WEBVTT

00:00:00.750 --> 00:00:04.500
Several years ago a young man
came to see me in my clinic.

00:00:05.917 --> 00:00:08.000
He told me he was running for his life.

00:00:09.375 --> 00:00:11.476
He said that he fled his home,

00:00:11.500 --> 00:00:13.976
because there, homosexuality
wasn't just illegal,

00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:16.292
in some cases it was punishable by death.

00:00:17.917 --> 00:00:21.309
So when his sexual
orientation was exposed,

00:00:21.333 --> 00:00:23.226
his family rejected him,

00:00:23.250 --> 00:00:25.101
his boss fired him

00:00:25.125 --> 00:00:28.458
and angry mobs repeatedly
attacked him in the streets.

00:00:29.583 --> 00:00:33.684
And each time the police
arrived only to arrest him,

00:00:33.708 --> 00:00:35.917
detain and torture him further.

00:00:36.958 --> 00:00:40.643
And he knew that if he couldn't
escape the cycle of violence,

00:00:40.667 --> 00:00:42.000
he would surely be killed.

NOTE Paragraph

00:00:43.292 --> 00:00:45.851
So he had to do
what he needed to do to survive.

00:00:45.875 --> 00:00:48.309
He left everything behind.

00:00:48.333 --> 00:00:51.476
All of his friends,
his family, his career.

00:00:51.500 --> 00:00:53.309
He fled his home,

00:00:53.333 --> 00:00:55.893
he escaped to the United States

00:00:55.917 --> 00:00:58.167
and here he applied for asylum.

NOTE Paragraph

00:00:59.458 --> 00:01:02.059
But like many people
fleeing this kind of persecution,

00:01:02.083 --> 00:01:03.351
he couldn't carry much.

00:01:03.375 --> 00:01:04.851
He had some basic ID,

00:01:04.875 --> 00:01:07.125
barely any money
and a few other belongings.

00:01:07.833 --> 00:01:10.018
He certainly didn't bring
official documents

00:01:10.042 --> 00:01:12.309
from the police who tortured him.

00:01:12.333 --> 00:01:15.184
No videos from the mob
that tried to kill him.

00:01:15.208 --> 00:01:18.250
He didn't have this kind of evidence
to help support his claims,

00:01:19.792 --> 00:01:22.893
yet here he was, sitting in my clinic,

00:01:22.917 --> 00:01:26.292
showing me some of the most powerful
evidence of his persecution.

00:01:27.917 --> 00:01:31.292
That was the physical and psychological
scars that he brought with him.

00:01:32.792 --> 00:01:35.458
You see, he suffered
from chronic, debilitating pain.

00:01:36.583 --> 00:01:39.434
He had severe scars
scattered over his body,

00:01:39.458 --> 00:01:42.333
poorly healing wounds
that got infected over and over again.

00:01:43.750 --> 00:01:45.559
He suffered from severe depression

00:01:45.583 --> 00:01:50.458
and continued to have regular, paralyzing
flashbacks and nightmares from PTSD.

NOTE Paragraph

00:01:52.542 --> 00:01:54.101
So we continued our work.

00:01:54.125 --> 00:01:56.309
We met regularly for months,

00:01:56.333 --> 00:01:59.250
documenting each of these pieces
of medical evidence.

00:02:00.250 --> 00:02:02.601
We went over the details of every attack,

00:02:02.625 --> 00:02:04.018
photographed his scars,

00:02:04.042 --> 00:02:06.434
documented his injuries and wounds,

00:02:06.458 --> 00:02:10.893
and we were even able to start
chronicling his slow but steady recovery

00:02:10.917 --> 00:02:12.208
while under our care.

00:02:13.625 --> 00:02:15.809
Working closely with his lawyers,

00:02:15.833 --> 00:02:18.101
I submitted a detailed affidavit,

00:02:18.125 --> 00:02:21.643
including the findings
of this forensic medical evaluation,

00:02:21.667 --> 00:02:24.768
and we included it as part
of his asylum application.

