Dear Mister or Madam President,

First and foremost, congratulations on your presidency. I am writing to you as a senior in high school who has felt compelled to express my concerns regarding Syrian refugees admittance into the United States. Recently I came across a petition to congress that called for President Obama to stop allowing Syrian refugees into our country. In reading the petition, one will come across sentences such as “these are the same people who danced in the street celebrating 9/11” and “the same people who hate us.” This type of language in regard to the Syrian people is both discriminatory and rooted in hate. Mr. or Mrs. President, I am asking you to continue allowing refugees into the United States, without decreasing the numbers of admittance to appease the crowds.

I have read concerns that Syrian refugees will be terroristic and commit violent acts. However, according to the FBI website, since 2009 violent crime in America has been on a downward trend, only spiking in 2012. According to the refugee admissions statistics, in 2009 Syrian refugees were being accepted even if they were not in large numbers. So I ask you, Mr. or Mrs. President, what violent acts are we missing that these terrifying people are committing under the radar?

One can not stand for equal rights, but say all Syrians hate America. If there is trouble finding the correlation between the two, allow me to give you a brief look into my life. I am biracial with a Caucasian mother and a African American father. My parents have had to hide me from the oppression we face all of my life, especially my dad. Being a black man in America, he has had to face stereotypes centered around black men being violent in nature, even though he has asserted himself as a hardworking, compassionate citizen. This is no different than how the refugees have to live knowing they are being oppressed in this country. Equal rights means equal rights for everyone and we have to recognize these people as human beings whose country is in turmoil.

I for one believe people are missing the principal this country was founded on—freedom. If we instill the idea that freedom is only available to those born on American soil, future generations will believe that American life reigns supreme over life in any other country. I ask that you continue to allow refugees into this country, not only for the sake of getting human beings out of dire conditions, but for the sake of our country that seems to be lacking empathy for anyone not American.

With an open heart,

Josie Larkins

Work Cited

"Crime in the United States 2013." FBI. FBI, 08 Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.

"Refugee Admissions Statistics." U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.