Bacon maintained that throughout American history, immigrants have suffered when the nation has been under attack. He cited as examples the incarceration of several thousand male German-Americans during World War I and the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.
"America remains a land of hope for people from around the world," Bacon said. "It would be a shame if security concerns prevented us from giving refuge to people escaping insecurity. It would be a tragedy if we become too afraid to accept people whose one goal is to flee from fear."
Bacon argued that the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks once again made Americans wary of immigrants. As a result, the entry and resettlement process for refugees fleeing persecution in their homelands has become even more convoluted than it was before 9/11. "Since Sept. 11," he said, "the entire process has become more time-consuming and complex, exposing some of the world's most vulnerable people to even more onerous security checks."
"Resettlement has fallen sharply since Sept. 11, as the government struggled with new security concerns. Although President Bush set resettlement goals of 70,000 for the fiscal years ending on Sept. 30 of 2002, 2003, and now 2004, resettlements were about 40% of the goal in 2002 and 2003," said Bacon.
Bacon questioned the necessity of increased security measures in the resettlement process. He reasoned that with several interviews, security checks and medical tests, terrorists will not risk entering the United States when other means of attacking America are available.
Bacon shared chilling stories of refugees who have been unjustly hurt by the increased security checks. An Iranian immigrant, whose family had already resettled in the United States, could not enter the country and fled to Pakistan instead. While there, he was attacked and beaten.
In the discussion following Bacon's lecture, Caroline Stevenson '06 concurred with Bacon's analysis. "The new rules regarding resettlement are unnecessary due to the large number of safeguards already in place and the fact that terrorists use other points of entry like student visas," she said. "The system is now overly complicated, and [Bacon] was able to give very compelling stories of those individuals lost in trying to reach safety."
Russell Kornblith '06 also supported Bacon's argument. "[It is] atrocious that bureaucracy is keeping us from filling the quotas we have agreed to with the international community," he said.
Scott Niichel '06 reflected upon U.S. involvement in the world. "[I] found the discourse led [me] to consider our international obligations," he said. "There is a tension-to intervene or to accept-when dealing with nations that do not adhere to our code of human rights. This tension limits our fundamental belief in equality, both as citizens of America and citizens of the world."
Professors in the LJST department were in agreement that the colloquium was a success. "The theme of this meeting of the Colloquium provided a rich terrain for conversation," said Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science Austin Sarat. "Alums, students [and] colleagues all seemed quite engaged. There was lively debate across a whole range of issues, from philosophical quandaries about the 'universality' of human rights to the rightness of America's policy in Iraq. All told, I was thrilled; it was a terrific event."
Professor of LJST Martha Umphrey agreed. "I thought overall the conference was a stirring engagement with human rights questions and problems arising out of U.S. and more generally Western interventions in international crises," she said.
Bacon started his career at The Wall Street Journal as a reporter and editorial columnist before moving on to work as an assistant secretary of public affairs for the Department of Defense from 1994 to 2001, and later to his position with Refugees International.