We Are Once Again in a Humanitarian Refugee Crisis. We Must Stem This Misery.

By Walter F. Mondale, The Washington Post

27 July 19

orty years�ago�this�month, I stood before the Geneva Meeting on Refugees and Displaced Persons in South-East Asia at a�particularly�grave moment in time. The world was in the grips of a humanitarian crisis as�hundreds of�thousands of people fled the south of Vietnam, many seeking protection from�political�persecution.�Having�visited�the overflowing refugee camps in Thailand, I knew firsthand that�many�people were desperate for shelter and safety.�Thousands�of men, women and children were dying at sea. The�Geneva�conference, convened by the United Nations,�was a wake-up call meant to draw the attention of the world to a horrific situation.��

We are once again in�a�humanitarian refugee�crisis�of unprecedented proportions. Today, we are confronted with a president doing everything in his power to�undermine or ignore�U.S.�laws and�regulations�relating to�refugees�and asylum�seekers. A country once recognized as a�respected�humanitarian leader, the United States now slams the door to all but a�relative few.�The�Trump administration�has�dramatically�slashed�refugee admissions numbers, from 84,995�during President Barack Obama�s last year in office to just�22,491�last year. But even that isn�t enough for the administration, which is reportedly considering zeroing out admissions entirely next year. And this at a time when the numbers fleeing religious and political persecution, violence, torture and war�are�higher�than at any time since�World War II.��

I never thought I would repeat�the words I�spoke�in Geneva so long ago, but they ring in my ears once again: �Let us do something meaningful � something profound � to stem this misery.� �

The events leading up to the Geneva conference were dire, much like events of today at the heart of the refugee crisis. A heartbreaking and infuriating difference between then and now is that 40 years ago, the United States led the charge to rally support for increased humanitarian�aid�and refugee resettlement. Today,�it is the United States that is systematically dismantling the refugee protection framework we were instrumental in constructing in the first place.�

As a result of our government�s leadership in 1979,�countries in Southeast Asia�made�provisions to offer temporary asylum to refugees. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) introduced the�Orderly Departure Program, an attempt to improve the safety of departure and travel to other countries for resettlement.�Western countries�agreed to boost resettlement,�welcoming hundreds�of�thousands of refugees. Following the Geneva conference, the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980�was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter after first passing with full bipartisan support in the Senate. The act�nearly tripled�the number of refugees the United States would admit,�and, perhaps most important, amended the definition of refu�gee to include�someone with �well-founded fear of persecution.���

In short, hundreds of thousands of lives were saved.��

By contrast, President Trump has�twisted�the perception�of refugees and asylum seekers into an unrecognizable lie. But�here are the facts: Asylum seekers and refugees leave their countries because they have no choice � for many, if they stay, they will be persecuted,�subjected to traumatic events such as�torture, or killed.�In fact, the�Center for Victims of Torture�estimates �that�as�many as 44 percent�of�refugees, asylees and asylum seekers�already�in the United States are survivors of torture.�All people have the�legal right�to seek protection from persecution � and, just as important, the human right, as noted in the�Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to the UNHCR, there�are�70.8�million forcibly displaced people worldwide, 25.9�million of whom are refugees and 3.5�million of whom are asylum seekers. And yet, the Trump administration has admitted only 21,260 refugees so far this fiscal year.�

Make no mistake, I firmly believe in and support nations� prerogatives to control their borders. But it is imperative that the United States does�this�in a manner consistent with both U.S.�and international law�and�that reflects America�s founding principle of welcoming those most in need.���

There is hope. While most Americans do not have the privileges my office afforded me�in 1979, nor the platforms upon which to speak out, there are�steps�everyone�can�take to�make a real, tangible impact.�Contact your�representatives in Washington. Make the case for�an increase in refugee admissions. Speak�up�against this administration�s tactics of cruelty and inhumane treatment of asylum seekers at our border.�And, of course, change can be made with a vote�when the time comes.�When enough voices are raised, change can happen.�As we promised in Geneva, it is time to�take action: �History will not forgive us if we fail. History will not forget us if we succeed.