Can The U.S. Handle More Than 10,000 Syrian Refugees?

Can The U.S. Handle More Than 10,000 Syrian Refugees?

Can The U.S. Handle More Than 10,000 Syrian Refugees?

The push for the U.S. to throw the doors wide open to refugees from Syria continues. In fact, we may be looking at more than the 10,000 previously discussed.

Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the Obama administration is “continuing to reassess” what that number should be in consultations with Congress.

The White House has previously said Obama wants to accept “at least” 10,000 refugees in the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. But some congressional Democrats are pushing for a far higher number. Sen. Richard Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said Tuesday that 10,000 is “too modest.”

Legally, it is the President who sets the cap on the number of refugees from around the world who can enter this country, and that doesn’t include those who seek asylum.  The limit for 2015 is currently at 70,000 with approximately 1,500 of those from Syria. Here’s the problem, as was outlined here last week, whether the number of Syrians is 10,000 or the 100,000 Dick Durban wants, how can we be assured that all those who are “welcomed” in are actual refugees and not terrorists?  I’m not the only one asking that question.

Yesterday Secretary of State John Kerry and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson received a letter from Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) In this letter, they emphasize the continued need for thorough vetting of all refugees before they are allowed to step foot into this country.

 While we support the United States efforts in providing assistance to refugees, under no circumstances should your agencies sacrifice the thoroughness of the security vetting process in order to admit a certain number of refugees.

Further on in the letter the Senators point out that the current vetting process is detailed, thorough, and takes approximately 18-24 months to complete. They urge the State Department and DHS to stay the course rather than shove that necessary process aside.  Most importantly, they make a strong point for national and domestic security.

The senators in the letter ask for Johnson and Kerry to hand over their plans for how they will ensure members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) aren’t able to come to the United States under the guise of being Syrian refugees.

They make a valid point. Especially given the ongoing events in Europe. The news is inundated with the flood of refugees overwhelming Germany, Finland, Hungary, and Serbia.
1-croatia-2-get

Migrants struggle to board a train at the railway station in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015. Over 150,000 migrants have reached Hungary this year, most coming through the southern border with Serbia, and many apply for asylum but quickly try to leave for richer EU countries.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

The countries involved are overwhelmed and lack the ability to handle the massive influx of refugees.

Despite the chaos, there were few signs that European Union leaders, or the governments of other countries along the human river of people flowing from war and poverty, were close to imposing any order or even talking seriously about harmonizing their approaches and messages to the migrants. Instead, countries continue to improvise their responses, as Croatia did Thursday, and Slovenia — the next stop along the rerouted trail — is likely to do in coming days.

Croatia is one example of a country overwhelmed by the number of refugees. There have been reports of refugees stranded, fights at train stations, and of refugees overrunning checkpoints.

Furthermore, it’s becoming quite apparent that more than a few current and past refugees aren’t stellar individuals wanting to seek freedom and contribute to their new country. Germany’s immigration rules closely mirrors that of the United States. In fact, one might say that both countries have a ‘feel-good’ policy towards immigration no matter the character or lack thereof of the immigrant.

This scenario played out this week in Berlin, Germany, and suspect Rafik Mohamad Yousef, a member of a terror group linked to al-Qaeda, might have been deported to his native Baghdad but for human rights rules warning that “he could have faced the electric chair” if returned to Iraq.

Rather than settle down and become a model citizen (albeit one with a record of terrorism), Rafik tore off his electronic monitor, grabbed a knife and went berserk on the streets of Berlin. He was shot and killed, but not until he stabbed a policewoman. In fact, the EU rules in place hindered…no they STOPPED Germany from deporting Rafik, and now a policewoman is in critical condition.

So tell me again why we want to just abandon current protocols and throw the doors wide open to Syrian refugees? We know that ISIS has been in Syria for months or longer. We know and the world knows how horrendous the situation is in Syria for those truly fleeing that country.

The United States has and always will welcome those seeking a better life. However, the questions must be asked. Its not a question of can we handle 10,000 or more refugees; the question is should we. If we don’t have the resources to adequately vet them and determine if they truly are refugees; why would we consider overwhelming our own immigration processes? Wouldn’t it be prudent to keep the stringent vetting processes in place to ensure that some ISIS terrorist doesn’t slip through the cracks? One would think so.

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