US Syrian Refugees Coming To The US

[Amy SF]

Unlike a lot of other Americans I'm not afraid of the Syrian refugees and would welcome them to the US. Here's one poll I found:

POLL: Should California Welcome Syrian Refugees? | Patch

Although I'm pretty sure that some of the people who voted no don't even live in California.

Also, the governors who threaten to block refugees from their states don't even have any legal standing to do so.

U.S. governors don't have power to refuse refugees access to their states

Sign-On Letter to Congress re Syrian Refugees and U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program

 

[Spang]

 

[beancounter]

On NPR, I heard that the US already has a pretty extensive vetting process in place. It should be enough. Maybe with the recent attacks the vetting should be more aggressive, but to completely stop accepting refugees is unnecessary.

Unless they're Christian, of course, then let them in without any vetting.....as if a terrorist couldn't lie about that....

 

[Amy SF]

It's the usual American xenophobia. It's mostly fear of Muslims that's driving the refusal to accept the refugees - with the Republican candidates and with ordinary people. It's not just the poll I linked to. I'm now seeing a TON of online petitions demanding that this state or that state refuse to accept the refugees - as if it was even possible to do so. I've also seen one petition that suggests they all be put into one refugee camp, conveniently located in an isolated area of the country, so they could all be together, and presumably don't frighten anyone by moving in next door. That idea is only slightly more humanitarian. Some of these petitions have few or no signatures, but distressingly, some have quite a few.

 

[Andy_T]

Well, I hope that the refugees who leave their bombed homes in Syria with their barest necessities and cross the Mediterranean on a rickety boat will think about taking all the documents that will be needed for the US vetting process....

 

[Moll Flanders]

NRA-Backed Legislator: We Can't Take Syrian Refugees Because It's Too Easy For Them To Buy Guns | ThinkProgress

 

[Amy SF]

NRA-Backed Legislator: We Can't Take Syrian Refugees Because It's Too Easy For Them To Buy Guns | ThinkProgress

If it's too easy for Syrian refugees to buy guns, it's because lawmakers like Rep. Dale has made it possible. Am I the only one who sees the irony? The hypocrisy?

 

[Calliegirl]

My roommate (and the owner of the house) said if they were using local hosts, she would have let a family stay with us. I think that would have been pretty cool if we could have. Although, I don't know how safe they would have been in our area filled with tea party racists. Remember, I live near the idiots who blocked the buses filled with refugee children a while back.