What's the refugee coverage like in the US?

[Deleted]

Since the boy on the beach it's everywhere. Newspapers television and Facebook.
But our election is putting focus on this too.

Just curious what's happening in the US? I haven't heard Obama statements about the refugees. Maybe I just haven't heard anything.

[mich1]

It's been all over the national news the last several days, with a much longer than normal report in the evening news (normally the only one I catch) - at least on my local channels. I don't think Obama has made any sort of statement, though.

[ttt]

Obama came out and praised Angela Merkel for her leadership on the refugee crisis, but has said (IMO embarrassingly) little about what the US plans to do.

[mrspez07]

I don't watch too much news. I'm getting most of my info from headlines and a FB friend in Britian.

[debatethis]

I consider myself pretty plugged in to various news channels and most of them, even in the Chicago metro area, are saying nothing. I've seen the videos on FB of the little boy who drowned, but other than that people are remarkably, startlingly silent.

[LoveTrains]

It was on NPR for the past two weeks.

[lg28]

Since Canada is in the middle of an election (12 weeks long, which is really long for us) it's become a massive election issue. Which I don't think anybody saw coming, and it definitely hurts the ruling conservatives the most.

I think the ruling party has pledged to receive 20,000 refugees. (Edit - cbc says 10,000 over 3 years). The U.S. Has committed to 1500 which might be small in comparison, BUT we don't have a lot of migrants coming from Latin and South America or Mexico so we don't have that issue to start.

I'm surprised Obama hasn't said much. I think he's in a tough situation though - the U.S. Has given the most $$
To the UN (1.1 billion), but hasn't physically accepted many refugees. I feel like no matter what he says or does he will be criticized.

[josieposy]

I'm kinda surprised POTUS hasn't said much either. He just finished his Alaska trip, but that was a couple days ago.

[lg28]

www.cbc.ca/m/news/politics/canada-to-resettle-10-000-more-syrian-refugees-over-3-years-1.2892652


Here's a CBC article detailing Canada's efforts, relatively crappy if you ask me.

[Deleted]

Sept 6, 2015 9:42:52 GMT -5 lg28 said:

www.cbc.ca/m/news/politics/canada-to-resettle-10-000-more-syrian-refugees-over-3-years-1.2892652


Here's a CBC article detailing Canada's efforts, relatively crappy if you ask me.

Agree. And there are people protesting in the streets. It's an election hot button issue.
Also, forget the government, I feel like the average citizen is making donations or becoming more engaged.

[Cicero]

Honestly, I'm annoyed/borderline angry that the Libyan crisis isn't being covered in the US. That is completely our fault. Libya was doing fine until we decided to go and destroy the government. We have a Hell of a lot more than a moral obligation to help the people who have been drowning regularly for the past several years trying to get to Italy because we destroyed their stable home.

[karinothing]

Sept 6, 2015 9:08:17 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

It was on NPR for the past two weeks.

NPR has had stories for longer than than that, but I guess not every day. But I remember stories.over a year ago

[zoegirltx]

I haven't watched much news, but I wouldn't be shocked that it's getting little press here. We're still fighting over the non-existent Mexican illegals crisis that the GOP is tossing aroud in their primary. I haven't seen anything from my FB feed, but I also never really see much about politics/CE from anybody on there.

The drudge did have a few headlines & I think CNN had a newsblast email about hte Pope addressing the issue to European churches.

[Deleted]

Sept 6, 2015 21:03:47 GMT -5 @mx said:

Sept 6, 2015 18:50:39 GMT -5 Cicero said:

Honestly, I'm annoyed/borderline angry that the Libyan crisis isn't being covered in the US. That is completely our fault. Libya was doing fine until we decided to go and destroy the government. We have a Hell of a lot more than a moral obligation to help the people who have been drowning regularly for the past several years trying to get to Italy because we destroyed their stable home.

Aren't most of the people drowning en route from Libya not Libyans? I think Libyans are typically the traffickers. 

I agree that Libya is totally fucked up, but I haven't seen much about Libyan migrants specifically. Most of the refugees during the war and since were other Africans working in the country, legally or otherwise. 

Everyone is talking about Syria. Then they throw Africans and Afghanis when the read the whole list.

[ttt]

Sept 6, 2015 18:50:39 GMT -5 Cicero said:

Honestly, I'm annoyed/borderline angry that the Libyan crisis isn't being covered in the US. That is completely our fault. Libya was doing fine until we decided to go and destroy the government. We have a Hell of a lot more than a moral obligation to help the people who have been drowning regularly for the past several years trying to get to Italy because we destroyed their stable home.

This is not an unfamiliar story, unfortunately.

[Cicero]

Sept 6, 2015 21:03:47 GMT -5 @mx said:

Sept 6, 2015 18:50:39 GMT -5 Cicero said:

Honestly, I'm annoyed/borderline angry that the Libyan crisis isn't being covered in the US. That is completely our fault. Libya was doing fine until we decided to go and destroy the government. We have a Hell of a lot more than a moral obligation to help the people who have been drowning regularly for the past several years trying to get to Italy because we destroyed their stable home.

Aren't most of the people drowning en route from Libya not Libyans? I think Libyans are typically the traffickers. 

I agree that Libya is totally fucked up, but I haven't seen much about Libyan migrants specifically. Most of the refugees during the war and since were other Africans working in the country, legally or otherwise. 

It's true that the number of Libyans isn't as high as it was three and four years ago and at the same time more people are using Libya as a jumping off point which throws off percentages. I did read an article in Le Monde earlier this year that said 15-20% of the country's population remains displaced (with the majority being in Tunisia).

