Refugees

=What is a refugee?=

Under U.S. law, "a refugee is a person who has fled his or her country of origin because of past persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based upon race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or a membership in a particular social group. If the person is not in the United States, he or she may apply overseas for inclusion within the U.S. refugee program. If the person is already within the United States, he or she may apply for the U.S. asylum program"

For more information on the United States refugee polices follow this link http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=a57476d52bd1e010VgnVCM1000000ecd190aRCRD this website contains the definition, what to expect once you arrive in America and how you can be denied this service, according to the **United States Citizenship and Immigration Services** or the **USCIS**.

According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who "Owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of their nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail him/herself of the protection of that country." == =Grounds for refusal of becoming a refugee in America= A person who is determined to have a communicable disease of public health significance A person who is determined to have certain serious physical or mental disorders A person who is determined to be a drug abuser or addict A former citizen of the U.S. who renounced citizenship for tax purposes A person who has committed a crime of moral turpitude A person who has violated laws pertaining to controlled substances A person who has been convicted of two or more criminal offenses A person who has committed prostitution within the past ten years An individual who has committed serious crimes and has been granted immunity from prosecution A person who is intending to practice polygamy in the United States A person who is attempting to enter the U.S. in violation of U.S. immigration laws, or assists another person to do so A person who has been involved in international child abduction A person who is intending to enter the U.S. to conduct illegal activities A person whose admission to the U.S. would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences to the U.S. A person who is or has been a member of the communist or any other totalitarian party A person who has engaged in any way in the persecution of others on the basis of race, nationality, religion, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group

Again this information can be found on the [|USCIS] web site

So why is this a question of Justice? Perhaps it is a question on weather or not we should be filtering out people who are looking for asylem. Or it could be the fact that these people do not seem to be ever noticed by the public. These people have lost there homes and for the most part are left to wander the world. Everywhere they flock to seems to not want them there. Every nation in the world is effected by refugees; there are Jewish refugees, refugees from Palistine, Darfur refugees, refugees from Eritrea, refugees from Ethiopia and these are just the ones wandering the Middle East. Africa has refugees hiding in the congo from both sides of a conflict, Asia has a large number of refugees as well, the United States and Europe deal not only with refugees but also they are looked upon on how refugees should be treated. Why are these people with out a place to rest and call home?
 * Why is this an issue of Justice**

There is a simple ansewer. Where ever there is war, hatred, and an overwhelming urge to destroy someone because they are not like you there are also people who choose to end the fight by forcing out an entire race or religion out of the land as voliently as possible. These are the lands that refugees come from. This is what happens when rights are forgotten and the cruel take control of the angry masses. In most of these cases, Asia, Africa the Middle East, The only thing that prevents a genocide is intereferince by other countries.

Even in through these times these people do not give up hope, [|Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars]are proof of that. They lose all they have, there homes, there famlies and in some cases their lives and yet they still have the courage to get up in the morining. Can we really just avoid acknowlaging them?

=Sorces=

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration servises, Refugee Questions and Answers. Accessed 09/12/08 

Wikipedia, Refugee. Acessed 11/12/08 

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, Accessed 11/12/08 http://www.sierraleonesrefugeeallstars.com/