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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate NEWS NOW Grants Pass boy dies after raft capsizes on Rogue River ... Murders at Crater Lake: The slaying of auto-parts reps in 1952 remains a mystery ... Our View: Law lets lobbyists keep public in the dark ... Grants Pass boy dies after raft capsizes on Rogue River ... Murders at Crater Lake: The slaying of auto-parts reps in 1952 remains a mystery ... Our View: Law lets lobbyists keep public in the dark ... OUR VIEW Our View: No easy answers to Mexican refugee influx Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Apr. 7, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Apr. 7, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Living in the relative safety of the Rogue Valley, it's easy to dismiss violence and unrest in a foreign country as less than real, something that doesn't touch our daily lives. But when that country is next door to ours, and terrified residents flee here to stay with relatives, we are more interconnected than we might think. That's the case with more than 150 children and their families who fled drug cartel violence in the Mexican states of Michoacán and Guerrero and are staying with relatives in Southern Oregon. The children have enrolled in Medford, Eagle Point and Phoenix-Talent schools, putting pressure on the districts to meet the needs of students who speak no English. The first thing to realize about these children is that they are not part of the debate over undocumented adults and their families who come to the United States seeking work. In fact, many of the fathers of these children remain in Mexico, where they are seeking work away from the troubled areas their families fled. The families here are temporarily "paroled" into the U.S. when a Homeland Security officer determines they have a credible fear of persecution at home and a family member living here signs an affidavit of support. They likely have about six months reprieve before an immigration judge will hear their case. But if they can't prove they will be persecuted because of race, religion, national origin, political opinions or membership in a particular social group, they will not qualify for asylum and will be deported. These people are certainly afraid of persecution, but not for any of those specific reasons. So they likely will have to return to Mexico, where they will face an uncertain future. In the southwestern states they left behind, armed drug cartels carry out kidnappings and murder on a regular basis. The cartels are at war with each other, with the government and with armed vigilante groups, some of which are also linked to organized crime.    There is no obvious solution to this dilemma. On one level, the U.S. cannot offer safe haven to all the world's refugees. There are simply too many. At the same time, this country can't turn its back on human suffering. The governments of this country and of Mexico bear the responsibility to address the violence and terror resulting from drug trafficking that is largely conducted to feed this country's appetite for illegal substances. Meanwhile, local communities like this one must respond as best we can to aid the refugees in our midst, because it is the right thing to do. Illegal drug use is sometimes referred to as a "victimless crime." The families living among us are the victims who disprove that statement. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Apr. 7, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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