Arguments Against Refugees In America

The melting pot, America has always been identified as a nation of immigrants and diversity. It stems back to ancient days when the first American settlers arrived across the Bering Sea in the Northern part of the country. Immigration in America spiked in the 1500s, once many European countries discovered the new land; the foreign nations established settlements and continued to colonize the vast new country. Seeking refuge due to oppression was the main cause of immigration to America. The most notable example is the Pilgrims who came to America because of the oppression of their religion in England. The Land of the Free has become the identity of America. Immigrants founded America to be a country of refuge and freedom; it became a place

Turkey, for example, has constructed a fence surrounding the country’s border and has armed soldiers to ward off any refugees trying to pass through to Western Europe. Sweden has faced many problems such as raids and many Syrian gangs causing violence and rape in the country. This should not hold the whole refugee population at fault however the media and politics has created a large stigma against refugees. In the States, 31 governors have stated that they do not wish to allow refugees into their state or the country. The opposition against refugees stems not only from previous terrorist attacks from America but also current major attacks in Europe. Two of the most well known attacks that have involved a refugee and ISIS are the Paris attacks and the bombings in Brussels. The Paris attacks were orchestrated by a man who falsely came into the France stating he was a Syrian refugee however he was neither Syrian or a refugee but a member of ISIS. The bombings in Brussels were not due to refugees but again by ISIS. Media coverage during both of these events often painted the problem as one caused by refugees or poor security checks. “Press coverage of asylum and migration is often linked to public discourses about security, terrorism and global threats in a changing world.” It is not refugees that scare away Americans from allowing them into the country, but the fear of ISIS infiltrating the