Thirty-seven immigrants were killed tragically when a boat headed to Greece, carrying over 100 people, hit rocks that were near the shoreline and quickly sank. The coast guard helped to save some 75 people. Many were taken to hospitals to seek help with hypothermia and other injuries or illnesses, while some others were taken into police custody for questioning. The Associated Press notes that most of the immigrants were Syrians.
This tragedy is only a small reflection of what's happening to Syrian refugees around the world and here in the US. America's responses to immigration crises have evolved significantly, due to changes in foreign policy and the rising power of our international population. However, negligence is still a huge issue in our country. Xenophobic policies have been around since the birth of the US, but hopefully muckraking coverage of events like the sinking boat will help change our minds.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/30/464962387/boat-sinks-en-route-to-greece-killing-at-least-33-migrants
Any article about people dying is so devastating, especially when it's such a high number. But to think that this one ship is only a small portion of all those Syrian refugees that had died in the recent immigrant sweep is, if possible, even more devastating.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy to think that the US would turn their backs on people who clearly need our help.
ReplyDeleteI feel challenged by American values that "these people" are not the same as "those people" I see every day, in the community surrounding me. How could anyone ever ignore the fact that the label of being a citizen in one area makes you any less worthful than being a citizen in another? Ignorance makes us scared of what we don't know, and it's sad that will people will lose their life because we don't understand their struggle. - Kera Mickus
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