Gratitude is good for the soul! If your soul could use a little goodness today, here’s something to be thankful for: The U.S. is moving in the right direction regarding refugees.
Although there’s a laundry list of things wrong with our country and the favorite topic of conversation at church might be recounting those wrongs, we are doing something right. Or at least righter than in recent years.
Following the one-two punch of Covid and a refugee-adverse oval office combining to drop refugee admittance to its lowest levels in the history of the program, the numbers are now moving up.
This means a widow and her two kids, displaced from their country, having weathered an intense investigation by international experts and found to have legitimate cause to fear for their lives, now has a better chance at finding new life in America.
The current upper limit for acceptance has been set by the president at 125,000. My best understanding is that we had taken in around 50,000 this year by the end of August. We won’t make 125k for sure, but this is more than the last three years combined and growing.
Although I’ve cast shade on Texans recently for the way they drive in Colorado, big time kudos is due for their leading the way in resettling refugees. You outpaced California, even though they have (for the time being) a higher population! Atta boy to Kentucky as well, although only 1/6th the population of Texas, you’ve taken in half as many refugees as them in this current U.S. fiscal year.
Let’s keep in mind:
• Refugees are not the same as immigrants.
•This good news is not a comment on the situation at our southern border.
•Some refugees are so in part as a result of US action and policy (Afghans, Iraqis), others not so much (Congolese, Rohingya).
Jesus was pretty clear that his followers care for widows, orphans and the oppressed. I’m happy that we’re doing more of that this year than last.