Whither America’s global example?

Iremember the day we landed in this imperfect but beautiful country. My family and I left behind the madness of the refugee camps in Ghana where we had lived for a year and a half after fleeing our home in Liberia. My father and grandfather had died because of the civil war there. In America, I remember feeling, perhaps the first time in my life, that everything was going to be better.

To be sure, there were challenges here as well, like living in a community stricken with gangs and gun violence, but organizations like the International Rescue Committee and African Refuge gave my grandmother and me a helping hand. That is the good thing about the United States: There are always people willing to help.

I was able to finish school and earn a place at Brooklyn College, where I hope to graduate next year with a degree in political science. I want to be able to give back to the community that gave so much to me by entering the U.S. Foreign Service and representing our nation abroad.

That’s why the administration’s decision to slash the refugee resettlement cap to 30,000 during the worst displacement crisis in history is gutwrenching.

As 25.4 million refugees are in desperate need of protection around the world — the highest number in recorded history — U.S. resettlement has plummeted to all-time lows. As this fiscal year comes to a close, only 20,000 refugees have been resettled of last year’s 45,000 goal, itself an historic low.

I know exactly what it feels like to be living day-by-day in the hope that you will get a chance to rebuild a life in safety. This is the reality for tens of thousands of refugee families that have gone through years of security screenings and medical tests and now wait to be resettled in the United States.

I grieve for these mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers who now have little hope of ever starting over.

These cruel policies do not reflect the America I have come to know and love, or the values of the people in my community. I have experienced how welcoming the persecuted is a fundamental American value and the backbone of our nation’s history.

I am continually amazed at the everyday generosity of the people I meet, people who helped me get started in the country and even anonymously covered my school fees. These people, like me, believe we should be proud that this country was founded on the hard work, determination and skills of generations of immigrants from all countries, religions and backgrounds.

The truth is that refugees are strong and proud members of our cities and towns. We are as proud of our country as those who were born here, maybe even more so. It’s hard to take something for granted when it saved your life.

Despite what the administration would have you think, we are boosting the economy, starting businesses, creating jobs and paying taxes. Even a study by this administration found that refugees have made a net contribution of $63 billion to government revenue over the last decade.

Refugee resettlement is also important to the future of our country and its standing in the world. Growing up in Ghana, we looked at the United States as a leader on the international stage, and as an example for every country to follow. This reputation is sadly slipping away.

President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are hoping that they can destroy America’s tradition of welcome and destroy the futures of thousands of refugee families without anyone noticing. We cannot allow this to happen.

Tarr is a former refugee from Liberia who serves as a Refugee Congress delegate from the State of New York.