The U.S., a nation that claims to be welcoming, free and helpful to those in need, has in the past upheld those claims when it comes to taking refugees. But today, the U.S. is not sticking by those same values when it comes to accepting Syrian refugees. There are millions of humans —Syrian refugees— in need, and this self-proclaimed humanitarian nation needs to act now. Since the Syrian Civil War commenced in 2011, roughly 4.5 million refugees have fled Syria in search of refuge, while many more have been displaced within Syria. Very few of those have been able to enter the U.S., for the U.S. has rejected these refugees. Although the U.S. promised to take 10,000 Syrian refugees, it has only taken about 900 — a despicable number in terms of the U.S.’s past actions. This nation must start taking in refugees on the grounds that it claims to be humanitarian, has been in the past and must uphold those claims in the future.

The U.S., which is supposedly founded on taking in people facing discrimination or oppression, should be willing to take in Syrian refugees who seek asylum after being forced to leave their war zone of a home. After the Vietnamese War, the U.S. accepted Vietnamese refugees. Time Magazine contends that the U.S. took 120,000 Vietnamese refugees in 1975 alone and handled that easily.Even earlier, the U.S. welcomed great numbers of refugees from Eastern Europe and Cuba. These previous actions of the U.S. represent its values as a nation, its willingness to take in and house those in need, offering them freedom and liberty, which they may have been deprived in their homelands.

Additionally, and most importantly, Syrian refugees will not be a burden on the American economy; in fact, they have much to contribute to the American economy. For example, many Syrian refugees are doctors, who will be able to provide a useful service in the U.S. and contribute to medicine and medical research in the nation. Having more doctors will especially be a benefit because the U.S. is lacking in doctors, and unfortunately, as numbers of people grow, that shortage is only increasing. In fact, the Washington Post reports that by 2025, the U.S. will face a shortage of up to 90,000 doctors – a figure Syrian refugees could help solve if the U.S. would accept them. Other refugees also come from specialized, technical and applicable backgrounds, such as bankers, who hope to work in investment in the nation, lawyers in practice and many others, just seeking refuge. Refugees will be in no way a burden to the U.S. economy; instead, they might as well alleviate America’s financial status.

As the Syrian refugee crisis worsens, it is essential the U.S. match its actions with its promises. We can't sit back and let our reputation of being a humanitarian nation disappear; for the love of humanity, it must not happen.