President Barack Obama has a stated goal of admitting up to 10,000 additional Syrian refugees during this fiscal budget year.
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“In 1620, a small band of Pilgrims came to this continent, refugees who had fled persecution and violence in their native land”, the Democratic occupant of the White House began. “Our nation and our state have a shared history of providing safe haven for those displaced by conflict, but the news surrounding the Paris terror attacks reminds us of the all-too-real security threats facing America”, Rauner said in a statement.
That is a significant increase from the roughly 2,000 Syrian refugees the USA has taken in since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, but represents only a tiny fraction of the millions who have fled the war-torn country.
Obama stressed that Syrian refugees would undergo the highest security checks of anyone traveling to the United States.
Thanksgiving Day in the USA is traced to a feast in 1621 by the Pilgrims in which they gave their appreciation to god for their first successful harvest in the New World.
However a spokesman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which oversees refugee resettlement in the state, said the letter will not change the state’s position of blocking Syrian refugees.
U.S. advocates for Syrian refugees are intensifying a campaign to boost public support for resettling them in the United States, as opinion polls suggest more than half of US citizens oppose the resettlement program. Several Republican presidential candidates also have said refugees pose a risk. President Obama has said the US will remain a welcoming place for refugees from around the world.
“One woman from Pennsylvania wrote me to say, “Money is tight for us in my household…” Much has been made about a “religious test” for refugees seeking a home in the country. “It’s hypocritical for Obama Administration officials to threaten enforcement action against these states when they refuse to enforce the vast majority of our immigration laws, such as cracking down on sanctuary cities that openly defy federal law and endanger the American people”.
“I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving, surrounded by loved ones and full of joy and gratitude”, he said.
This call for compassion is likely to be blasted by Republicans and others who want to ban refugees, particularly those from Muslim countries. The Senate is expected to vote on the measure upon return and Obama has promised to issue a veto, according to The Hill.
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“When it comes to vetting, refugees – and in particular Syrian refugees – are the most vetted I have come to work with in the last 30 years”, Bloom told CNS.
