As we prepare to leave NC State to celebrate Thanksgiving, let us give thanks to our governor for keeping our state safe from those Syrian refugees attempting to flee a violent, war-torn state.

In the week after terrorists killed 130 people in Paris, more than half of the nation’s governors have stated they would oppose the admission of Syrian refugees into their states. These calls came after officials found out one of the assailants was carrying what was later determined to be a fake Syrian passport. 

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is among the 31 governors to date who have said their respective states would refuse to accept refugees — something governors do not have the authority to do. Of these governors, 30 are registered Republicans. 

“My primary duty as governor is to keep the citizens of North Carolina safe,” McCrory said. 

So, in lieu of all this, we would like to thank you, Governor McCrory, for contradicting that which we give thanks for year after year, the pilgrims that were able to seek freedom from religious persecution and settle in the country we now wall off in ugly, convenient bouts of xenophobia disguised as protectionary measures.

We’re grateful to you, Governor, for ignoring the sad, shameful fact that of the at least 11 million Syrian people who have fled their homes since 2011, only 1,500 have been accepted into the United States. To this end, we appreciate your refusal to uphold the Obama administration’s small promise to allow a mere 10,000 Syrians to enter in 2016. 

Hats off to you, Mr. McCrory, for playing into deeply ingrained cultural stereotypes; for assuming that if one immigrant is a threat, that every single immigrant must follow suit; for using the excuse of citizen protection to further anti-Muslim sentiment and discrimination against minorities. We thought we had to go home on Thanksgiving to be surrounded by antiquated worldviews, but this year the holiday has come early.

We value, Pat McCrory, that when Rep. Carl Ford asked you to not only stop Syrian refugees from coming into North Carolina but to also “call on the Feds to deport the 44 who are already here,” you remained publicly silent. 

But, most importantly, thank you, Pat, for sticking to your guns and continuing the long-held Thanksgiving tradition of ignoring the wants of minorities in favor of bolstering the rights of the privileged. Thank you for reminding us that history does, in fact, favor those who are white, and that only with this given privilege may we rightfully take what we want — even when others might desperately need it.