The Western public has indeed been infiltrated. Not by terrorists, but by the mass marketing of the fear of terror. The feeling—the apparent knowledge—that refugees are violent has been broadcast by ratings-focused media and sensationalist politicians. To this I have two primary responses. First, refugees are simply not particularly violent and, second, the alleged risk of refugees does not take precedence over our call to compassion.
Do refugees pose a genuine threat to North American lives? No. At least, no more of a threat than native-born Americans. The Migration Policy Institute has reported that of the nearly 800,000 refugees resettled in the United States between 9/11 and 2015, only three were charged with terror, and two of those were accused of fostering insurgency abroad, not on US soil.[1] A brilliant and beautiful report from New America upped that number, alleging that between 9/11 and December, 2016, 12 refugees have been arrested on terror-related charges.[2] This compares to the hundreds of native-born, naturalized, and visa-holding individuals who have been charged.
We are all far more likely to be struck by lightning or drown in bathtub than be killed by migrant terrorists. The fear that refugees are militant and an imminent danger to you or your loved ones is unfounded. The Church needs to reject it.
But what about the “European refugee crisis”? It is true that a small number of refugees have carried out violence in Europe—typically thievery and domestic violence, not terror. We cannot hide or neglect what has happened in France, Belgium, Germany, and elsewhere. That said, refugees in Europe are not uniquely violent. In Germany, home to the largest number of refugees in Europe, national violence has registered only a slight uptick since the inflow in refugees over the last several years, and some of the increased violence can be attributed not to refugees themselves, but to anti-refugee vehemence.[3] Elsewhere, rumors about refugee violence far outstrip actual violent acts. By its very nature, terror is more alarming and visible than the everyday violence that plagues cities across the world and is perpetrated primarily by natives, but it is not actually as dangerous. Not even close.
In any case, the refugee situation in Europe is not comparable to the refugee situation in North America—as it is now or as it ever could be—for chiefly geographic reasons. Whereas refugees from Africa and the Middle East are literally walking into Europe and landing on its southern shores, thereby reducing the level of screening that can be done by European authorities, the North American case is starkly different. No African, Asian, or European refugees arrive in North America without first going through an extensive vetting process. Plainly, we choose all the refugees that come to us. Europe does not have that luxury and, as such, it cannot as effectively evaluate backgrounds, associations to terror, or the health status of incoming refugees. For this reason the “European refugee crisis,” which is itself a deceivingly incendiary label, is no justification for an anti-refugee perspective in North America.
Finally, as discussed previously in this series, the purported riskiness of refugees must not outweigh the Christian call to compassion. Regularly I hear people object to refugees with the question phrased as an assertion, “You wouldn’t let a stranger into your house, would you!” Biblically, it seems abundantly clear that, actually, yes, the Church should let strangers into our house.
[1] Kathleen Newland. “The U.S. Record Shows Refugees Are Not A Threat”. Migration Policy Institute. Oct. 2015.
[2] New America. “Terrorism in America after 9/11”. Last Checked Dec. 8, 2016.
[3] Heather Horn. “Where Does the Fear of Refugees Come From?” The Atlantic. April 27, 2016.
“the purported riskiness of refugees must not outweigh the Christian call to compassion.” This is such an important point when asking how to respond to the refugee crisis as a Christian. We must submit to a kingdom mindset instead of a worldly one. Compassion must outweigh fear. Especially in America, we hold our security and safety as a righteous pursuit when in fact the gospel leads us to sacrifice everything and follow Jesus. Even our worldly security. Even our (often false) sense of safety. Great post!