi once said, “The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane.” This points directly to the virtue of being compassionate toward others if we ourselves are to be humane in our policies and practices.
Happy Fathers Day! Happy Word Refugee Day 2021!
Peace and blessings to all.
-Angela Valenzuela
@RAICESTEXAS
More than 80 million people have been displaced from their homes globally. Many, including unaccompanied children, are fleeing violence, persecution, hunger, climate disasters, poverty, and political upheaval.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Refugee Convention1 – but despite a decades-long international commitment to protect those who are in fear of persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, or political opinion, the U.S. government turns away asylum seekers and refugees, and continues to criminalize migration.
The COVID-19 pandemic only made things worse. Processing inefficiencies at the U.S. southern border, coupled with policies like the Migrant Protection Protocols and Title 42 that prevent migrants from entering the country and supercharge mass expulsions, have eroded what once were robust laws that protected people’s right to seek refuge in the U.S.
This World Refugee Day, and every day, RAICES stands in solidarity with those whose lives have been uprooted and who are seeking safety and refuge here in the U.S. It is our mission to uplift their stories and create a more welcoming country for refugees and asylum seekers.
It is in this spirit of resilience and courage that we share this video with you. It is a beautiful testament to the power of storytelling as a vehicle for change.
Watch the video and then click on the link below to help us build a people first approach to migration that welcomes everyone.
The more people who join the campaign, the more power we build to make the dream of building an immigration system that treats all human beings with dignity and respect a reality.
In solidarity,
Barbara Peña
Associate VP of Advocacy
RAICES
PS: You can also support our work by making a monthly gift. With your support, we can model a humanitarian approach to migration through our legal, social, and advocacy programs and keep up the fight to make our borders more welcoming places.
References:
- The UN Refugee Agency, "The 1951 Refugee Convention."
Accessed June 17, 2021.
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