In early September, President Barack Obama announced that his administration would take in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees into the United States starting next fiscal year. In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris — in which according to some reports one of the attackers might have slipped into Europe posing as an immigrant — the decision on whether the United States should open its doors to refugees has become a pressing issue in many political discussions.
Several states have already announced plans to suspend efforts to accommodate Syrian refugees, and many more are expected to follow. The American people are afraid, and I don’t blame them. However, this fear should not deter this country’s efforts to uphold its values as a nation.
This isn’t the first time the American people have faced this sort of problem. After the conclusion of the Vietnam War in 1975, then President Gerald Ford proposed a bill which established the framework necessary for the influx of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese refugees into the United States. Ford’s battle with Congress over this bill fueled a growing controversy across the nation regarding the extent of the United States’ obligation to these Vietnamese refugees.
Once the resettlement program began, public uncertainty and opposition — mostly based on racial prejudice — began to surface.Republican Rep. Burt Talcott of California reported a feeling among his constituents “that, damn it, we have too many Orientals,” according to a Time Magazine article. A Gallup poll from the same article showed that only 36 percent of respondents thought that “refugees should be permitted to live” in the United States.
Fears of a national security threat resulting from the influx of people also surfaced at the time. Each immigrant was supposed to get a security check, but because of the overwhelming number of refugees, this failed to materialize. As a result of overcapacity in the camps where the refugees were held, the Immigration and Naturalization Service eventually lifted its security checks, letting thousands of refugees enter the country without security clearance.
Despite the widespread fear and opposition toward this decision, most of the Vietnamese refugees who had entered the country in 1975 adjusted well. At the end of the day, this opposition stemmed, as Ford said, “from fear and misunderstanding.”
Many might argue this situation isn’t at all analogous to the current one we face — and they aren’t completely wrong. The United States at the time wasn’t targeted by a highly powerful terrorist organization, and some might even argue the United States currently holds no obligation toward Syrian refugees. However, will the United States be willing to extend a helping hand to refugees only when they feel responsible for their situation? We must go beyond these differences and realize that this is a new defining moment for America’s principles and priorities.
Although we are currently facing turbulent and dangerous times, our efforts to help those in need cannot be blocked by the actions of a terrorist organization. The United States needs to show that despite these threats, it will not abandon the principles upon which it rests. Rejecting refugees would only provide ISIS and other enemies of the United States with the satisfaction of influencing our political and moral decisions.
The main concern seems to be the ease with which a terrorist might escape Syria and enter another nation’s borders posing as an immigrant, which appears to have been the case with one of the Paris attackers. Yet basing our fears of a terrorist crossing our borders on this particular situation would be unreasonable. Migrants mostly slip into the Eurozone on foot and through water — an estimated 218,000 refugees entered the Eurozone last month — which makes keeping track of any incoming security threats truly difficult for Europeans.
But it’s evident the United States wouldn’t face such a problem. Most people coming to the United States from the Middle East war zones or “the radical underground” of Europe come by plane. This makes it exceptionally difficult since Americans, after 9/11, have put in place countless mechanisms that make it hard for such people to enter the country.
Americans shouldn’t have a false sense of security. After spending over $700 billion in homeland security since 9/11, the United States possesses the proper screening techniques in order to assure that those who enter do not pose any credible threats. Visa requirements, no-fly lists and information-sharing pacts called HSPD-6 agreements, which provide background data on extremists from other countries, are all mechanisms that have proved to be efficient in weeding out most bad actors from entering the country.
The government’s efforts to provide a better life to Syrian refugees should not be deterred by the recent cowardly and piteous terrorist attacks that took place in Paris. The American people should show confidence in their security infrastructure, not be insecure about it. The United States’ decision on whether to help these human beings should not be based on fear or misunderstanding, but rather in confidence, charity and compassion. Proper handling of the situation can ensure a safe and fearless life not only for Americans, but also for these refugees.
Carlos Lopez is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at c.lopez@cavalierdaily.com.
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