Last year my mother helped to place a Syrian family in a Belfast school. 3 amazing, smart, funny young girls who came to Belfast as refugees with their father via Greece after an air strike destroyed their home in Aleppo.

They were separated from their mother and 2 brothers during the air strike and they were all presumed dead. That was 3 years ago.

The family received a call at the weekend from Germany. Their mother and brother are alive and well and had spent the last 3 years searching for their family.

All being well, the family will soon be reunited in Belfast after years of fearing the absolute worst. A good news stories tainted with heartbreak - one of the children is still missing.

How can anyone believe that families like this should be turned away? We have a duty to protect refugees and ensure they never face the same fear and destruction that made them flee their homes in the first place.

Seeking asylum is not a crime but denying refugees the chance to start over should be. #RefugeesWelcomeHere