00:02:24.792 --> 00:02:26.768
And then we waited

00:02:26.792 --> 00:02:30.167
for several long years
while he navigated the courts.

NOTE Paragraph

00:02:31.208 --> 00:02:33.208
And then one day I got an email from him.

00:02:34.875 --> 00:02:37.167
It said that he was granted asylum.

00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:40.851
And everyone in the clinic was overjoyed.

00:02:40.875 --> 00:02:44.809
He said in his email
that this was the first time in years

00:02:44.833 --> 00:02:48.809
that he didn't fear deportation and death.

00:02:48.833 --> 00:02:51.518
It was the first time in years
that he truly felt safe,

00:02:51.542 --> 00:02:54.708
that he had the security
to rebuild his life all over again.

00:02:57.000 --> 00:02:59.601
And it was only through this medical
and legal advocacy

00:02:59.625 --> 00:03:03.059
that we were able to help restore
his legal status and his rights,

00:03:03.083 --> 00:03:04.893
that he could do that,

00:03:04.917 --> 00:03:06.333
all through asylum.

NOTE Paragraph

00:03:07.583 --> 00:03:09.518
Now for many people fleeing persecution,

00:03:09.542 --> 00:03:11.601
they come to programs
and clinics like this

00:03:11.625 --> 00:03:13.518
telling unimaginable tales of violence

00:03:13.542 --> 00:03:16.351
and different reasons
they were persecuted.

00:03:16.375 --> 00:03:18.083
But one thing is always the same.

00:03:19.208 --> 00:03:21.351
The violence meted against them

00:03:21.375 --> 00:03:23.750
was done with complete impunity,

00:03:25.208 --> 00:03:28.059
sometimes by the hands of the state
directly through police

00:03:28.083 --> 00:03:29.809
or military officials.

00:03:29.833 --> 00:03:33.351
In other cases,
the state just turns a blind eye

00:03:33.375 --> 00:03:35.559
and condones the acts
of paramilitary groups

00:03:35.583 --> 00:03:37.583
or even violent domestic partners.

00:03:39.208 --> 00:03:41.518
In other cases,
state is completely powerless

00:03:41.542 --> 00:03:43.958
to protect the vulnerable
from powerful gangs.

NOTE Paragraph

00:03:45.792 --> 00:03:48.809
Now we know that social determinants
of health play a huge role

00:03:48.833 --> 00:03:52.351
in determining the health
and well-being of our patients:

00:03:52.375 --> 00:03:54.601
housing, income, education, race,

00:03:54.625 --> 00:03:56.292
social inclusion.

00:03:57.375 --> 00:04:01.101
But the same can be true
for equal protection in the law --

00:04:01.125 --> 00:04:02.726
due process.

00:04:02.750 --> 00:04:05.643
Especially in societies
for the most vulnerable,

00:04:05.667 --> 00:04:06.976
the marginalized

00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:09.684
and even those who are actively targeted,

00:04:09.708 --> 00:04:12.476
their access to these
human rights protections

00:04:12.500 --> 00:04:16.184
that can mean the difference
between sickness and health,

00:04:16.208 --> 00:04:19.167
and often it's the difference
between life and death.

00:04:20.792 --> 00:04:25.184
And for millions of people
who endure persecution and torture,

00:04:25.208 --> 00:04:26.851
the only way to heal

00:04:26.875 --> 00:04:30.934
is to acknowledge the human rights
abuses that have occurred

00:04:30.958 --> 00:04:35.458
and to help restore the rights
and protections that were so violated.

NOTE Paragraph

00:04:36.542 --> 00:04:38.684
After the atrocities of World War II,

00:04:38.708 --> 00:04:43.101
the asylum system was set up
as one pathway to that kind of relief.

00:04:43.125 --> 00:04:46.768
But these days it seems like that pathway
has turned into an obstacle course,

00:04:46.792 --> 00:04:48.333
setting people up to fail.

