In 2014, Michigan accepted the fourth-highest number of immigrants of any U.S. state at 4,006. By November 2015, Michigan had accepted 75 Syrian refugees, up from six the previous year. To educate people about the realities of refugees in Michigan, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan held a panel calling for action against fear of immigration called “Beyond Hate and Fear: Immigration and the Refugee Crisis in America” at Grand Valley State University’s Pew Campus on Jan. 26.

One of the main goals of the event was to inform the audience about the growing attitude of xenophobia, the intense or irrational fear of people from other countries.

The panelists focused on the importance of due process and equal protection under the Constitution for all people, regardless of their immigration status.

The panelists for the event were Liz Balck, the legal services director for Justice For Our Neighbors in West Michigan, Rana Elmir, deputy director of ACLU of Michigan, Richard Kessler, an attorney and activist specializing in immigration law, and Rubén Martinez, director of the Julian Samora Research Institute at Michigan State University.

At the start of the discussion, each speaker was allotted time to address the issues they are involved with personally and professionally

Martinez, who is generally involved in academia, discussed how poverty and violence are the two main reasons people are fleeing Central America and the negative effects sending them back could have.

Balck connected her work with Justice For Our Neighbors with the issue of mistreatment of immigrants and refugees. Justice For Our Neighbors is a ministry of hospitality in the West Michigan area that provides various types of assistance to immigrants, such as legal services and offering education to communities of faith and the public.

She said that she gives a lot of advice and counsel, and that’s important due to the continued occurrences of raids on people’s homes, which can result in families being torn apart by deportation.

Balck added that while hate speech towards immigrants and refugees is seen frequently on the news, many people do not agree with what is being said.

Elmir spoke on the behalf of the ACLU of Michigan by explaining their mission in regards to civil rights.

Overall, Elmir said the ACLU aims to fulfill the promises of the Bill of Rights to all. In order to work towards this goal, the organization covers a wide range of topics including the defense of freedom of speech, advocating for the rights of immigrants, non- citizens, and refugees and reforming the criminal justice system to make fair treatment for all people a reality.

Kessler ended the panel by asking those in attendance to do as much as they can to change the atmosphere of hate and fear in the U.S. today, including reaching out to politicians and elected officials.

“Let the government know we do accept immigrants and we aren’t going to stand by,” Kessler said.

The ACLU and similar organizations will continue to work to stop xenophobia in the U.S.