The nation is divided. What is right? What is wrong? Should we let Syrian refugees into the United States? There are many issues that are troubling the American people and those who lead them regarding the admittance of refugees into our country.

Should we provide housing and a better life for these refugees? Shouldn’t we help our own citizens before helping those abroad? On any given night, approximately 49,000 United States Veterans are homeless. In 2014, on any given night there were 540,424 individuals experiencing homelessness. But, some people are willing to let mass amounts of newcomers into America and provide them a better life than some of our citizens currently have.

Yes, our country is the amazing country it is today due to immigration, but our country needs to build itself up from within before starting up refugee programs that we are not prepared for. Long ago, before the population was as immense as it is today, the United States welcomed and yearned for immigrants to move to the land of the free. But, a growth in population and homelessness has troubled our nation since those days. Today, our nation is in need of major change to help it’s own people, but still trying to maintain the image of a major powerhouse and aid to the rest of the world.

Then there is the most troubling issue: would we be putting ourselves at risk by accepting refugees? It is believed that one of the Paris attackers had entered Europe in Greece while traveling with a group of Syrian refugees, according to USA Today. Homeland Security chairman Michael McCaul had much to say on the topic of safety risks, "The streets of Paris could just as easily have been the streets of New York, Chicago, Houston or Los Angeles...We must take decisive action to show the American people that we are doing all we can to protect them." Is it possible that if we agree to let Syrian refugees in, we are running the risk of allowing terrorists posed as refugees’ admittance into our country? There will never be a definitive answer. But, after many recent attacks abroad, and many throughout the United States recent history, many people are hesitant to let Syrian refugees into America. We are a country that lives with a constant fear of being the next target for terrorists. But, there is one person who is very against blocking the passage of Syrian refugees into the U.S., and that is President Barack Obama.

Many states have declared that they will not allow refugees to live within their boarders, but some have done the opposite. As of Thursday, the House had passed a bill that would halt the admission of Syrian refugees into America, with a vote of 289-137. Next, it will be voted on in the Senate, but the White House has made it very clear that they are planning to veto the bill. It is hard to judge what decision our government will make regarding the refugee situation, and only time will tell.