The Syrian Refugee Crisis has been ongoing since 2011. This past year, states in the U.S.  have been debating whether or not to accept the refugees that are currently overwhelming Europe. Approximately 40 years ago after the end of the Vietnam War,  the United States took in approximately 120,000 Vietnamese refugees. At the time, American fears as to whether or not the U.S. could handle the immigration influx and suspicion about communism ran rampant much like the current fears toward handling the influx of Syrian refugees and suspicions about terrorism.

 

     Some of the  Vietnamese refugees that were accepted in the 1970s have become members of the Palo Alto community. Included in this group are Daniel Ho, parent of Palo Alto High School freshman, Natalie Ho and Palo Alto High School junior, Andrew Ho, and Tonya Nguyen, parent of Palo Alto High School senior, Christina Le, and Julianne Le, Class of 2014. Daniel escaped in 1985 while Tonya escaped in 1976. View their stories below.