Zócalo's Connecting California
Siding with the Refugees
California should be taking in many more Syrian and Iraqi refugees, according to Zocalo Public Square columnist Joe Mathews. Instead, though, he says that everyday citizens and the state's political leaders are responding to the international refugee crisis with ignorance and cowardice.
By Joe Mathews • • 4m ListenCalifornia has a reputation as being a welcoming place for political refugees. But Zocalo Public Square columnist Joe Mathews says that spirit has been conspicuously lacking in our response to those fleeing violence and repression in the Middle East, as fears of terrorism cloud our judgment. Mathews says taking in more refugees – a lot more – is the right thing to do, and would be a boon for our state in the long run.