Antelope High School

Home of the Titans

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

Alan Chernitskiy
7801 Titan Drive
Antelope Ca, 95843

Governor Jerry Brown

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

To Whom It May Concern:

I am a student at Antelope high school and I have been assigned the task of addressing the California state
government regarding the topic of Syrian refugee migration. About five and a half million people have been
killed since the beginning of the crisis. Syrias civil war has created the worst humanitarian crisis in modern
history. Half the countrys has been killed or forced out of the country. Families are struggling to survive inside
Syria, or make a new home in neighboring countries. Others are risking their lives on the way to Europe, hoping
to find acceptance and opportunity. I feel that often our human concern for these people can mask the risk and
dangers of accepting an entirely new and unknown nation within our state.

This conflict began as Anti-government demonstrations in March of 2011, which was part of the Arab Spring.
But these peaceful protests quickly escalated after the government's violent crackdown, and armed opposition
groups began fighting back. During this vacuum of power in the country some rebel forces were able to rise up
and take claim to some geographical and political power. One of these groups is known as Islamic State in Iraq
and Syria (ISIS). In 2014, ISIS controlled more than 34,000 square miles in Syria and Iraq, from the
Mediterranean coast to south of Baghdad. ISIS is notorious for killing dozens of people at a time and carrying
out public executions, crucifixions and other acts. This has given them authority in regions of the middle east,
but their presence is felt throughout the world through their acts of terror. More than six years after it began, the
war has killed a reported 470,000 people. Bombings are destroying crowded cities and horrific human rights
violations are widespread. Basic necessities like food and medical care are sparse or even nonexistent.The
situation in Syria went from bad to worse when outside parties began launching airstrikes against ISIS in the
fall of 2015. Each time bombing intensifies, an increase in the number of civilian casualties and families forced
to leave their homes in search of safety occurred.

This modern conflict shares similarities with a refugee crisis what occurred in europe prior to World War II.
Nazi Germanys open aggression toward both neighboring countries and people within its borders had sparked a
refugee crisis. The creation of Nazi restrictions that intensified to the point that Jews, political dissidents and
others were effectively removed from German public life and denied rights, employment and education. This
caused hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people, mostly Jews, to seek safety from the Nazis number of
people affected by Nazi restrictions, while at the same time those restrictions intensified to the point that Jews,
political dissidents and others were effectively removed from German public life and denied rights, employment
4635 Elverta Road, Antelope, CA 95843
 Antelope High School
Home of the Titans
Principal, John Becker
Phone: (916)782-6565 ext. 1047

and education. Germanys aggressive steps to expand its borders touched off both an international political
crisis, as world leaders scrambled to avoid war, and a humanitarian refugee crisis, as hundreds of thousands of
vulnerable people, mostly Jews, sought safety from the Nazis in countries outside the grip of the Third Reich.
As you may see there is somewhat of a connection between these two events. But several differences occur if
we look a little deeper.

California has taken in more Syrian refugees this year than any other U.S. state, while some states havent
accepted a single Syrian refugee. I feel California's actions are irrational and that are acting too quickly.
California resettled 1,454 Syrian refugees during the 2016 fiscal year. To put it into perspective, California
resettled almost as many Syrian refugees this year as the entire U.S. did last year.This enormous flood of
unproven migrants, in my opinion is very dangerous and may open the door to acts of terror in the state.
According to the Washington Examiner, federal taxpayers are on the hook for nearly $20,000 just to settle each
refugee and asylum seeker, who are then immediately eligible for cash welfare, food stamps, housing and
medical aid. I feel this an unnecessary use of taxpayer dollars when there are hundreds of thousands of highly
skilled and educated individuals trying to enter the U.S and these funds on refugees and migrants are being
wasted on people that not only have a smaller chance of bringing profit to the country but also have had a rough
history with acts of terror on our nation. For example 76 percent of Indian immigrants had a bachelors degree
or higher, among college-educated Indian immigrants, more than half had a graduate or professional degree.
Indian students accounted for 14 percent of all temporary visa holders earning doctorates at U.S. colleges and
universities, with 84 percent intending to stay in the United States after receiving their degrees. My thought are
that the state of California is investing its money in an unproven and risky nation while the acceptance of
educated individuals would bring prosperity and wealth to the state as well as the entire country.

Californias attempts to settle Syrian refugees in the state are fruitless and may end in terrible acts of terror or
other disasters. The government has invested millions into people from the country with the most conflict on
earth as well as having the some of the lowest levels of development in the world. Several rebel groups are
closely tied with this region and by accepting refugees we risk introducing enormous risk in our state and
country. I believe a better alternative is for the state to accept individuals with high potential to make America
great again through education and technological advancements. So I request that the state refrain from
consuming taxpayer funds for the settling of people that cannot provide any benefit to our country.

Sincerely,

4635 Elverta Road, Antelope, CA 95843

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

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

"Quick facts: What you need to know about the Syria crisis." Mercy Corps. N.p., 07 Apr. 2017. Web. 11 May
2017.v

"ISIS Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, 17 Apr. 2017. Web. 11 May 2017.

Tavares, Laura. "Text to Text: Comparing Jewish Refugees of the 1930s With Syrian Refugees Today." The New
York Times. The New York Times, 04 Jan. 2017. Web. 11 May 2017.

"California Leads The Nation In Resettlement Of Syrian Refugees." CBS San Francisco. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May
2017.

Bedard, Paul. "Feds spend nearly $20,000 to settle every refugee." Washington Examiner. N.p., 08 June 2016.
Web. 14 May 2017.

4635 Elverta Road, Antelope, CA 95843

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

"Indian Immigrants in the United States." Migrationpolicy.org. N.p., 02 Mar. 2017. Web. 14 May 2017.

4635 Elverta Road, Antelope, CA 95843