By Opinion, CT Insider
In this season of gifts, asylum seekers come without packages, bags, or boxes. In fact, many come with only the dream of a new life and an extraordinary ability to persevere.
The concept of asylum is found in numerous sacred texts and appears in nearly all of the world’s major religions. It is also a bedrock principle of our country and international law. More than 40 years ago, Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980 on a bipartisan basis by overwhelming margins. This act was based on the 1967 U.N. Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. The landmark law established, among other things, a framework to extend asylum to those fleeing persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. It was a significant humanitarian achievement in our nation’s history, motivated in part by the tragedies that occurred when the United States turned away those fleeing the Holocaust.
