I felt it was time to add my voice to the opinions on the recently implemented (but temporary) immigration ban on certain Middle Eastern and African countries. First I’d like to tell you some background on my interactions with refugees.

While I was in college, a lady I know from church was an English as a second language teacher at a Metro Nashville public school. Many of her students were newcomers to Nashville or America or both. I was asked to provide transportation of these kids home. So I would go out to the West End school and take about 4 of them home. Looking back I believe some of these kids were Kurdish. They knew enough English to be able to point directions to their home. I remember finding out right away that just over I-440 from Granny White Pike is a large discrepancy in income status. Within Lipscomb’s Green Hills neighborhood on Granny White Pike, there are plenty of expensive homes with high income home owners. Then past I-440 is a low income neighborhood where these Kurdish families lived. I never knew two income discrepancies were so close together.

In 2015 I visited Budapest just after the Syrian refugee crisis. Many of the refugees had moved on from the train station which I visited on my way to Bratislava. However at the church of Christ I attended in Budapest I heard stories of the congregation helping refugee families at the train station. The members of the congregation stood by and gave them basic supplies when they arrived at the train station.

While I’ve personally seen and helped new comers to our country (refugees?), I’m really kinda on the fence about this one if the immigration ban is a good thing. Some thoughts on each country being banned.

• Libya – I really had hoped the revolution and overthrow of Gaddafi would have made for a safer and more westernized Libya. However there still seems to be some ISIS activity in this area. I do realize that there are some educated displaced people rather than just extremely poor people with no way to leave the country.
• Somalia – This is a failed state. Anyone from this state have probably already left. I mean really. How often do you hear about people from Somolia living next door to you?
• Sudan – I’m pretty sure this is an ultra conversative Muslim state. Again, how often do you hear about people from Sudan coming to America? As a side note at my home congregation we have a few people from South Sudan, but that’s a whole other country.
• Iran – When I was in 7th grade a classmate of mine was of Iranian decent. I believe her parents had fled some years back. Her father gave my class a tour of the industrial plant he worked at. I’m pretty sure there are a large amount of educated Iranians who are fleeing their country’s extremist views. I have read that many Iranian might say “Death to America,” but it’s really only lipservice until they can move the regime to a more contemporary secular view. I’m pretty sure the ban on Iran is effecting alot of people.
• Iraq – As with Iran, Iraq too has some intellectuals who desperately want to leave this dangerous area. You’ve got the Kurds in the north (who BTW really deserve their own country) and the rest of Iraqis to the south.
• Syria too probably has alot of intellectuals that want to leave. However this country is very risky as ISIS is very active there and could just as easily blend into the refugees camps. Extreme vetting is needed for Syria.
• Yemen – Well let’s just say it now. No one vacations in Yemen. I’m pretty sure that anyone with any sense and cash to move has already left Yemen. It’s an extremist nation. Remember the 2010 plot of mailing bombs to Jewish synagogues? Well that was carried out by someone in Yemen. Yemen is a no go. I’d be reasonably fine with excluding Yemen, Somalia, and Sudan indefinitely except for current green card holders and those who help the U.S. military.

I guess what I’m saying is that if we are to accept refugees they need to be able to work themselves up and contribute to our society.  We do not want another bunch of welfare recipients.  They must be willing to contribute to our society and in many ways assimulate while still keeping their heritage of their home country.

Is the temporary ban justifiable?  Maybe.  The president has alot more access than I do in regards to intelligence to these countries.  So I’ve got to have faith that the administration is making good decisions in order to keep all of us safe.

As a Christian if refugees are let in, I should treat them with kindness with the golden rule.

Meanwhile I see alot of hypocrisy on social media since Obama put temporary bans on many of these countries.  So what makes what Obama justifiable and Trump’s ban unimaginable?