Syrian Refugee Resettlement in America

Annotated Bibliography

In modern society in the western hemisphere, the issue of refugees and their resettlement is a very prevalent issue. Many Americans believe that state governments should decide whether they can let refugees into their states allowed, yet some think it should be up to the federal government to organize how the refugees are settled into American society. A similar debate is happening in the European Union, as certain countries refuse to take anymore immigrants from the populations being displaced in regions such as Syria and Iraq. I plan to critique the following articles and form my own opinion on what should happen in both the United States and the European Union.

This article is against the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the United States and discusses 3 main points what should happen in the modern age of terrorism: “The United States is in a more powerful, but also more vulnerable, position than it was a century ago. Background checks may be ineffective because refugees arrive with no official paperwork or verifiable identification. Increased communication is needed between the federal and state governments to screen and track resettled refugees (“Counterpoint” 2018). ” This article has a detailed explanation following those points and is a good source for the argument against the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the U. S.

The source in this paragraph is one that gives a more unbiased view on immigration and refugee settlement in the United States of America and talks about the history of refugee settlement in the U. S. as well as the current situation and facts about the issue. It also tells us some facts about the issue in the UN such as that “the UN predicts that the number of Syrian refugees will only grow, making this the worst refugee crisis since the Rwandan genocide in the mid-1990s (DiLascio-Martinuk 2018). ” It is a reasonable source for facts and in addition, talks about the author at the end giving credibility.

This next text discusses the importance of why the US should be a “Safe Haven” (“The United” 2018) to those searching for refuge, concentrating on those primarily from Syria. The main talking points are: “The refugee admission process requires significant background checks before allowing entry into the United States. Because of geography, refugees arriving in the United States must pass through a formal entry point, where they will be subject to the standard background and paperwork checks. The United States has a long history of accepting refugees and should continue to do so (“Point” 2018). ” The article proposes good reasons why refugees should be allowed to come into the nation and become citizens and includes some points to think about at the end.

The final article I’m choosing is a scholarly article that is very factual about the statistics and conditions of the refugee migration into Europe from Syria. Based on this information, I should be able to compose a good opinion about the participation of the UN and EU in the current refugee crisis. This article is from 2016 so it is a little more outdated than the other sources but is still after the attack in Paris in 2015 and has information regarding the migration of people in 2015 and 2016 and even the years before (Koroutchev 2016).

UNHCR

1. Less than 1% of refugees are resettled
2. Refugees don’t apply for resettlement and do not pick the country they settle into
3. Threating persons would not be referred for resettlement

US Resettlement Process

1. Refugees do not pick the place of settlement
2. They are screened by the FBI and CIA in 5 distinct databases to measure threat
3. The majority of refugees are women and children
4. Only 3,100 refugees were settled in the US from 2011 and 2016. That number more than halved from 2016 to 20174

According to the National Safety Council and the National Center for Health Statistics, the chances of you being killed from a refugee terrorist (from any country) is 1 in 46,192,893 (lifetime statistic), which means you are almost 29 times more likely to die from an asteroid than a refugee terrorist.

