We are in the midst of the biggest refugee crisis since World War II. And yet refugees that hope to look to the United States for safe haven are encountering a political discourse that refers to walls, travel bans, and registries that invoke a bygone era in American history. Much of this discourse is animated by the understandable desire to make the homeland safe as possible. In doing so, have we abandoned our democratic principles or are we simply embracing a new norm that necessitates more vigilance? Or, perhaps, a binary narrative can and should give way to one that seeks to interlace fundamental human rights principles with national security safeguards. If such a moderated path exists, what does it look like and how do we find it?

Hardy Vieux, is the legal direct of the Human Rights First. He leads and oversees management of the organization’s legal initiatives—including its pro bono legal representation, amicus brief, and legal outreach efforts. Hardy manages Human Rights First’s refugee representation work, which pairs lawyers at the nation’s top law firms with indigent refugees in need of counsel. In 2014, Hardy served as a policy fellow in the Middle East, where he worked at Save the Children International in Amman, Jordan. There, he handled child protection policy issues impacting Syrian refugee children living in Jordan. Prior to living in the Middle East, Hardy was in private legal practice in Washington, D.C. for over ten years. Hardy Vieux holds MPP/JD from University of Michigan Law School and Ford School of Public Policy, and a BA from Duke University.

This winter, Hardy Vieux is the Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, at the U-M’s Ford School of Public Policy and teaching the class titled “The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Policy Formation.”