The United States has come under increasing pressure to help Europe find sanctuary for a flood of immigrants displaced from Syria by war and chaos. David Miliband, head of the IRC (International Rescue Committee), called on the U.S. to provide “the kind of leadership America has shown on these kinds of issues,” historically. He stated:
“The United States has always been a leader in refugee resettlement, but 1,500 people over four years is such a miniscule [sic] contribution to tackling the human side of this problem.”
The United States has contributed $4 billion to refugee relief, but there has been no suggestion from the State Department the United States would be increasing the number of immigrants allowed into the country. An International Rescue Committee statement says the U.S. has committed to taking in up to 8,000 refugees by the end of 2016, but there is no confirmation of this, nor has a source for this commitment been provided. Unfortunately, it may simply be a made-up number designed to politically pressure the United States into taking more Syrian immigrants.
As worldwide attention has been brought to the plight of Syrian refugees fleeing to Europe, the U.S. has been criticized for not taking as many of the migrants as some other nations. On the other hand, U.S. authorities, quite intelligently, want to prevent militants from ISIS or al Qaeda from slipping into the country as Syrian refugees.
There may be international image problems for the United States if it does not play a more active role in helping Europe with the Syrian refugees. A U.S. official, speaking anonymously, expressed concern the graphic images of the refugees may cause an international image problem for America. Austria and Germany, who expect to receive 800,000 refugees and migrants this year, opened their borders to thousands of the mostly Syrian refugees who had been stranded in Hungary. Pope Francis, on Sunday, called for every Catholic parish and religious community in Europe to take in at least one family of the Syrian refugees.
While Europe has been operating without a consensus on what do with the flood of Syrian refugees, it should be noted European countries have “decreasing” populations. The United States has a steadily “increasing” population, primarily due to immigration. While the United States will take a certain number of the refugees, it is under no obligation to accept them without some kind of a screening process.
Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the United Nation’s High Commissioner on Refugees, said the United States “had not” put a quota on the number of refugees they would accept. She said the UNHCR had submitted almost 16,300 refugees for resettlement in the United States and would continue submitting cases for consideration. These applicants will, hopefully, be screened thoroughly.
Carly Fiorina says we should not increase the number of immigrants we accept, concerned about ISIS terrorists. Donald Trump wants to take “some” Syrians for humanitarian reasons. Lindsey Graham wants the the U.S. to take its “fair share.” Hillary Clinton described the Syrian refugee “heartbreaking,” but offered no solutions.
Featured image via WikiMedia
