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Angelina Jolie Pens Op-Ed on Refugee Crisis: 'Acting Out of Fear Is Not Our Way'

Angelina Jolie Pens Op-Ed on Refugee Crisis: 'Acting Out of Fear Is Not Our Way'

Angelina Jolie has written a passionate op-ed piece for the New York Times concerning refugees after Donald Trump went forward with the immigration ban last week.

“Refugees are men, women and children caught in the fury of war, or the cross hairs of persecution. Far from being terrorists, they are often the victims of terrorism themselves,” the 41-year-old actress and special envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees wrote in the essay.

“The global refugee crisis and the threat from terrorism make it entirely justifiable that we consider how best to secure our borders. Every government must balance the needs of its citizens with its international responsibilities. But our response must be measured and should be based on facts, not fear,” she continued.

“As the mother of six children, who were all born in foreign lands and are proud American citizens, I very much want our country to be safe for them, and all our nation’s children. But I also want to know that refugee children who qualify for asylum will always have a chance to plead their case to a compassionate America. And that we can manage our security without writing off citizens of entire countries – even babies – as unsafe to visit our country by virtue of geography or religion,” Angelina added.

“The lesson of the years we have spent fighting terrorism since Sept. 11 is that every time we depart from our values we worsen the very problem we are trying to contain. We must never allow our values to become the collateral damage of a search for greater security. Shutting our door to refugees or discriminating among them is not our way, and does not make us safer. Acting out of fear is not our way. Targeting the weakest does not show strength,” she continued.

Read the entire piece over at the New York Times.

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Posted to: Angelina Jolie