00:04:49.833 --> 00:04:52.226
Asylum seekers oftentimes
don't know how to start,

00:04:52.250 --> 00:04:55.393
let alone complete the process
that can drag on for years.

00:04:55.417 --> 00:04:58.583
They're not entitled to lawyers,
so they don't know their rights.

00:04:59.292 --> 00:05:01.434
Increasingly, they're even being barred

00:05:01.458 --> 00:05:04.292
from setting foot
in places of potential refuge.

00:05:05.458 --> 00:05:07.018
They're arrested or prosecuted,

00:05:07.042 --> 00:05:09.917
even deported before they ever
get to see an asylum officer.

00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:13.292
And even if they do
make it through the process,

00:05:14.208 --> 00:05:17.309
asylum grant rates
can be as low as 20 percent

00:05:17.333 --> 00:05:19.434
and far worse for some.

00:05:19.458 --> 00:05:22.018
It's almost like the system was designed

00:05:22.042 --> 00:05:24.208
to keep people
from exercising their right.

NOTE Paragraph

00:05:26.875 --> 00:05:30.309
But there is something
that many of these people can do.

00:05:30.333 --> 00:05:33.893
Something that can potentially
increase their chances of success

00:05:33.917 --> 00:05:35.976
to 90 percent or more.

00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:37.542
So what makes the difference?

00:05:38.458 --> 00:05:42.268
Getting a lawyer
and having a medical evaluation.

00:05:42.292 --> 00:05:43.875
It's as simple as that.

00:05:44.708 --> 00:05:47.643
The man who came to my clinic
and won his asylum case.

00:05:47.667 --> 00:05:51.726
Doctors and lawyers working together
to present all of the evidence,

00:05:51.750 --> 00:05:53.268
including the medical evidence,

00:05:53.292 --> 00:05:54.601
to the courts

00:05:54.625 --> 00:05:57.500
allows judges to make
informed and just decisions.

NOTE Paragraph

00:05:58.792 --> 00:06:01.518
And it's this kind
of medical-legal partnership

00:06:01.542 --> 00:06:03.976
that's now more important than ever,

00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:07.184
because we live in a time
of epic, forced migration

00:06:07.208 --> 00:06:08.750
due to violence and conflict.

00:06:09.708 --> 00:06:14.768
In 2018 there were 70 million
people worldwide forcibly displaced

00:06:14.792 --> 00:06:17.518
due to war, conflict and persecution.

00:06:17.542 --> 00:06:19.809
It includes 40 million
internally displaced,

00:06:19.833 --> 00:06:23.042
25 million refugees
and three million asylum seekers.

00:06:24.417 --> 00:06:27.643
Here in the United States,
we see the impact of escalating violence

00:06:27.667 --> 00:06:30.226
in places like El Salvador,
Guatemala and Honduras,

00:06:30.250 --> 00:06:33.708
where murder rates can be as high
as those in Syria and Afghanistan.

00:06:35.542 --> 00:06:39.809
Where police corruption
and gang violence are on the rise,

00:06:39.833 --> 00:06:44.101
where poverty and child abuse
are widespread and tolerated,

00:06:44.125 --> 00:06:46.143
where basic systems of governance --

00:06:46.167 --> 00:06:47.934
public safety,

00:06:47.958 --> 00:06:49.268
child protection --

00:06:49.292 --> 00:06:50.583
are ineffective.

NOTE Paragraph

00:06:51.833 --> 00:06:54.684
It's no surprise then that many
of the most vulnerable

00:06:54.708 --> 00:06:56.184
in some of these societies --

00:06:56.208 --> 00:06:59.768
children, women
and other targeted groups --

00:06:59.792 --> 00:07:01.643
they're growing increasingly desperate

00:07:01.667 --> 00:07:04.292
and fleeing in unprecedented numbers.

