News from the Week of June 13, 2016

Our hearts are with all those affected by the tragedy in Orlando over the weekend. The shooting, which killed 49 and wounded 53, is the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11 and specifically targeted the LGBT community. As the nation mourns lives lost too early, some politicians have called again for a ban on Muslim immigration to the United States. This ignores the fact that the shooter was born in Queens, New York.

Stories of heroism have also surfaced amidst the tragedy. Marine veteran Imran Yousuf saved dozens of people by helping them to escape through a backdoor. He tearfully told CBS News that he wished he had saved more. And Joseph Ibrahim, head of the trauma unit at Orlando Regional Medical Center and son of Muslim immigrants from Egypt, spent hours tending to the wounded.

While the anti-immigrant rhetoric of many political leaders makes headlines, a new poll shows that the American people may have a more compassionate attitude toward refugees. Brookings finds that 6 in 10 Americans support the resettlement of refugees in the United States after proper security screenings. (It may come as a surprise to many Americans that Syrian refugees are the most vetted of any entrants into the country.)

Unsurprisingly, the poll shows that the refugee issue is divided along partisan lines. But millennials in particular show strong support for refugees. For the youngest (and now largest) generation, the November general election represents an opportunity to shift the tide in favor of refugee protection.

In Europe, the effects of the refugee crises remain. According to a recent UNICEF report, human traffickers are exploiting children in French refugee camps. The Guardian reports that refugee children in a Calais camp are sexually exploited and forced to commit crimes in exchange for passage to the U.K. Many of these children have family within the U.K., but the process of admitting them into the country has been slow. Traffickers are now preying on the ones most vulnerable and desperate to reunite with their families.

Charity organizations have estimated that for 150 identified children in Calais, it may take up to one year to complete the relocation process to the United Kingdom. As UNICEF’s U.K. Deputy Executive Director states, “The government has said that unaccompanied children should be brought to the U.K. if they have family here, yet these children’s cases are moving far too slowly. It’s time for the government to turn its promise into a reality now, and get these children to their families.”

Finally, we continue to follow the  #5YearsWeFled series, a collection of interviews that reveal the trials and tribulations of Syrian refugees as they make their journey across the Mediterranean in search of safety.

Have reactions to share, or want to learn how you can be involved in our efforts to raise veteran voices in support of refugees? Find us on Facebook or Twitter, or contact us at [email protected].