The Syrian refugee crisis is often considered the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II and, with migration this large, the European Union has had to quickly find solutions to handle a dislocation of 6.6 million people in a short amount of time.
The United Nations has pled for countries around the world to accept refugees to expedite this issue. But, as of November 2015, the United States had admitted only 1,854 Syrian refugees, few of which settled in South Carolina. Despite the voluntary assistance efforts made by a few, closing off borders is a popular view that recently found itself expressed in a bill passed by South Carolina’s state Senate which set limits for refugees coming into the state.
With Students For Liberty’s #ShareHumanity grant, STRIVE of College of Charleston worked to combat these oppressive thoughts in South Carolina by inviting Dr. Michael Huemer from the University of Colorado – Boulder to Skype in and argue for free migration at STRIVE’s “Open Borders and Refugee Acceptance” event.
It attracted students of varying knowledge and interest in politics, and they came away knowing more about refugees’ and immigrants’ right to migrate and the positive results that immigrants have on the economy. Events like these help to increase awareness and debunk unpleasant myths people have about refugees and immigrants, and STRIVE of College of Charleston – with the help of Students For Liberty – continues to promote limited government and economic freedom by carrying out such political activism on campus.