Martin O'Malley: Lady Liberty should open arms to Syrian refugees "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

Martin O'Malley | USA TODAY

Last week a forgotten war forced itself onto the TV screens and consciences of people across the world. The images of poor Aylan Kurdi’s lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach, and of the family in Hungary grasping for refuge by clinging to the railroad tracks, served as a shocking reminder that tragedy and hardship are a part of daily life in Syria today.

Since non-violent protests broke out in 2011, more than 4 million Syrian citizens have been turned into refugees. More than 7 million have been displaced internally. Out of a country of 23 million, this means that nearly every other person in Syria has been forced to flee their homes due to war and famine. It would be as if, in the United States, every Californian, Texan, Floridian, New Yorker, Illinoisian, Pennsylvanian, Ohioan, Georgian, North Carolinian and Michigander were forced out of their homes.

What to do about the root cause of this humanitarian crisis may be complex, but helping refugees is not: Americans have a long, proud tradition of providing comfort to the weak and weary. It is in our national DNA, inscribed at the foot of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” We are a nation of immigrants and refugees, and we cannot forget what it means to struggle and toil and yearn for a better life beyond the next horizon. The world is in the midst of a nearly unprecedented global refugee crisis, with more refugees than at any time since World War II. How will we respond? Will we listen to our better angels and the voices of moral clarity whispering to us, or will we slam doors and build walls?

On Sunday Pope Francis called on people of conscience to come to the aid of “tens of thousands of refugees that flee death in conflict and hunger and are on a journey of hope.” We are watching as Germany, Austria and Scandinavia heed the call. The United States must not be a bystander on the sidelines. We must not let bureaucracy hamstring us. And we must not pretend that the Atlantic Ocean frees us of our moral duty. We are Americans. We should be leading on this issue. We should begin by taking in at least 65,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016, as humanitarian organizations on the front lines of refugee assistance have asked us to do. Doing so would not only uphold our values, but would be fully consistent with U.S. policy. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees intends to resettle 130,000 Syrian refugees over the next two years, and the United States historically has accepted half its resettlement cases. We should not hesitate to do so once again.

Americans are a generous and compassionate people. But our policies are falling short of our values. We have accepted only about 1,500 Syrian refugees since the conflict began. And as of now, we are set to accept no more than 8,000 next year. We are a big enough country in size and treasure and heart to do more. And if our political leadership fails us, I believe the American people, like individuals around the world, can and will step forward to do the right thing. When the government of Iceland proposed to accept only 50 Syrian refugees, the people of Iceland took matters into their own hands. They quickly organized online and 10,000 people volunteered to take in refugees. Now the government is reconsidering its quota. If Germany — a country with one-fourth our population — can accept 800,000 refugees this year, certainly we can do more.

As the former governor of Maryland, I know firsthand that we can do more. When tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors fleeing violence arrived at our southern border last year, Maryland took in more children per capita than any other state. We did it by working together: we cared for more than 5,000 children by convening Maryland’s faith, community, business and government leaders. We made a huge difference in these children’s lives and showed that Americans — if given the opportunity — are eager to step up and live their values.

We are presented with a similar moral imperative today. How we respond will speak to the type of country we are. I believe in American greatness. I believe we are a light unto the world, and I intend to work with every family and American who wants to help me prove it.

Martin O'Malley, a former governor of Maryland and mayor of Baltimore, is seeking the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.

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