This is an article from September 2021 discussing the arrival of about 1,169 Afghan refugees into my home state of North Carolina. When I began searching for media to include in this assignment I was overwhelmed by how unaware and disconnected I am about current issues of migration and globalization. This article piqued my interest because it concerns the state in which I live and connects to the recent US withdrawal from Afghanistan. After the withdrawal and subsequent Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the subject has not been as prevalent on cable news programs or national newspapers.
In this article by Will Wright of The Charlotte Observer, some lines that stood out to me are, “in 2015, then-Gov. Pat McCrory, who is now running for U.S. Senate, was one of about two dozen governors who asked the federal government to halt the settlement of Syrians to their states. Saying at the time that his ‘primary duty as governor is to keep the citizens of North Carolina safe,’ McCrory said he wanted to halt the flow of Syrian refugees until he was satisfied with the vetting process. Although the request was condemned by human rights advocates, other North Carolina politicians, including U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, also called for halting the refugee program for Syrians.”
I am thinking about those kinds of statements regarding safety, which plant seeds of fear and separation in the hearts of listeners and readers. Why is their an assumption that welcoming refugees threatens our safety?