According to the accompanying infographic, the number of global refugees in 2013 was the highest since the end of World War II. More than 50 million people were displaced during the year, with over 10 percent from Afghanistan and Syria alone.
The burden of housing and caring for these refugees is becoming too much for some. Mayor Domenic Sarno of Springfield, Massachusetts, recently called for an end to the refugee resettlement action in his city where nearly a third of the population already lives below the poverty line.
The request has some people bristling. But more importantly, it brings the important question of whether we have a moral obligation to help these people.