He was Aylan Kurdi, a 3 year old boy with endless possibilities. Aylan was a baby boy before he was a refugee, and he could’ve been the next Norman Borlaug – not the next burden of the State. I say “refugee” because that’s the easiest word to use… Let’s not forget that they are people who need help who also happen to be refugees, not refugees who just so happen to be people.

I posted earlier about the refugee crisis here in Iowa. Obviously, the international spotlight has shifted towards refugees in Syria, in large part due to the lifeless 3 year old body of Aylan Kurdi, who tragically drowned during the dangerous journey towards a better life.

I was wrong to call the refugee situation in Iowa and around the world a “crisis,” but here’s why: A ‘crisis’ implies a sense of suddenness of a given situation. That is not the case. Syria has been falling apart for years, and the same goes for the dozens of other countries around the world where refugees languish in dangerous, understaffed, and undersupplied camps for well over a decade before they are resettled to a more peaceful, secure country.  

Under the shadow of the Iran Deal, lies the remains of President Obama’s failed policies regarding the Syrian conflict. His and other leaders’ calls for allowing more refugees into the country without addressing the resettlement system in place shows a clear lack of understanding regarding the past and present refugee situation in the United States, Iowa, and around the world. From someone who works day-in and day-out with refugees, I know what it looks like in the trenches, and it will take a whole lot more than talk to get this job done. The United States is woefully unprepared to accept 10,000 additional refugees on top of the 70,000 or so we accept every year. Iowa is in an even worse position. Bringing in 65,000 refugees from Syria in the next year (or 5) will require a lot more than an op-ed in a major newspaper or talking points recited at any event.

FIP, SNAP, DHS (state and federal offices), ORR, and the rest of the alphabet soup that handles refugees will need a major boost to their budgets if we want to create a better life for these families we intend to take in. This is not to be mistaken to be a condemnation of plans to allow more refugees to resettle here in the U.S. It is more of a warning about what exactly that will mean. It’s one thing to say “bring them here!” and it’s another thing entirely to actually house, feed, educate, etc. these deserving families. We should bring them here, but we should also invest in the crumbling infrastructure we have in place for refugees when they do get here.

Refugees don’t want to leave their homes, just like you wouldn’t want to leave yours. However, whether at gunpoint or between barrel bombings, these families are forced to flee their homes. The global community wouldn’t be facing a refugee ‘crisis’ if the United States led the global community in philanthropic efforts rather than complete military domination or complete apathy. I’m one of those “books, not bombs” people, but I’m not so naïve to believe that military power is not necessary when it comes to preventing humanitarian disasters like those in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Burma, DRC, Burundi, etc. We can empower the moderates, the believers in better days – the Malala Yousafzai’s of the world.

The world is not some faraway place that we can only engage with if we’re packing cruise missiles or suitcases full of cash. There are well over 10,000 refugees in Iowa right now. You could be doing something in your own neighborhood. It’s as easy as googling nonprofits in your area and picking your favorite. Trust me, if you want to volunteer to help refugees, the nonprofit world will welcome you with open arms.