00:07:05.167 --> 00:07:06.559
Like over the past 10 years,

00:07:06.583 --> 00:07:08.500
the numbers of unaccompanied children

00:07:09.792 --> 00:07:11.976
trying to seek safety
at our southwest border

00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:14.101
has increased 18-fold,

00:07:14.125 --> 00:07:18.167
from 3,300 in 2009
to over 62,000 this past year.

00:07:20.250 --> 00:07:24.333
That's in addition to nearly half
a million people traveling as families.

00:07:25.083 --> 00:07:28.601
Men, women and children
trying to seek refuge at our borders,

00:07:28.625 --> 00:07:31.625
but who are stranded
in a humanitarian crisis.

NOTE Paragraph

00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:34.851
And what makes matters worse

00:07:34.875 --> 00:07:38.018
is that they're caught in this fog
of claims and counterclaims

00:07:38.042 --> 00:07:39.559
about who they are,

00:07:39.583 --> 00:07:41.226
what they've experienced,

00:07:41.250 --> 00:07:43.101
where the proof is

00:07:43.125 --> 00:07:44.434
and what they deserve.

00:07:44.458 --> 00:07:45.875
Do they deserve our help?

00:07:47.708 --> 00:07:49.351
Sometimes people make claims

00:07:49.375 --> 00:07:51.518
that they're not fleeing
human rights abuses

00:07:51.542 --> 00:07:53.184
but are simply economic migrants.

00:07:53.208 --> 00:07:55.809
Others say these children
are actually being exploited

00:07:55.833 --> 00:07:57.417
and trafficked by their parents.

00:07:58.250 --> 00:08:00.393
Others say they're
not even children at all;

00:08:00.417 --> 00:08:01.768
they're hardened criminals,

00:08:01.792 --> 00:08:04.375
they're gang members
trying to infiltrate our country.

NOTE Paragraph

00:08:05.125 --> 00:08:06.726
To cut through some of this fog,

00:08:06.750 --> 00:08:09.226
my colleagues and I conducted a study.

00:08:09.250 --> 00:08:12.684
We looked at data
from children seeking asylum

00:08:12.708 --> 00:08:14.292
who had medical evaluations.

00:08:15.708 --> 00:08:18.250
And this is what the evidence told us.

00:08:19.542 --> 00:08:22.309
80 percent of these children had evidence

00:08:22.333 --> 00:08:24.643
of exposure to repeated physical violence:

00:08:24.667 --> 00:08:25.958
assault and torture.

00:08:27.333 --> 00:08:30.434
60 percent of the girls
and at least 10 percent of the boys

00:08:30.458 --> 00:08:33.851
had evidence of repeated
exposure to sexual violence.

00:08:33.875 --> 00:08:35.809
One young girl, telling a story

00:08:35.833 --> 00:08:37.476
and having corroborating evidence

00:08:37.500 --> 00:08:40.809
of being detained, beaten and raped
over the course of three years,

00:08:40.833 --> 00:08:42.643
trafficked to other men

00:08:42.667 --> 00:08:46.143
and even having the threats
of the murder of her entire family

00:08:46.167 --> 00:08:48.542
if she should ever escape
or try to seek help.

00:08:50.833 --> 00:08:54.851
90 percent of these children
had evidence of psychological harm

00:08:54.875 --> 00:08:56.143
from indirect violence,

00:08:56.167 --> 00:08:57.643
including such severe threats,

00:08:57.667 --> 00:09:02.417
but also witnessing untold
atrocities with their very eyes.

NOTE Paragraph

00:09:04.375 --> 00:09:09.750
One young boy described
the terror and the grief

00:09:10.750 --> 00:09:12.059
and the utter fear

00:09:12.083 --> 00:09:16.059
of seeing the mutilated bodies
and faces of his younger brother,

00:09:16.083 --> 00:09:17.351
his aunt,

00:09:17.375 --> 00:09:19.643
his uncle, his cousin,

00:09:19.667 --> 00:09:24.542
all killed in a single gang attack
meant to send the community a message.

