What to do about refugees from Syria?

Editorial by Burlington Times-News, November 21, 2015.

The issue of whether or not the United States should make homes for 10,000 Syrian refugees isn’t quite the slam dunk those on either side of the increasingly vociferous debate would have people believe.

Indeed, there is very good reason for Americans to be wary of refugees from an area of the world that has become a leading manufacturer of terror. The evidence is impossible to refute.

Face it, as instigators of fear, perpetrators of evil and provokers of universal loathing, ISIS has had quite a run lately and shows no signs of letting up. Within the past couple of weeks, the despicable terrorist group that controls significant chunks of Syria and Iraq blew up a Russian airliner over Egypt, killing 224 passengers; bombed a section of Beirut under the control of Hezbollah, killing at least 43 people and wounding more than 240 others; and murdered 129 people, while injuring at least 350 others, in the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris.

So it’s difficult to fault leaders on every level for casting a watchful eye on whether refugees should be allowed into the country. Gov. Pat McCrory has joined at least 25 governors nationwide in asking the federal government not to send refugees to their states. Closer to home, Sheriffs Terry Johnson of Alamance County and B.J. Barnes of Guilford County joined a legion of law enforcers endorsing McCrory’s decision. Johnson’s logic: He’s paid to protect people in Alamance County.

He’s correct.

The divide on this issue is reflected in the views of two members of Congress who represent the largest parts of Alamance County. Republican Rep. Mark Walker sides with McCrory. Democratic Rep. David Price does not.

In an op-ed piece made available to newspapers around the state, Price, the senior member of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee notes that Syrian refugees face an extensive vetting process far greater than others migrating to America and that stopping their resettlement would contradict our country’s “deepest values.” He also points out that refugees are overrunning Europe and it’s incumbent upon America to help its longtime allies.

The United States doesn’t have the same challenge as Europe, whose relative proximity to the Middle Eastern war zone has left it inundated with millions of refugees. And the source isn’t just Syria and Iraq; refugees — both political and economic — from Africa have landed in Europe as well. There are few good options for stopping that tide without first stabilizing the regions from which it arises; a solution to the Syrian civil war is a crucial first step to achieving that stability.

By comparison, entry for refugees to America is much more daunting. To gain entry to the U.S., a Syrian refugee first must pass rigorous screening by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which verifies personal backgrounds and details before recommending individuals for resettlement to the United States. Then the Department of Homeland Security does its own screening before a refugee is granted entry and protection.

America can’t live in fear. It’s the home of the brave after all. But we can’t be careless and stupid either. In the new wartime landscape, it only takes a handful of ISIS “soldiers” to strike a lethal and tragic blow. It’s not paranoid to be concerned that one or two terrorists could sneak in with a group of otherwise innocent refugees.It makes sense to be prudent and diligent when accepting refugees from a region of such threat and instability. As a caring nation it also makes sense to provide a safe haven for the persecuted and downtrodden but perhaps do so at a slower rate and with even more stringent controls than those in place now.Our greater goal, though, should be what to do about Syria itself, and the breeding ground of terror nestled there.

http://www.thetimesnews.com/article/20151121/OPINION/151129902/15233/OPINION/?Start=2