Political Quotes

“I rise today to mark the 12th World Refugee Day, a day we honor the courage, strength, and determination of those who are forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, conflict, and violence. Our nation's role as a safe haven for the persecuted is an integral part of our history. The United States was founded as a beacon of freedom and tolerance--freedom of speech and religion, and tolerance of all creeds and cultures. And throughout the years, Americans have fought to ensure that those rights are upheld for all of us. Too often, we take these bedrocks of our society for granted. We forget that most of the freedoms we now enjoy are still being fought for in too many places around the world. Today, there are over 43.7 million refugees and internally displaced people around the world. The protracted conflict in Syria has only exacerbated this problem. To date, UNHCR estimates that 1.6 million Syrians have fled into neighboring Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt. With the vast majority of refugees--1 million--fleeing within the first 5 months of this year. This past February I visited the Kilis refugee camp in Turkey, which is currently sheltering over 15,000 Syrian refugees. I was able to witness first- hand the remarkable bravery of the Syrian refugee population.…”