NOTE Paragraph

00:09:28.042 --> 00:09:31.351
And of course the psychological
toll is immense.

00:09:31.375 --> 00:09:34.934
19 percent of these children
had signs of anxiety disorder;

00:09:34.958 --> 00:09:36.726
41 percent, depression

00:09:36.750 --> 00:09:39.125
and 64 percent, PTSD.

00:09:40.250 --> 00:09:43.875
21 percent also had signs
of suicidality as children.

00:09:45.750 --> 00:09:48.684
To put this into some perspective,
returning combat veterans,

00:09:48.708 --> 00:09:51.292
they have PTSD on the order
of 10 to 20 percent.

00:09:52.167 --> 00:09:55.351
These children at three to six times
more likely to have PTSD

00:09:55.375 --> 00:09:57.625
than a soldier returning from war.

NOTE Paragraph

00:10:01.375 --> 00:10:04.518
Now despite this burden
and despite this trauma,

00:10:04.542 --> 00:10:06.601
there are many others, still.

00:10:06.625 --> 00:10:10.809
Children who come to seek safety
and enter into our immigration system

00:10:10.833 --> 00:10:12.351
only to find further abuse

00:10:12.375 --> 00:10:15.125
and even torture reminiscent
of the places that they fled.

00:10:16.875 --> 00:10:18.934
You might remember
some of those headlines,

00:10:18.958 --> 00:10:20.750
some of those images this past year.

00:10:21.917 --> 00:10:25.309
Children being ripped
from the arms of their parents.

00:10:25.333 --> 00:10:29.268
Toddlers, infants
in cold and unsanitary cages.

00:10:29.292 --> 00:10:32.375
The absence of food, water
clothing and even soap.

00:10:34.083 --> 00:10:36.893
There's also increasing reports
of medical negligence,

00:10:36.917 --> 00:10:38.934
preventable complications,

00:10:38.958 --> 00:10:40.309
child abuse,

00:10:40.333 --> 00:10:41.601
sexual abuse

00:10:41.625 --> 00:10:44.667
and even child deaths in US custody.

00:10:47.167 --> 00:10:49.684
Sadly, many of these abuses
and crimes aren't new.

00:10:49.708 --> 00:10:52.976
Some date back many years
and even across administrations.

00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:54.292
But something's changed.

00:10:55.375 --> 00:10:57.917
The scope and scale
of these abuses and crimes,

00:10:59.708 --> 00:11:04.643
the systematic and seemingly purposeful
endangerment of asylum seekers

00:11:04.667 --> 00:11:08.393
and also the impunity
with which it's being done

00:11:08.417 --> 00:11:10.667
has raised the harm
to an entirely new level.

NOTE Paragraph

00:11:13.500 --> 00:11:15.750
It reminds me of one
of the girls in the study

00:11:16.917 --> 00:11:19.976
who told us how she pleaded
with one of her attackers,

00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:21.268
asking him to stop,

00:11:21.292 --> 00:11:22.708
asking why she was targeted.

00:11:23.875 --> 00:11:25.958
And do you what his response was?

00:11:27.042 --> 00:11:30.792
He says, "We can do this, because
there's no one here to protect you."

NOTE Paragraph

00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:37.768
We can't let this be true

00:11:37.792 --> 00:11:41.292
of children and other asylum seekers
trying to find help at our borders.

00:11:43.042 --> 00:11:44.333
But what do we do?

00:11:46.042 --> 00:11:47.309
As a physician,

00:11:47.333 --> 00:11:49.393
I'm often dealing with difficult decisions

00:11:49.417 --> 00:11:52.518
with some of my sickest
and most complex patients.

00:11:52.542 --> 00:11:55.018
Of course we want to keep
our focus on their health,

00:11:55.042 --> 00:11:57.018
their well-being, their quality of life,

00:11:57.042 --> 00:12:00.500
but sometimes it requires
a deeper exploration of their values

00:12:01.583 --> 00:12:03.917
to really understand how to move forward.

