Obama’s determination to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees has garnered much political criticism from the right wing, especially in light of the recent terror attacks. Should the USA take in Syrian refugees? “Most of the Syrians are traumatized by an act of war”. The Persian Gulf countries are fabulously wealthy from oil revenues, have strong economies, speak the same Arabic language and offer a familiar culture for the displaced Syrians. The president had committed to accept an additional 10,000 refugees from Syria this year and he reminded the people that the policy is part of the country’s tradition.
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US immigration system critic Julie Axelrod, director of investigations at the Immigration Reform Law Institute, said the onus should be on other Arab nations to do more for the refugees.
Questions about the possible entry into the U.S.by extremists tied to Islamic State militants who control large swaths of Syria and Iraq have been raised since a string of violent attacks in Paris Nov. 13 and the downing of a Russian jetliner over Egypt’s Sinai desert October 31, all claimed by the organization. President Barack Obama has said the US will remain a welcoming place for refugees from around the world.
At least one of the attackers is thought to have snuck into Europe disguised as a refugee, and critics contend that the U.S.’s refugee-vetting process could also be exploited by terrorists seeking to take advantage of America’s humanitarian efforts. Numerous terrorists that night were either French or Belgian citizens.
The letter, first reported on by the Houston Chronicle, marks the first official statement by the federal government in response to state governors’ public declarations that they do not welcome the entry of Syrian refugees into their states.
The bill’s backers say if the Obama administration has really vetted all of the refugees as it says, such a certification should be easy and will go a long way toward ensuring Americans that someone is directly responsible for the program.
The Republican-backed bill was approved on a vote of 289 to 137. Over 2,200 Syrian refugees have already been resettled into the US since October of 2010, says the State Department. All of the governors are Republican except for one.
The Gulf states are the “ones actually giving a lot of arms and weapons to radical Islamists”. The U.S. costs primarily include government fees to resettlement groups that pay for refugee housing, transportation and other expenses, as well as welfare payments to refugees themselves.
Medical checks also are completed. He tells TheDCNF some refugees are on hunger strikes because of depraved conditions.
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The agencies also work with state and local officials so refugees can obtain whatever social services they need. The horrors of modern terrorism are frightening, but they demand from us a strong renewal of our faith and our commitment to Christian teachings and the common good.
