Antelope High School

Home of the Titans

Principal, John Becker
Phone: (916)782-6565 ext. 1047

Kaya Danielle Johnston

7801 Titan Drive
Antelope Ca, 95843

Governor Jerry Brown

c/o State Capital, Suite 1173
Sacramento, Ca 95814

To Whom It May Concern:

11.5% of Syrias population has been killed or injured since (Black) the everlasting conflict aroused in March
of 2011. Over 1 million Syrians have been wounded and their nations life expectancy is rapidly dropping.
Despite these harsh statistics, many Americans wish to go against our countrys long and cherished tradition of
taking in refugees. The Syrian refugees are in need, who are we to deny them entry to their freedom? My name
is Kaya Johnston, I am currently a sophomore at Antelope High School, and I believe that our governors should
not fear those who seek refuge in our nation from Syrias everlasting storm, and welcome them with open arms.

The ongoing Syrian civil war has been described as the worlds biggest humanitarian disaster (Black).
Thousands of citizens are dying from direct violence, disease, starvation, proper health care, and housing. The
population is decreasing rapidly due to the mass amounts of citizens seeking refuge away from the war zone and
the thousands who have died during this crisis. Many now live in poverty with no home in this increasingly
desolate area. Many countries in Europe have been accepting the waves of refugees, meanwhile, 31 governors
rejected the opportunity to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees and distribute them among the states (Kusler).

The current Syrian refugee crisis is not unlike the WWII refugee crisis suffered years ago. Before WWII, the
United States turned away a ship carrying over 900 Jewish refugees onboard. More than 900 lives could have
been saved if our leaders had not denied them the freedom they deserved. The decision to turn them away was
fed by fears that the Nazis would plant agents, spies, and saboteurs among (Geller) them. Similarly, today the
argument to turn away thousands of Syrian refugees is made out of fear of the ISIS terrorist group. Out of fear
of other countries, and influences from the government, Americans overwhelmingly rejected admission of the
Jews (Geller) much like how the majority of our citizens feel towards the Syrian refugees today. The Syrian
refugee crisis is chillingly similar to the WWII refugee crisis.

I disagree with the 31 governors who voted to keep the Syrian refugees out of America, depriving them of
freedom. Decisions to deny refugees entry to the United States made in the past are now widely regretted
(Geller), why would we repeat the same mistakes? It is unfair of our nation to refuse to take in those who have
been displaced in their weakening and violent country. Millions of Syrians have been wounded and killed, we
should do everything in our power to prevent that number from massively increasing. Overall, I think we should
allow the refugees to take shelter in this country of immigrants, the United States of America.
All in all, millions of Syrians are suffering in the war zone which used to be their home. It would be unfair for
our nation to indifferently deprive the refugees of life. This country that cherishes the tradition of aiding those in
need, should follow its tradition by doing anything in its power to provide a home ,in a free land for those
struggling to survive in their own lands. I believe that you, Jerry Brown, should vote in favor of accepting
Syrian refugees into the United States. Thank you for your time.

4635 Elverta Road, Antelope, CA 95843

 Antelope High School
Home of the Titans
Principal, John Becker
Phone: (916)782-6565 ext. 1047

Sincerely,

Kaya Danielle Johnston

Antelope High School Student
Respectful. Responsible. Proud
GO TITANS!

4635 Elverta Road, Antelope, CA 95843