00:12:05.125 --> 00:12:06.393
In a similar way,

00:12:06.417 --> 00:12:08.559
our nation is facing a crisis

00:12:08.583 --> 00:12:11.434
with the increasing number
of asylum seekers at our borders

00:12:11.458 --> 00:12:12.809
and in our communities,

00:12:12.833 --> 00:12:17.125
and it compels us to re-examine
some of our own fundamental values.

NOTE Paragraph

00:12:18.500 --> 00:12:22.059
What does it mean
when we value health and safety?

00:12:22.083 --> 00:12:24.042
What does it mean when we value security,

00:12:25.958 --> 00:12:28.101
life, liberty,

00:12:28.125 --> 00:12:29.809
the life of children?

00:12:29.833 --> 00:12:31.143
What about this one --

00:12:31.167 --> 00:12:33.958
what does it mean when we say
we value law and order?

00:12:34.583 --> 00:12:38.417
Does that also include respecting
due process rights for an asylum seeker?

NOTE Paragraph

00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:41.976
Now for some, when they hear these terms

00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:45.018
they immediately gravitate
towards wanting to build more walls,

00:12:45.042 --> 00:12:46.476
deploying more border patrol,

00:12:46.500 --> 00:12:47.976
deporting more people

00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:51.018
even if it means separating
children from their families,

00:12:51.042 --> 00:12:53.476
subjecting them to psychological torture

00:12:53.500 --> 00:12:56.125
or deporting them to places
where they might die.

00:12:57.333 --> 00:12:59.601
All in the name of security.

00:12:59.625 --> 00:13:00.917
All in our name.

NOTE Paragraph

00:13:01.667 --> 00:13:03.292
But for me and for many others,

00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:06.476
when I think of these values,

00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:08.601
that pushes me
in an entirely new direction

00:13:08.625 --> 00:13:12.518
and renews my commitment to try
to meet the needs of these asylum seekers

00:13:12.542 --> 00:13:15.684
with every tool I have at my disposal.

00:13:15.708 --> 00:13:18.809
So that when we say
that we value life and liberty,

00:13:18.833 --> 00:13:22.184
we'll see these people
who have taken unimaginable risks

00:13:22.208 --> 00:13:24.518
to flee imminent danger and harm

00:13:24.542 --> 00:13:26.351
to try to find safety.

00:13:26.375 --> 00:13:27.893
We'll meet them where they are

00:13:27.917 --> 00:13:30.518
and provide food, water,
shelter, clothing.

00:13:30.542 --> 00:13:32.809
And we'll certainly
meet them with medical care

00:13:32.833 --> 00:13:35.458
and mental health care
that they so desperately need.

00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:38.434
When we say that we value the rule of law,

00:13:38.458 --> 00:13:42.059
and not just the privileges
it provides a few

00:13:42.083 --> 00:13:44.643
but the responsibilities
it requires of all of us,

00:13:44.667 --> 00:13:47.643
we'll make sure that we have
a functioning immigration system.

00:13:47.667 --> 00:13:49.809
We'll make sure that we have
trained judges.

00:13:49.833 --> 00:13:54.268
We'll make sure that we're not
settling for the illusion of law and order

00:13:54.292 --> 00:13:58.101
that maybe a tall wall
or a militarized border might provide us.

00:13:58.125 --> 00:14:00.018
We want the real thing.

00:14:00.042 --> 00:14:02.518
We want judges to be able
to evaluate the evidence,

00:14:02.542 --> 00:14:04.101
including the medical evidence,

00:14:04.125 --> 00:14:07.393
and we want them to administer justice ...

00:14:07.417 --> 00:14:08.708
fairly.

