Not All Refugees Are Created Equal

The American Rant

Published Jan. 18, 2017

© Moises Saman / Magnum Photos

It’s time we ask the hard question: who exactly is a refugee?

No decent American wants to turn away the innocent, the persecuted, the people in need. Yet pretending every person who crosses the border is automatically good-willed and harmless —is reckless.

Every nation on earth has borders because every nation has enemies. Political correctness has silenced too many of us into submission. Have we become so terrified of being called “judgmental” that we’ve surrendered good judgment altogether? Providing safe haven to women and children fleeing oppression is one thing. But is that who is actually arriving at our borders in large numbers? The data say no. Instead, we’re seeing predominantly able-bodied men of military age from Muslim-majority countries—precisely the demographic that matches known jihadist recruitment patterns (ages 18–28). Given that reality, is it unreasonable to demand common-sense vetting as a basic safety measure?

Sweden, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom have already run this experiment. Violent crime—including the rape of girls as young as seven—has skyrocketed in direct correlation with mass unregulated migration. So, we don’t have to guess what the outcome would be like here—we can simply look across the pond.

When I travel abroad, I learn the language, respect the customs, follow the laws, and present a passport. I would never dream of  (or be allowed to) enter another country, demand protection and support whilst marching in their streets, complaining about their government, and committing crimes. I wouldn’t last long, that’s for certain.

Yet Americans who simply want secure borders and legal, vetted, immigration are routinely smeared as hateful. I think there’s some projection going on. The racist calls the patriot racist. The violent call the peaceful violent. It’s time to stop attacking citizens for loving their country and their right to defend themselves.

I’m a bleeding heart—I drop money in the beggar’s cup, volunteer at nursing homes, give to faith-based charities, and want to help people genuinely in need. But charity begins with responsibility. I wouldn’t leave my front door wide open while my children sleep. Would you? We lock our homes, alarm our banks, and guard our national treasures—not because we hate our neighbors, but because we acknowledge that there are people who do intend harm. Protecting our families, our possessions, and our country is not bigotry; it is the most basic duty of adulthood. What, exactly, is wrong with looking through the peephole before opening the door, folks?

The question has to be asked, what is the real agenda of those who demand we lay down our defenses, tie our hands behind our backs, and leave the front door swinging in the wind? You couldn’t design a better plan to conquer a nation if you tried. If someone truly hates America’s way of life, let them move to a country that matches their values—Cuba and Iran come to mind—and leave the rest of us in peace.

Loving my country doesn’t make me a racist – it makes me a citizen.  As Michael Savage famously said, “Liberalism is a mental disorder.” He went on: “Liberals will defend criminals, Islamic extremists, the enemies of America—essentially anyone that would, given the chance, kill them and dump their bodies in a well. Conservatives would never do that to them. Yet they defend the killers over those who disagree with them politically every time. There is no other explanation.”

Most of would agree that we should protect the downtrodden, feed the widow, and welcome the stranger in need, if we’re able to. But we can—and must—do it without committing national suicide.

There is a way to help refugees without putting our own citizens at risk—it’s called immigration law, and it’s been serving us since our country’s very inception.

Let’s keep the bad apples out while extending a hand to the good ones. Keeping our borders secure and following our lawful asylum laws are common sense protocols. Only a fool—or someone with an agenda—pretends they aren’t.