Letter to the Editor

To the editor:

I have egg on my face. In a previous letter I said the United States should withdraw from the 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees.

Thinking about the subject some more, I asked a friend if she could get a printout of all the countries that have signed the Convention.

To my chagrin, I learned that 145 countries have signed the 1951 U.N. Convention over the years but the U.S. had not. The U.S. did sign the amendment to the Convention, the 1967 Protocol.

From a politician’s office I requested a printout of the 1951 U.N. Convention on Refugees and the 1967 Protocol. The introductory note to the documents is enlightening and disturbing.

The way I read it, Central Americans are on solid ground rolling up to the U.S. border. Thankfully, according to Article 9 of the Protocol, a country can give notice and withdraw from the agreement. Here’s hoping our government wakes up.

Joy Renisch
Sappington