NOTE Paragraph

00:14:10.708 --> 00:14:13.226
When we say that we value
health and well-being,

00:14:13.250 --> 00:14:15.417
that we don't want to perpetuate harm,

00:14:17.333 --> 00:14:19.934
then we'll deploy
trauma-informed strategies

00:14:19.958 --> 00:14:21.934
at all levels of the immigration system.

00:14:21.958 --> 00:14:24.434
It might start with retraining
border patrol agents

00:14:24.458 --> 00:14:26.059
or immigration officials,

00:14:26.083 --> 00:14:29.684
but it needs more medical,
mental health and child welfare experts

00:14:29.708 --> 00:14:31.208
across the whole system.

NOTE Paragraph

00:14:33.625 --> 00:14:37.125
And when we say that we value justice,

00:14:38.625 --> 00:14:41.893
we won't let ourselves
be turned into the torturers

00:14:41.917 --> 00:14:45.518
that many of these children
and other people fled.

00:14:45.542 --> 00:14:48.393
We'll open up our detention
centers and our courts

00:14:48.417 --> 00:14:49.684
to experts and advocates

00:14:49.708 --> 00:14:51.542
to hold ourselves accountable.

00:14:52.417 --> 00:14:55.768
And we may find that we need
to shut down most of them

00:14:55.792 --> 00:14:57.333
and close these camps.

NOTE Paragraph

00:15:01.500 --> 00:15:04.018
I believe that by working
in effective partnerships

00:15:04.042 --> 00:15:07.101
with lawyers, doctors,
human rights advocates

00:15:07.125 --> 00:15:08.393
and many others,

00:15:08.417 --> 00:15:11.393
that we can work together
to meet these asylum seekers' needs,

00:15:11.417 --> 00:15:13.393
that we can meet our historical,

00:15:13.417 --> 00:15:14.684
humanitarian

00:15:14.708 --> 00:15:16.583
and legal obligations to them.

00:15:17.417 --> 00:15:18.684
And when we do,

00:15:18.708 --> 00:15:20.934
I think something powerful will unfold.

00:15:20.958 --> 00:15:22.809
Not only will these asylum seekers --

00:15:22.833 --> 00:15:25.726
like the man who came to my clinic
and won his asylum case,

00:15:25.750 --> 00:15:27.268
like the children in the study

00:15:27.292 --> 00:15:30.726
or the many thousands of others
seeking a new life,

00:15:30.750 --> 00:15:33.643
they'll be able to find
that safety and security.

00:15:33.667 --> 00:15:35.934
We'll recognize the abuses
that have occurred,

00:15:35.958 --> 00:15:39.042
and we'll restore the rights
and protections that were lost.

00:15:40.417 --> 00:15:42.601
And I think that we'll be in wonder

00:15:42.625 --> 00:15:45.083
when we see them in the fullness
of their humanity.

00:15:45.958 --> 00:15:48.684
Not just their strengths and weaknesses,

00:15:48.708 --> 00:15:50.393
their hopes and joys,

00:15:50.417 --> 00:15:53.434
not just the trauma that we acknowledge,

00:15:53.458 --> 00:15:55.434
but we'll also stand with them

00:15:55.458 --> 00:15:57.893
and we'll be inspired by their resilience.

00:15:57.917 --> 00:15:59.268
They'll blossom,

00:15:59.292 --> 00:16:01.500
and they'll add
to the richness of this nation.

NOTE Paragraph

00:16:02.542 --> 00:16:05.143
I think by staying true
to our fundamental values

00:16:05.167 --> 00:16:07.059
in the way that I've described,

00:16:07.083 --> 00:16:10.809
that's how we build a sane
and humane immigration system.

00:16:10.833 --> 00:16:15.018
That's how we remain the golden door.

00:16:15.042 --> 00:16:16.351
And that's how it happens

00:16:16.375 --> 00:16:18.667
that we remain the shining
light of the world.

NOTE Paragraph

00:16:19.542 --> 00:16:20.809
Thank you.

NOTE Paragraph

00:16:20.833 --> 00:16:23.125
(Applause)