Samveda Ruk

Ms. Gardner

English 10 Honors Per 6

29 November 2016

Dear Mr. President-Elect,

I am Samveda Ruk, an Indian born American citizen. My parents came to America in search for

better opportunities, and being in a family of immigrants has shown me to be grateful for the life and

opportunities I have in this great nation. My family was not turned away from entering America because

of how we looked, or our religion, or the language we speak, or our country of birth, so why are innocent

people not being allowed to enter America? In America, people are innocent until proven guilty, and it is

unfair to view Syrian refugees as terrorists. According to the National Review, more than 800,000

Vietnamese immigrants were allowed into America after the war, whereas the United States has only

accepted 10,000 Syrian refugees. BBC News describes how the civil war has already killed 400,000

people, and 13.5 million people require urgent humanitarian assistance within Syria.

Imagine. You are in Syria in the middle of the night, awake from a nightmare. Your heart beat

slows as you hear your loved ones steady breathing, but suddenly your nightmare comes true. The room

collapses from the impact of the airstrike, but you manage to pull your bloodied loved ones out from the

rubble. You do not know when the attacks will stop, or how much damage they have inflicted, but you do

know one thing. You have to flee. This is the story for the 6.6 million people displaced within Syria notes

the UNHCR. It is unacceptable to allow people to live in war zones in Syria. Just this past August,

Aleppo, Syria was bombed, and two children prove that humanitys kindness will always prevail when it

is not tainted by stereotypes. CNN's Kate Bolduan could not contain her tears when reporting on the
bombing that left five-year-old Omran Daqneesh tearless, despite the numerous injuries he sustained.

How can some of humanity watch silently, actionless, when a child is silent with blood running down his

face? Omran lost his older brother to the bombings, so Alex, a six-year-old boy from New York wrote a

letter to President Obama inviting Omran to come and live with his family. America should share this

country with more Syrian refugees. America should teach them that humanity still exists. America should

learn from Alex.

Not only do we need to allow refugees into America out of compassion, but also because

resources are beginning to dwindle in the host nations around Syria. According to Amnesty International,

at least 450,000 Syrians in the five main host countries, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt and Turkey, require

resettlement to other nations like ours. Reuters reports that the amount of refugees increased from 4

million to 4.8 million in a year, and providing for them is becoming increasingly difficult. Please do not

close our borders and our hearts to these people.

Last years terrorist attacks in Paris resulted in increased opposition to allowing more refugees

into America. However, by accepting Syrian refugees into America, we can reduce the risk of terrorism.

First, Syrians are being forced back toward Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad because they are unable to

find long term housing in other countries, which aids in recruitment for ISIS. Refugees are being directed

to return to Syria and Iraq by ISIS, but the United Nations states that 60% of refugees are fleeing ISIS

territory. It is Americas duty to help these people, for the safety of the refugees and for the safety of the

world. Refusing refugees may results in them returning to ISIS territory and radicalization. Also, the risk

of terrorism increases the longer the refugees stay in camps. Ann Speckhard from Georgetown University,

reveals this phenomenon, Experience from many conflict zones teaches us that the longer these refugees

are left to languish in despair in camps the more prone they become to radicalization. Therefore, creating

sufficient refugee camps to house refugees is the first step to combating terrorism, but finding them
stable, long term housing in countries like ours is the next step. We have to stop turning away refugees in

fear of terrorism, and instead embrace refugees in hopes of fighting terrorism.

Imagine. You are now in California, a state where you and your family can finally live safely.

The Golden Gate Bridge will always remind you of the connection between your two lives, one as a

Syrian refugee and another as a Syrian American, and the transition between the two worlds. You are

forever grateful that the American people opened their hearts, opened their borders, and opened up new

opportunities. Fear is Americas Achilles heel in the fight to preserve our values of compassion and

diversity. People came to America to create a land of opportunities, so we need create opportunities for

people to come to America. We are the voice for the Syrian refugees. We are the voice for kindness. It is

time we all speak up.