Rows and rows of shipping containers where families live in the bitter January cold: that's the scene at the Nea Kavala refugee camp in Northern Greece as described by Harrison Feind of Lafayette, who recently returned from volunteering there. The refugees at Nea Kavala are primarily Syrians who have fled their country's civil war.
In 2016, the United States admitted more than 12,ooo Syrian refugees, but that practice was ended by President Trump last week when he signed an executive order barring migrants from Syria and certain other predominantly Muslim countries. The move is designed to protect that the U.S. from potential terrorists.
As many Syrian refugees move north, they find themselves landing in Greece, which is one reason Feind volunteered there. According to the United Nations, approximately 80,000 Syrian refugees arrived in Greece last year.
Feind, who became active in refugee relief about a month ago, shortly after hearing a story on Colorado Matters, worked with the Norwegian relief organization A Drop in the Ocean. He spoke about his experience in the refugee camp with Colorado Matters' host Nathan Heffel.
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