World should embrace, not vilify, refugees

In December, an ISIS-inspired terrorist drove a truck through a Central Berlin Christmas market and caused the deaths of 12 people. Just three weeks before, I stood in that same Christmas market enjoying snacks and shopping for souvenirs. The reports were chilling; it was little more than luck that I was not standing in the path of that truck.

The likelihood of an attack on public gatherings is a real threat. Still, terror attacks in Western Europe are down overall, and knee-jerk reactions that target refugee populations only feed mass hysteria and frighten those who fled raids, persecution, and violence.

{mosads}Immediately after the attack, an elite unit of German Police executed a series of raids and investigations on Tempelhof Airport, a now-defunct airfield that is home to about 1,000 refugees, migrants and displaced people. Tempelhof was designed to be a temporary shelter, and was erected in November 2015 as Germany neared the million-refugee mark.

As Vice reported in May, Tempelhof’s cavernous hangers are divided in cubicles without ceilings or doors. Privacy is at a premium, and there are many cubicles with boards or cloths used as makeshift barriers.

What brought me to Berlin was my work on a technology installation at Tempelhof Airport. As I met with current and former residents, I was told that despite regular surveillance, resources are well maintained. “We are watched always,” he said, “but the doctors and social workers care for us, and they always make sure the children are safe and healthy.”

At its peak, the airport housed around 2,100 refugees. Many of them fled violence in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, with some fleeing Iran and Moldova. Nearly 30 percent are children.

Through my work at both Tempelhof and Migration Hub – a start-up incubator that brings together entrepreneurs working on migration and refugee-related challenges – I had a small but sustained glimpse into the refugee community in Berlin.

I quickly learned that the world is filled with people deserving of help, and many look to America for leadership. There is a vital role for the U.S. to play in accepting refugees, and I strongly believe that our country is not living up to it.

We should accept two principles in the debate over how to handle refugees. First, refugees should not be vilified and their entry should not be limited as a result of media-driven animosity or the xenophobia and racism of eager authorities. Second, cities like Berlin that witness acts of terrorism should not follow London’s lead in turning every corner into a surveillance apparatus.

Vilifying refugees as authorities and members of the media race to find both the perpetrator and a scoop is irresponsible and dangerous. Marine Le Pen hijacked the news that the attacker in Berlin fled to Italy as evidence that open borders posed a risk. Recycling tired tropes and closing Europe’s open borders help no one.

Rising from the wreckage of the attack in Berlin were renewed calls for a proliferation of surveillance cameras. The call for enhanced surveillance was similar to actions we’ve seen over the last several weeks at America’s borders.

Wary of the dangers of fascism, Germany has been hesitant to embrace the CCTV revolution, which is sweeping places like London and Chicago. But two days after the attack, draft legislation was passed calling for an increase in CCTV cameras and the use of body cams by police officers.

We must be tolerant and avoid bigotry as we see refugee populations rise in major cities. These cities, in turn, must be responsible with what they see through new technologies. Working to maintain privacy is no less important than working to keep us safe.

There will never be enough written about the heartbreaking crises unfolding right now in places like Syria and South Sudan. It is urgent now more than ever that countries around the world open their borders and embrace those fleeing conflict.

Jake Levin (@JakebLevin) is chief of staff at Shared Studios, an arts, media, and technology collective that creates physical portals to connect people across distance. The project currently has portals in 25 locations around the world, including Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport, Washington, D.C.’s Holocaust Museum, and Harsham IDP camp in Erbil, Iraq.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.