Gerald Ford and America's "moral obligation" to refugees

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Gerald Ford and America's "moral obligation" to refugees 02:54

Fifty years ago, erstwhile the metropolis of Saigon fell and the U.S. subject involution successful Southeast Asia came to an end, President Gerald Ford faced a choice: Many anti-communist South Vietnamese feared forced relocation and governmental persecution astatine home, and looked to America for refuge. But the American nationalist was bitterly divided implicit whether to judge specified a ample influx of refugees. At the time, Lesley Stahl reported connected the "overwhelmingly hostile" message received connected Capitol Hill astir the issue; 1 letter, from a Nebraska constituent, read, "They bring lone disease, corruption, and apathy."

The U.S. unemployment complaint sat astatine astir 9 percent, a post-World War II high. To many, bringing destitute Vietnamese to American shores seemed nonsensical.

But President Ford saw the contented successful stark motivation terms: "There are tens of thousands of different South Vietnamese intellectuals, professors, teachers, editors, and sentiment leaders who person supported the South Vietnamese origin and the confederation with the United States, to whom we person a profound motivation obligation," helium said.

Ford ordered respective airlifts to extract 130,000 South Vietnamese refugees and asylum-seekers. He signed into instrumentality a measure securing relocation assistance and fiscal assistance.

And helium corralled a conjugation of spiritual groups, confederate Democratic governors, and labour leaders to unafraid their lodging and employment.

President Gerald Ford holds a Vietnamese babe connected an Air Force autobus aft greeting refugees successful California

At first, galore of the caller refugees relied connected nationalist assistance and took low-paying jobs. But successful the years that followed, astir gained employment, and their reliance connected authorities assistance declined. They became tiny concern owners and pillars of assemblage … contributors ample and tiny to the American tapestry. Among them: national judges, a Pulitzer-winning novelist, and adjacent an Oscar-winning actor.

"My travel started connected a boat," said "Everything Everywhere All astatine Once" prima Ke Huy Quan. "I spent a twelvemonth successful a exile camp, and someway I ended up here, connected Hollywood's biggest stage."

Ford's determination to invited these refugees wasn't conscionable the close happening to bash – it was smart. He realized that successful a federation of immigrants similar ours, spot derives successful ample portion from diversity. His enactment showed compassion, governmental courage, and motivation clarity … qualities our leaders could usage contiguous much than ever.