During fiscal year 2014, 69,986 refugees settled in the United States, according to the federal government. They came from 64 different countries, from Azerbaijan to Yemen, and yes, from Syria.
The refugees were granted entry into the United States because, under federal law, they were determined to have a “well-founded fear of persecution” in their home country because of political or religious reasons, membership in a particular social group or their national origin.
The government is responsible for thoroughly vetting each refugee. A White House official told reporters that they receive “the most rigorous screening and security vetting of any category of traveler to the United States.” Their names are cross referenced with data bases from the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI and even international law enforcement agencies.
The House of Representatives bill that passed last Thursday with bi-partisan support—and the support of all three members of West Virginia’s delegation—calls for additional levels of scrutiny, including a requirement that the Director of the FBI sign off on each individual.
FBI director James Comey says that’s impossible, that the transition of refugees from Syria (and Iraq) will grind to a halt. Supporters of H.R. 4038 say that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They argue the confirmation that one of the Paris attackers mixed in with the wave of Syrian refugees is reason enough to put a pause on accepting any more Syrians here for awhile.
It’s understandable that politicians would respond to the public fear generated by the Paris attacks by doing something. People are jittery. A jetliner was blown out the sky by a bomb. Suicidal ISIS zealots killed 130 innocent people in Paris. Jihadi gunmen went on a bloody rampage in Mali.
These are not normal times. There’s a sense of a clash of civilizations which, unfortunately, is exactly what the Islamic radicals want. The narrative fits their prophecy of a coming Holy War where Muslims will defeat “the crusaders.”
And therein lies the conundrum; wage all out war against ISIS and further ignite their apocalyptic passions or pull away from the fight and cede even more territory to murderous thugs.
Meanwhile, people continue to flood out of Syria. An estimated four million people have left, trying to escape ISIS, the brutal Assad regime and a war-ravaged land. An estimated 2,200 Syrian refugees have settled in the United States since the crisis began four years ago, and President Obama has promised to take another 10,000 next year.
The Wall Street Journal reports that half of the Syrians who have reached America are children. “Of the rest, 2.5 percent are adults over 60 and two percent are single men. The refugees are roughly half men and half women.”
The cable TV debate suggests we are divided on the Syrian immigration issue. I think we are more conflicted.
America’s current struggle seeks the balance between security and compassion. It’s heartbreaking to see the images of the diaspora. It’s human to be relieved we are not among them, but our humanity pulls at us to help. Simultaneously, we fear what terrorists might do. September 11th will always bear witness.
These are not small matters, and they are intertwined with complex geopolitics. The struggle against radical Islam, the security of the country, the questions of whether and how to accept Syrian refugees—they are issues that go the very heart of what kind of nation we are.