President Barack Obama urged Americans to show generosity to Syrian refugees in his Thanksgiving message – reminding them that the Pilgrims who came to America in 1620 were themselves fleeing persecution.
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The HHS letter makes pointed reference to the Refugee Act of 1980 to provide “assistance and services” to refugees “without regard to race, religion, nationality, sex or political opinion”, and can not cease ORR-funded services to Syrian refugees. Carey added that states which still attempted to keep out refugees “could be subject to enforcement action, including suspension or termination”.
The House approved a bill last week that improves screening for Iraqi and Syrian refugees. President Obama has said the US will remain a welcoming place for refugees from around the world. It’s been more than two months since a photo of a drowned Syrian boy shocked America’s collective conscious, and more than two months since the Obama administration announced it would try to take in roughly 10,000 Syrian refugees before the end of the 2016 fiscal year.
“And as president, I’m thankful that I get to see the best of America every day – the courage of our troops and veterans, the resilience of our families, and the basic goodness of the ordinary people who call this country”, he said.
A majority of the country’s governors also have said they are reluctant to help resettle refugees in their states.
“Terrorists have made it clear that they intend to infiltrate this refugee population to reach the West and carry out other attacks”, Ryan wrote this week in an op-ed for CNN.
They were among about 1,500 migrants who have been stranded near Greece’s northern border town of Idomeni after Europe chose to filter migrants, allowing only those fleeing conflict in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq to cross into the Balkans.
The legislation does not end the program, nor does it impose a religious test – both claims Mr. Obama has hinted – but instead requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation director, the homeland security secretary and the country’s intelligence chief to sign off on each refugee.
The Obama Administration is issuing a showdown with states that are refusing to accept Syrian refugees.
Immigration and refugee resettlement is a power of the federal government and always has been. The Senate has been considering the House bill and Obama has said its passage there would prompt him to try to use his veto.
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It’s not possible for us to predict how many Syrian refugees will go where, because the voluntary agencies make those decisions as refugees clear our security system.
