Fort Wayne has become a haven for refugees, and that welcoming spirit is something to be proud of. But at some point, we have to talk about how many we can realistically handle without being unfair to the immingrants and putting a strain on the services that everybody depends on. But, for far, nobody really wants to talk about that:
As I noted in December, at least two other cities - Hagerstown, Md., and Emporia, Kan. - last year allowed their residents to question their refugee policies. About 100 people showed up in Hagerstown, which has about 200 refugees from Burma and Africa. And 300 people packed a forum in Emporia, which is home to about 500 refugees, most from Somalia.
But in Fort Wayne, which already has as many as 3,500 refugees from Burma and thousands more from Bosnia, Africa and elsewhere, a forum will be held in a room that can hold only 104 people - most of whom are likely to be representing government or social-service agencies.
Although the by-reservation meeting is open to the public, Becker said she's not sure civic leaders need to discuss refugee issues with the general public. But who pays the taxes that allow government to serve refugees? Who contributes to the United Way and other organizations?
"Not sure" about the need to discuss refugee issues with the general public, the people already here who must deal with, and pay for, all of this? And this is about legal immigration. Is it any wonder that so many Americans are so angry about public officials' similarly cavalier attitude about illegal immigration?
