American xenophobia is so prevalent these days that people might as well be walking around with a scarlet X on their shirts. Shockingly reminiscent of World War II paranoia, over half of all U.S. governors have stated they are against admitting Syrian refugees into the country. Since Syria broke into civil war in 2011, over 250,000 Syrians have been killed, as well as millions of others forced to flee their homes. In what appears to be the largest humanitarian crisis of our time instead of lending a helping hand, Americans are turning their backs on innocent men, women and children out of nothing more than fear.
There are currently over 4,000,000 registered Syrian refugees. Most are concentrated in the nearby nations of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq; however, European nations such as Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and Hungary have accepted a combined 193,500 Syrians. The U.S. has only admitted 1,854 refugees since the start of the conflict.
Part of the reason for such a low acceptance is the rigorous application process. First, refugees have to become registered with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Once registered, their applications can be sent to other nations for processing and potential resettlement. CNN’s Laura Koran explains how it takes, on average, 18-24 months to process a refugee application in the U.S. For Syrians seeking refuge. This process can take even longer due to intensive security vetting.
Applicants must go through intensive background checks, and information on these people is often severely limited. In addition to background checks, applicants are also interviewed by an officer with the Department of Homeland Security, among other tests such as medical screenings. This stringent process has produced about a 50 percent acceptance rate.
Earlier in September, President Obama declared an increase in the number of Syrian refugees admitted to the U.S. to 10,000 by October. While still considerably low in comparison to other nations, the pledge has seen fierce backlash, mainly from Republicans. The main argument against letting Syrians into the U.S. is security. People are afraid terrorists will exploit the refugee process and slip into the country undetected. A genuine concern that is unfortunately rooted in fear rather than fact.
Over the past 25 years, the U.S. has let in millions of refugees. While there have been various acts of terror on U.S. soil during this time frame, none of them were committed by refugees. It seems the vast majority of terrorism in the U.S. is either homegrown, or from terrorists who make their way into the country with student or tourist visas.
Still, people are afraid to help. Donald Trump suspects Syrian refugees are a Trojan horse. Ben Carson was quoted saying, “We do not need to bring in people who obviously are going to be infiltrated with Jihadists.” Ted Cruz went as far to proclaim his support for letting in Christian Syrians but not Muslims, a view based solely on bigotry and an overgeneralization of the world’s second most practiced religion.
Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute, explains that we should be welcoming Syrian refugees and how they could actually help America. He says the first step toward increasing the number of Syrian refugees admitted into the U.S. is to allow private organizations and individuals to sponsor refugees without any quotas. This would not only bring in more people in need, but would also take some of the financial burden off the federal government.
Upon an influx of refugees, Nowrasteh argues we need to let them work. The U.S. currently restricts work permits, which would make refugees more dependent on the government than necessary. While most refugees would only have access to lower-skilled jobs, many would still be working in a productive society where their income will be spent on other goods and services in the economy. There is no finite number of jobs, and consumption of goods and services by refugees can contribute to more job creation in the economy.
Millions of innocent people have lost everything in this conflict. While the U.S. does not have an obligation to open its borders, purposefully preventing refugees from entering the country will contribute to a loss of respect from other nations. More importantly, it will ruin the lives of many in need.
