Following the lethal assaults in Paris and the revelation that one of many terrorists might have entered Europe as a part of the wave of Syrians fleeing their struggle-torn homeland, a debate has flared in the U.S. concerning the advisability of taking in refugees from that Middle Eastern nation.
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“Accordingly, states may not categorically deny ORR-funded benefits and services to Syrian refugees”, the letter from Wednesday read.
Dubbing the Pilgrims the country’s first refugees, President Obama used his weekly radio address Thursday to chide his fellow Americans for their reluctance to accept Syrian refugees, insisting the US has a duty to accept them and other immigrants. Furthermore, many Republicans cast serious doubt on whether refugees can be properly vetted to ensure that they are not terrorists. As Republican leaders in Congress prepare to block Syrian refugees from the United States, one legislator proposed requiring three national security chiefs to certify personally that each refugee admitted from Iraq or Syria is not a threat. Several Republican presidential candidates also have said refugees pose a risk.
US President Barack Obama has reminded the people in his Thanksgiving message the deep immigration history of America.
The President acknowledged pilgrims arrived in America looking for a safe haven, much like the Syrian refugees of today. According to the International Refugee Assistance Project, those Iraqi translators are among the 58,000 or more Iraqis who worked with the U.S. They are still awaiting for visa processing.
The administration sent a letter telling states they would be subject to enforcement action if they do not comply with federal plans to import thousands of refugees to the United States over the next few years.
“In 1620, a small band of pilgrims came to this continent, refugees who had fled persecution and violence in their native land”, Obama stated, notes ABC News. For him to try and use a derisory and symbolic program to allow 10,000 refugees into the United States in order to posture as more caring than those evil Jacksonian rednecks out in the benighted sticks is one of the most cynical, cold-blooded, and nastily divisive moves an American President has made in a long time. 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.
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The House passed a bill that would have withheld Justice Department grant money from sanctuary cities and states, but Senate Democrats launched a filibuster to halt it. Mr. Obama threatened to veto the legislation anyway, saying it was bad policy to withhold money. But, his administration also said it is “examining options for further enhancements” to Syrian refugee screening, acknowledging a need to address the broad security concerns of lawmakers and the public.
