CHLOE’S CORNER
–by Chloe Sweeney
The question on the world’s mind is, “How should we respond to the Syrian refugee crisis?” In this piece, I will be presenting my personal opinion on how I believe America should respond. This does not necessarily reflect the views of Palm Valley School or my fellow blog constituents.
Recently thirty-one United States governors released statements on their refusal to accept Syrian refugees in light of the recent Paris attacks. These governors are from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. This has been matched with only seven US governors stating their willingness to accept Syrian refugees. These are governors from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington. This issue has gone far beyond party lines. Despite this outcry from the states, the decision on whether or not to accept refugees lies with the federal government. President Barrack Obama has so far remained firm that the US will accept 10,000 Syrian refugees. The states can make the executive branch’s task a lot more difficult by refusing to cooperate with the President or defunding programs that pay for refugee resettlement. A bill recently passed in the House of Representatives to halt the President’s refugee plan until a secure vetting system is put in place.
The President has vowed to veto this bill but thankfully the House has enough votes to reverse such a veto.
People seem to feel like we either need to allow Syrian refugees to enter our country, or we need to leave them alone in the cold. I don’t believe the situation is that simple. I feel very strongly that Syrian refugees, regardless of their faith, should not be allowed to enter my country. I believe that security is a fundamental right that Americans are entitled to. I want to feel safe going to school, sporting events, and church. I understand that the VAST majority of Syrian refugees are not radical Muslims, but we have absolutely no way to discern who these people really are. With Syria’s loss of infrastructure, there are no background checks or ways to confirm the validity of these people’s identities. Two weeks ago, five men were detained in Honduras for possessing fake Syrian passports. Experts have reason to believe that these men wanted to reach the United States to carry out jihadist attacks. One of the Paris attackers, as reported by CNN, is believed by experts to have disguised himself as a refugee who entered Europe from Greece, travelled to Belgium, and then on to Paris to help carry out the massacre. My opinion before, during, and after the Paris attacks has remained firm that Syrian refugees cannot be allowed to come to the United States. The risk of American lives is far too great. There are too many cracks in the vetting system for radical Islamic terrorists to slip through. There is absolutely no way to ensure the safety of all American citizens. The President’s number one job is to protect his nation, and it is not possible for Barrack Obama to fulfill his duty if we allow Syrian refugees to come to America. I implore President Obama to reconsider his resettlement plan.
I do believe that we have a responsibility to help the Syrian people. I think there are many different avenues on how to do this, besides letting them enter America. What I propose is creating a no-fly or safe zone in Syria and Iraq for refugees. There the US and other countries can provide humanitarian aid such as food, water, shelter, and health care. As fellow humans, we have an obligation to do our part to help these people. Ultimately, once they have been given the resources, we will need the Syrian people to restore stability and rebuild their own country. Once the civil war is over and ISIS is eliminated, the Syrian people must be responsible for their own country.
The terror group, ISIS, already causes me fear. The idea that they could reach me at home is absolutely horrifying. They threaten my life, my family’s lives, my freedom, and my faith. ISIS already has the means through social media, lone-wolf attackers, and the recruiting/radicalization of Americans to stage attacks in the United States. As we have seen with the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and 9/11, we are well within the grasp of radical Islam. We must eliminate the possibility of terrorists infiltrating our homeland. For these reasons, I ask that Syrian refugees not be allowed to enter America.