Conclusion: Syrian Refugees should not be refused because of their homeland and the refugee programs that are put in place by the government should be trusted. Con EssayAs more refugees are brought into the United States, the concerns of public safety and health rise. Anti-American support continues to grow in the Middle East with the threat of terrorism being at a dangerous level since September 11th, 2001 and the Paris bombings. Many families worry for their safety from these extremist actions as well as diseases that may be brought into America. Allowing refugees without documentation into the U. S. is a potentially dangerous choice that the government refugee agencies in charge make. As radical groups are gaining an influential presence in regions of Syria, such as the radical militant group, ISIL (ISIS), many people worry that a radical person may enter the country and carry out terrorist acts in the heartland of the United States. On November 19, 2015 during the House floor debate on SAFE (American Security Against Foreign Enemies) Act, Representative Doug Collins of Georgia suggests that his “greatest responsibility is the life and liberty of those who call America home,” (Collins et al. , 2016). He later states that adding another step to the certification process in the refugee program “isn’t about who we welcome into our country. It is about keeping out those who pose a threat to our national security. ” (Collins et al. , 2016) Making the refugee process more secure is something that our government must do to give Americans more security as more refugees are accepted and the risk of terrorism increases in this modern age. As Syria is in a prolonged and devastating civil war, many government buildings have been destroyed including medical clinics, hospitals, and schools. The result of this is the fact that millions of Syrians have little to no health care and services as well as little education in hygiene and general health/disease prevention. Between 2015-2016, more than 9,000 refugees from Syria entered the U. S. In the Syrian Refugee Health Profile, it is stated that “Syrian refugees generally have not completed the full ACIP-recommended vaccination schedule prior to departure for the United States” and “often arrive in the United States with no official paperwork or other verifiable identification” (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS] et al. , 2016; “Counterpoint” 2018). Therefore, the risk of infectious diseases prevalent in Syria such as Tuberculosis, chronic infectious Hepatitis (B and C), HIV, Syphilis, and parasitic infections is a very possible threat to American Citizens (HHS et al. , 2016). Prior to entrance into the United States, all refugees should be required screening and curation of all the listed diseases and any other infectious diseases originating from the Syrian population. Although infectious diseases are a very prevalent worry of American citizens, it is not the only health issue to worry about. Mental health is also an important aspect when allowing refugees into the country because of the trauma that Syrians might have from experiences of the civil war. The treating of mental health issues would also include those that are preexistent to any traumatic experiences that refugees might suffer. Of the registered 5 million Syrian refugees seeking asylum, 2-3% had severe disorders such as psychosis, severe depression, severely disabling anxiety, etc. prior to an emergency and it rises to 3-4% latter. Such disorders without treatment could cause those accepted into the country to commit life-threatening actions that may affect themselves or others around them. The 15-20% of those with mild or moderate disorders such as mild/moderate depression and anxiety, etc. after traumatic events (HHS et al. , 2016) could have worsened conditions without proper treatment and could potentially harming themselves and others as well. Although “stigmatized in the Syrian community” (HHS et al. , 2016), these issues should not be degraded in any way by the U. S. government or by the refugees themselves and they should be required to seek treatment for such disorders for the safety of others, but primarily for their own safety.

Letter

Dear Congressman Mark Meadows,

My name is Nathan Jones and I currently am a student studying at Western Carolina University. I am writing this letter to you pertaining to the crisis of civil war in Syria, I would like to display my concern for those that are refugees and need international assistance for survival. After studying scholarly articles, national and international reports, and other writings on different points of view on this subject, I am writing this letter that includes my own opinion on the subject. I would also be ecstatic to have a response of your views on the matter as you are in the Foreign Affairs Committee and in the subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.

As you know, the Syrian Civil War is very devastating for those in the country with more than six million Syrians by estimate who have been displaced internally and more than five million Syrians who seek asylum outside of their homeland. This would possibly make it the largest refugee crisis since World War II. I believe that the United States should allow more qualifying refugees into the country to find a better life, have liberty, and pursue happiness as the founders and immigrants have had in the past. In the United States today, everyone possesses those fundamental and unalienable rights that this country strives for. We as a nation already have accepted millions of people coming from all different cultures seeking those rights that many of us don’t even think about because of the universal understanding of them. As the dominant economic and military superpower, we have spread democracy and human rights around the globe. An example of this is during the Cold War, the United States supported democracy in other countries that did not have a government that supported its’ people’s rights. Because Syrians are in a bloody, continuous civil war, many of the people have had to move elsewhere to eat, drink, learn, have medical supplies, and seek shelter.

The children and families without the needs and amenities listed have been exposed to this violence and their only choice is to move elsewhere. I am not saying that we should accept all or even most of those searching for life elsewhere; I would like to suggest the opinion that the government should trust in the current refugee system as it has been refined to eliminate the threats of criminals and terrorists from entering the country via the refugee programs. According to the National Safety Council and the National Center for Health Statistics reports from 2016, the process is so well organized and executed, that no terrorists have entered the United States through the system, and the chances of an American citizen to be killed by a refugee terrorist is 1 in 46,192,893 (lifetime statistic). In perspective, an American is almost 29 times more likely to die from an asteroid, and about 6,598,985 times more likely to die from cancer. Since the United States refugee process goes through many stages and governmental organizations, it would make sense that our process is the most extensive in the world, and it seems odd to put a limit on the number of refugees coming into the country or reject those who have succeeded in completing the process, especially since the risk is so small.

I hope to have exhibited my opinion to you as a concerned citizen and that it may have a response concerning any future legislation or policy changes that you will be sponsoring or cosponsoring in upcoming committee meetings. I would also be excited to hear any type of personal point of view or opinion pertaining to Syrian refugees. Thank you for your time and for your service to the citizens of North Carolina and to the United States of America.