EDITORIAL: Despite political noise, refugees need our help

More than 4.2 million people have fled Syria, a Middle East country on the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Lebanon. Of those, referred to the United States for resettlement by the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees, 67 percent have been women and children under age 12, according to the U.S. State Department. Those applying to resettle in the United States total 23,826, reports the FactCheck.org website, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

Their plight had already drawn the American public’s attention before the heinous attacks by Islamic State extremists living in France and Belgium killed 129 innocent people on Nov. 13 in Paris. It’s hard to forget the images of a police officer on a Greek island’s shore cradling the lifeless body of a 3-year-old boy who drowned with his toddler brother, as their father tried to help his family escape Syria. Two months later, though, mayhem in France — carried out by ISIS militants, shifted concerns that terrorists could pose as refugees flowing into Europe and, perhaps later, to the U.S.

Presidential candidates heightened the fears by seizing on the situation to draw public polling points as the primary season nears. Eventually, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and a legion of fellow Republican governors, and one Democrat, decided not to accept any additional Syrian refugees until “security gaps” in the federal resettlement program were addressed. One Muslim family turned away by Indiana found refuge in Connecticut instead. The ACLU of Indiana filed a lawsuit against the governor, saying he had no constitutional authority to stop the refugees from resettling through a federal program involving humanitarian aid organizations.

The concerns over similar terrorist acts occurring in the U.S. are understandable, and vigilance is vital in containing the legitimate threats, but the influence of the political rhetoric on the refugees’ situation is significant.

Amid that atmosphere, plenty of Americans and Hoosiers wonder how they can help these people who are fleeing atrocities in their homeland, trying to find refuge and safety. One of the agencies participating in the refugee resettlement program, Exodus Refugee Immigration in Indianapolis, welcomes assistance from Indiana residents.

Cole Varga, director of operations for Exodus, told the Tribune-Star that contributions are always needed, but might be especially vital if the governor withholds funding and benefits for refugee resettlement under his suspension of Indiana’s participation in the federal program.

To give monetarily, go online to the organization’s website, ExodusRefugee.org. To contribute household items, those can be dropped off at the Exodus office 1125 Brookside Ave. in Indianapolis, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The needs include furnishings, kitchen items, cleaning supplies, toiletries, food and cooking items, and miscellaneous things such as towels and blankets, alarm clocks and strollers. Large drop-offs should be coordinated with James Budden of the Exodus housing department, Varga said.

Other groups, such as faith-based Catholic Relief Services, Indianapolis Catholic Charities and Samaritan's Purse, are helping Syrian refugees in various ways, and can be contacted concerning donations. The refugees’ need goes on and should not be drowned out by the political posturing.