A humanitarian crisis the US can’t ignore

On the streets of London, it’s impossible to miss the impact of refugees and the current crisis in which they are embroiled.

In Brixton, hijab-clad women select the day’s meal from the market stands. Men in shalwar kameez and knit skull caps smoke or sip tea. On a recent Sunday at Speaker’s Corner, the Hyde Park free speech area, I witnessed a passionate exchange between a Muslim cleric berating the prime minister for racism against immigrants and a Bangladeshi immigrant accusing the cleric of fomenting the Islamic extremism tearing apart the Middle East.

In the pubs, flat-screen televisions show images of rubber dinghies packed with people as they attempt a Mediterranean crossing. EU ships rescue some, but too many still face drowning on uncertain seas.

European leaders will meet Thursday and Friday to discuss a common approach to this unprecedented surge. What’s clear is that, like climate change or economic policy, this human rights issue is both deeply complex and demands a coordinated international response. As yet, no one – least of all, the United States, one of the prime causes of the current crisis because of our disastrous war in Iraq – is taking the lead in saving lives.

That needs to change. Along with European leaders, the Obama administration should do more to both fund refugee resettlement in nations directly affected by the outflow and increase the number of families accepted at our borders. This is an emergency, and emergency measures are overdue.

As the United National High Commissioner for Refugees recently reported, we’ve hit a high of 60 million people displaced or fleeing their countries as refugees in the last year. That’s a shocking number given the scope of dislocation that followed World War II and the signing of the first refugee protection treaty in 1951.

Currently, Syria expels the most refugees. Adding to the flow are desperate people fleeing emerging conflicts in places like Yemen and Burundi. It’s sobering to realize that of the 60 million people forced to leave their homes or living as refugees or displaced, roughly half are children. Of those, at least 10,000 this year will travel alone.

Their future looks grim. “I believe things will get worse before they eventually start to get better,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said at a recent news conference.

Countries like Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon are overwhelmed. That’s why most migrants will do almost anything to reach the European Union. They’re the ones shipping out in overpacked boats or hiding on trains and ferries.

But their chances of making it to safety are small. Despite the rescue ships, most refugees still face the dangers of the tides and weather. Off Australia, things are made even worse by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who has ordered the Australian Navy to tow boats filled with refugees back out to sea. Recently, the media revealed that Abbott’s government is actually paying the smugglers to take the refugees elsewhere.

Of the almost 4 million Syrians who’ve fled since that conflict started, the U.S. government plans to admit only 2,000 this year. While places like the United Kingdom have promised to admit as many, in reality very few have been granted asylum. Meanwhile, according to the International Organization for Migration, deaths are expected to increase this year by a factor of 10.

The United States has the ability and heart to do more. That our actions helped fuel this crisis is only one argument in favor of prompt action. The truth is that this human tragedy demands action, regardless of who may have helped create this disaster.

This story was originally published June 24, 2015 at 6:36 PM with the headline "A humanitarian crisis the US can’t ignore."