By Susan Martin is the Donald G. Herzberg Professor Emerita of International Migration, Georgetown University.

During his confirmation hearing, Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified that “Every dollar we spend, every program we fund and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous? [1]. Secretary Rubio answered these questions himself in 2015 when he stated “Recent conflicts and persecution, especially religious persecution, have resulted in the largest number of displaced persons since World War II. The U.S. must continue to lead on this issue and work to ensure that refugees who flee war, torture and persecution are provided safe environments to live and thrive in”. [2]

That Secretary Rubio understands the situation of refugees is no surprise. His maternal grandfather, Pedro Victor Garcia, left Cuba after Fidel Castro took office in 1962, and entered the United States without a visa. [3] He was detained as an undocumented immigrant and ordered to be deported. Fortunately for him, the deportation order was not enforced. [4] Rubio’s grandfather, like many other Cuban refugees, would have been allowed to remain in the country under humanitarian parole. Under the Cuban Adjustment Act, he would be eligible to become a permanent resident and then a U.S. citizen. He benefited from a program that had more recently been used to admit Venezuelans, Ukrainians, Haitians and Cubans but has now been suspended.

Historically, the U.S. has prospered from the arrival of refugees. Let’s look at each of the criteria Rubio set. First, refugees individually and collectively have made the U.S. safer. One need only look at the scores of refugees that saved the lives of U.S. soldiers. They worked for or with the U.S. military in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries, often putting their own lives on the line to protect Americans. As former Defense Secretary James Mattis stated, “numerous Iraqi nationals have risked their own lives and their families’ lives by aligning with our diplomats and warfighters providing essential mission support. We owe them support for their commitment.” [5] Promises that local employees would be brought to the U.S. if they faced retaliation from those fighting American troops made it more likely to obtain the help that was needed. Conversely, refusal to admit those in need of safety undermines the ability of the U.S. to recruit local staff.

Second, does the admission of refugees make us stronger? Here again, the answer is yes. Refugees may be the most resilient people in the world. Despite having gone through experiences that few Americans can even imagine, refugees have repeatedly shown themselves to be survivors, not victims. As many were persecuted for their commitment to democratic values, refugees remind Americans of what makes our country strong—our own commitment to the rule of law, to the concept that all persons are created equal, to the bill of rights, and to the peaceful transfer of power through elections.

Third, do refugees make the U.S. more prosperous? The answer is yes [6]. A study of the net fiscal impact of refugees on the U.S. economy from 2005-2019 shows significant contributions. The study concluded that refugees “contributed a staggering $123.8 billion more than they have cost in governmental expenditures, showcasing their economic benefit. This figure is split between a $31.5 billion net benefit to the federal government and an approximate $92.3 billion boon to state and local governments. [7]” Moreover, throughout U.S. history, refugees have been successful entrepreneurs. According to one study, a higher proportion of entrepreneurs are refugees (13%) as compared to other immigrants (11.7%) and US born citizens (9%). Refugees have contributed their brains—after all, Albert Einstein fled Nazi Germany and Enrico Fermi fled Fascist Italy. Refugees also contributed to the arts. Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, and Mark Rothko are among the most famous refugee artists. [8] Viet Thanh Nguyen and Khaled Hosseini wrote about their own refugee experiences, winning critical acclaim.

In summation, refugees make the U.S. safer, stronger and more prosperous. These are not the only reason for the United States to admit refugees, however. The moral argument—that the U.S. can save lives through refugee resettlement—should not be dismissed. Further, when the US takes leadership in resettling refugees, other countries are more likely to follow our example. All in all, the United States benefits from doing the right thing in helping refugees to rebuild their lives in this country.

[1] Nomination Hearing of the Honorable Marco A. Rubio, of Florida, to be Sec’y of State Before the Senate Comm. on Foreign Relations, 119th Cong. (Jan. 15, 2025)

[2] Senators Cardin, Rubio Introduce World Refugee Day Resolution, SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMM. (Jun. 18, 2015), https://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/dem/release/senators-cardin-rubio-introduce-world-refugee-dayresolution

[3] Peters, Jeremy. “Marco Rubio’s Policies Might Shut the Door to People Like His Grandfather” The New York Times, March 5, 2016

[4] “Marco Rubio’s grandfather ordered deported to Cuba in 1962″. West Palm Beach, FL: WPBF. Associated Press. April 25, 2012.

[5] Mark Grey, “Would Admitting More Refugees Make Us Safer?” https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/articles/more-refugees/, December 5, 2019

[6] American Immigration Council, Starting Anew: The Economic Impact of Refugees in America, 2023

[7] Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, Refugees in U.S. Have Contributed Nearly $124B to U.S. Government Budget, New HHS Study Reveals, 2024 https://acf.gov/archive/blog/2024/02/refugees-us-have-contributed-nearly-124b-us-government-budget-new-hhs-study#:~:text=Net%20Fiscal%20Impact:%20The%20study,American%20society%20and%20its%20economy

[8] The Powerful Stories of Artists Forced to Flee Their Homelands, https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-powerful-stories-of-artists-forced-to-flee-their-homelands/PQVBL_3MNBYK4Q?hl=en