“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
The above appears on the Statue of Liberty and is part of a larger poem by Emma Lazarus. With its location near Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty became the symbol for new immigrants and refugees entering the United States in search of a better life. Even though the massive immigration center no longer processes new people into the country, the statue still retains a symbol for those that are yearning to be free.
Yet it would appear that the quote above doesn't apply to the 21st century... at least to some.
Syria has been bogged down in a civil war since the Arab Spring. In the past couple of years, a new terrorist group (ISIS) has emerged as a major threat both to the stability of Syria and neighboring Iraq and to the western world. It has become a confusing mix of who is fighting who.
Syria's war: A 5-minute historyEzra Klein
On November 13, Islamic extremists went on a rampage throughout Paris killing 129 people. It turns out that one of those responsible is a Syrian refugee that got into France with thousands of other refugees that have been entering Europe as the war in Syria has escalated.
This was one out of thousands, yet there is no way to determine if there are more. It was always a concern that ISIS would try to slip agents into Europe and the US through the mass migration of Syrian refugees. It would appear that at least one did and possibly others, but it may not warrant the mass hysteria that seems to be coming from this horrible event.
The rest of the attackers that night, though still Muslim extremists, were European nationalists. As many Republican governors, members of Congress, and even candidates for president have started foaming at the mouth about not accepting any Syrian refugees now, they say absolutely nothing about allowing Europeans into the country.
These are the same Republicans that say one can't blame all law-abiding gun owners any time there is a mass shooting. Yet somehow they are going to accuse all Syrian refugees because of one terrorist that came in with all the others.
Governors throughout the U.S. have been declaring that they will not accept Syrian refugees within their state. This is more political posturing than reality.
The Refugee Act of 1980, which was an amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, created explicit procedures on how to deal with refugees entering the U.S. by creating a uniform resettlement and absorption policy.
Basically this makes it a federal matter, not a state matter. So all of these governors have no real say. Once someone has been approved and is allowed to enter the U.S,, they are free to move about the country and settle wherever they would like just the same as anyone else.
Under the leadership of U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, the U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would make it tougher for Syrian refugees to come into the United States. Senate Democrats have promised to block it, and the White House has assured reporters that the president will veto it if it comes to that.
Republicans need to tread more carefully and watch their words and their tone though. According to an article on POLITICO, faith-based groups as well as Evangelical Christians are largely in favor of the Syrian refugees.
The words of President Franklin Roosevelt come to mind. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Fear and hate aren't the answers. True, we can't tell which of the refugees are good and which might be members of ISIS or another extremist group. But we can't even say that about our own citizens. We have to remember that 99% of those that are coming to this country are in search of safety and a better life... something that was ripped away from them in their home country.
In early 2015, several Bosnian refugees that had settled in St. Louis in the 1990s were arrested for sending money and military supplies to terrorist groups overseas. Did this mean that all the Bosnian refugees that entered our country were terrorists and should be deported? Of course not. Just a few bad apples in a community that has been a valuable asset to the city as a whole.According to the
American Immigration Council, the United States took in approximately 70,000 refugees in 2014 (the same as 2013). Almost half have came from the Near East/South Asia which includes Iraq, Iran, Bhutan, and Afghanistan. The cap for the number of refugees is set at 70,000 for 2015 as well.
Our nation has always been a melting pot of different people. It makes our culture quite unique as we have found a way to blend it all together. There have been times when immigrants and refugees haven't been given a fair chance... the Irish, Catholics, Italians, Eastern Europeans, etc.
In the end, the fear that was largely rampant was proven mostly unfounded. The vast majority melted into our society. The new Syrian refugees will be no different than those that have come before.
Sure we all want to feel safe and protected. The majority of those refugees want the same thing. Is it possible that a member of ISIS could slip in? Sure. But they could always slip in another way, too, or influence an American citizen. We know the latter has happened already.
We can't blame all Syrians any more than we can blame all Americans. It is a risk we take, but it is part of our values as well. And we can't lose sight of those. We must rise above hate and fear to see the bigger picture... the humanitarian aspect.