Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

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"3) Granting asylum to people who qualify for it will not create an 'invasion' or 'flood' of people. Refugees are involuntary immigrants, meaning that they are forced to migrate for their own safety, not because they want to. I keep hearing people say things like 'but everyone wants to come here so we can't just let in these refugees'. As a refugee attorney, I can promise you 'everyone' does not want to come here. Everyone does want to live in safety and ensure that their children can survive. Just like you probably don't want to leave your community to move to another country, most people also like where they're from as long as they can live there safely. You probably like living where you live because you feel connected to your loved ones, your community, your work, etc. Think about what it would take for you to decide to travel thousands of miles to a new country you've never been to before with your young children and only the clothes on your back. You're probably thinking it would take severe, life threatening danger for you to get to that point. It is the same for refugees coming here. So many people I have met including caravan members and refugee clients in the U.S. say their dream is that one day their country of origin will be safe enough for them to return. We need to get over this mentality of American exceptionalism that makes us believe that 'everyone' wishes they could live in the US and that we will be 'overrun' if we simply welcome the people who are asking us for refuge so that they won't be killed. And while we're at it, let's stop using dehumanizing terms ('invasion', 'flood', etc.) and be more respectful of everyone's humanity."

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-- an immigration attorney who spent Thanksgiving working with refugees in that caravan and is a friend of a friend of Jacole Johnson, posted to Facebook 2018-11-26