I was mainly bitching about a general tendency to mess with things and care not at all about the fallout from it and expropriate from that since we ignore situations we actually do directly cause I would not be surprised at all if we continue ignoring one we didn't.

[LoveTrains]

I saw a really well done video that started auto playing in my FB feed about this last night. It had a little girl, she was living a normal life, going to school, celebrating a birthday, etc. Then there were bombs, explosions, she was running and it looked like she was in a camp, then she was sick and in a hospital, foraging for food, etc. And it ended with a line that said something like "just because it isn't happening here doesn't mean it isn't happening" and it was an appeal for donations to a humanitarian organization doing work with syrian refugees.

[LoveTrains]

The NYTimes gave me a push notification to my phone about Pope Francis calling on European households and churches to shelter one refugee family each.

[marriedfilingjoint]

Sept 7, 2015 9:42:49 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

I saw a really well done video that started auto playing in my FB feed about this last night. It had a little girl, she was living a normal life, going to school, celebrating a birthday, etc. Then there were bombs, explosions, she was running and it looked like she was in a camp, then she was sick and in a hospital, foraging for food, etc. And it ended with a line that said something like "just because it isn't happening here doesn't mean it isn't happening" and it was an appeal for donations to a humanitarian organization doing work with syrian refugees.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBQ-IoHfimQ&sns=fb

I posted it last night on FB anddddddddd nothing. Not one comment. Made me so mad. The stupid shit people get fired up about on FB and not one of my 500+ friends gave a shit about it.  I was wondering if maybe they weren't even hearing about it in the US, but I assume they just don't care.

[ttt]

Sept 7, 2015 14:31:04 GMT -5 marriedfilingjoint said:

Sept 7, 2015 9:42:49 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

I saw a really well done video that started auto playing in my FB feed about this last night. It had a little girl, she was living a normal life, going to school, celebrating a birthday, etc. Then there were bombs, explosions, she was running and it looked like she was in a camp, then she was sick and in a hospital, foraging for food, etc. And it ended with a line that said something like "just because it isn't happening here doesn't mean it isn't happening" and it was an appeal for donations to a humanitarian organization doing work with syrian refugees.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBQ-IoHfimQ&sns=fb

I posted it last night on FB anddddddddd nothing. Not one comment. Made me so mad. The stupid shit people get fired up about on FB and not one of my 500+ friends gave a shit about it.  I was wondering if maybe they weren't even hearing about it in the US, but I assume they just don't care.

I posted this earlier this year and only two people 'liked' it, one of whom was my husband. 

The saddest thing is, I just went back to look at when I posted it, and it was March 2014. Now things are even worse, somehow. 

[orriskitten]

I really feel like the U.S. Needs to do something. As a world power, you have to step up. This is not just a neighbors thing and cannot be ignored.

I also question what is being said in the U.S. More than once, the response from Iceland has been reported and the articles just keep getting bombarded by morons calling it an "invasion." Not for nothing, these people don't even seem smart enough to use that word, so I wonder where it's coming from. They're also going on and on about how we'll lose our precious culture of we take refugees and how it'll destroy the country. Give me a fucking break. Somehow culture can magically be maintained despite new populations. Hell, it could even save the future of Iceland with its extreme inbreeding (I don't mean that to be snarky, but it's an incredibly small population that is very isolated).

I just hope more on the ground stories get told.

Germany is also doing some incredible things and I'm glad Obama referenced it. But these are humans who need help. This needs to be a world wide thing and I just feel like it won't get there.

[Michelle]

Sept 7, 2015 6:40:39 GMT -5 Cicero said:

Sept 6, 2015 21:03:47 GMT -5 @mx said:

Aren't most of the people drowning en route from Libya not Libyans? I think Libyans are typically the traffickers. 

I agree that Libya is totally fucked up, but I haven't seen much about Libyan migrants specifically. Most of the refugees during the war and since were other Africans working in the country, legally or otherwise. 

It's true that the number of Libyans isn't as high as it was three and four years ago and at the same time more people are using Libya as a jumping off point which throws off percentages. I did read an article in Le Monde earlier this year that said 15-20% of the country's population remains displaced (with the majority being in Tunisia).

I was mainly bitching about a general tendency to mess with things and care not at all about the fallout from it and expropriate from that since we ignore situations we actually do directly cause I would not be surprised at all if we continue ignoring one we didn't.

this is where I am.

And when I post about the situation on FB I get silence. Except my mom who said she is more concerned about the poor in our own country. WE ARENT TALKING ABOUT POOR PEOPLE. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT REFUGEES.

I wonder why Obama isn't "out there?" Are we afraid terrorists will sneak in with the refugees and assylees?

Eta or is there concern about WHICH refugees to take in? Remember there are boats of people escaping Myanmar too.

[Michelle]

Sept 7, 2015 9:42:49 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

I saw a really well done video that started auto playing in my FB feed about this last night. It had a little girl, she was living a normal life, going to school, celebrating a birthday, etc. Then there were bombs, explosions, she was running and it looked like she was in a camp, then she was sick and in a hospital, foraging for food, etc. And it ended with a line that said something like "just because it isn't happening here doesn't mean it isn't happening" and it was an appeal for donations to a humanitarian organization doing work with syrian refugees.

I posted this to FB and tagged my mom after her comment about poor people in the US. Her response was Yep. YEP!? WRF does that mean? Where is the fucking compassion? What if that were my DD. Would you want someone in a country that could help to say, "YEP?"

[KB]

IME there has been very little coverage of the overseas refugees. The national nightly news shows are starting to cover it more but locally, I haven't seen much. Now, if you want to talk about that wall between Mexico and the US...