Despite these troubling political developments, I still love my country and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Historically, generosity, welcoming and caring for people fleeing violence, war and persecution have been America’s core values. Refugees and immigrants like me have benefited from these values when we were welcomed into this nation, and passed them on to our children. Since 1975 a total of 3.7 million refugees have been resettled in the United States. Refugees and immigrants are our neighbors and community members. We provide essential services in hospitals caring for people, in the military defending and protecting our nation, in restaurants, hotels and airports, and as workers on farms feeding the American people. We build houses and construct roads and highways so we can all safely make it home to our families. These services make everyone’s daily lives better while driving our nation’s socio-economic development.