PUBLIC FORUM DEBATE November 2015 Dr. John F. Schunk, Editor “Resolved: In response to the current crisis, a government should prioritize the humanitarian needs of refugees over its national interests.” PRO P01. WORLD FACES A CURRENT REFUGEE CRISIS P02. HUMANITARIAN NEEDS DEMAND GOVERNMENT RESPONSE P03. U.S. HAS UNIQUE HUMANITARIAN OBLIGATION P04. OTHER NATIONS CANNOT SOLVE CRISIS P05. U.S. HAS PRIORITIZED HUMANITARIANISM IN PAST CRISES P06. TERRORIST THREAT IS MINIMAL P07. VETTING PROCESS IS EFFECTIVE P08. REFUGEES DO NOT HARM ECONOMY OR SOCIETY P09. TURNING AWAY REFUGEES IS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER PRO?/CON? P/C01. HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE SERVES NATIONAL INTERESTS CON C01. CURRENT REFUGEE CRISIS IS EXAGGERATED C02. HUMANITARIAN NEEDS CANNOT BE TOP PRIORITY C03. U.S. HAS NO UNIQUE HUMANITARIAN OBLIGATION C04. ALLOWING MORE REFUGEES INTO U.S. IS NOT THE ANSWER C05. NATIONAL INTERESTS MUST BE TOP PRIORITY C06. TERRORIST THREAT IS PERVASIVE C07. VETTING PROCESS IS INEFFECTIVE C08. EMPIRICAL EXPERIENCE PROVES THE RISK C09. REFUGEES HARM ECONOMY AND SOCIETY
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PUBLIC FORUM DEBATENovember 2015Dr. John F. Schunk, Editor
“Resolved: In response to the current crisis, a government should prioritize the humanitarian needs of refugees over its national interests.”
PROP01. WORLD FACES A CURRENT REFUGEE CRISISP02. HUMANITARIAN NEEDS DEMAND GOVERNMENT RESPONSEP03. U.S. HAS UNIQUE HUMANITARIAN OBLIGATIONP04. OTHER NATIONS CANNOT SOLVE CRISISP05. U.S. HAS PRIORITIZED HUMANITARIANISM IN PAST CRISESP06. TERRORIST THREAT IS MINIMALP07. VETTING PROCESS IS EFFECTIVEP08. REFUGEES DO NOT HARM ECONOMY OR SOCIETYP09. TURNING AWAY REFUGEES IS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER
PRO?/CON?P/C01. HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE SERVES NATIONAL INTERESTS
CONC01. CURRENT REFUGEE CRISIS IS EXAGGERATEDC02. HUMANITARIAN NEEDS CANNOT BE TOP PRIORITYC03. U.S. HAS NO UNIQUE HUMANITARIAN OBLIGATIONC04. ALLOWING MORE REFUGEES INTO U.S. IS NOT THE ANSWERC05. NATIONAL INTERESTS MUST BE TOP PRIORITYC06. TERRORIST THREAT IS PERVASIVEC07. VETTING PROCESS IS INEFFECTIVEC08. EMPIRICAL EXPERIENCE PROVES THE RISKC09. REFUGEES HARM ECONOMY AND SOCIETY
SK/P01.01) United Nations Secretary-General, STATES NEWS SERVICE, September 30, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. We face the biggest refugee and migration crisis since World War II. Over the last year, more than 60 million people have been forced from their homes. Desperate conditions are compelling people around the world to move. The Syria crisis is a tragic and dramatic illustration of this.
2. CIVIL WAR IN SYRIA HAS DISPLACED MILLIONS
SK/P01.02) Tom Fontaine, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE REVIEW, September 17, 2015, pNA, LexisNexis Academic. Syria's civil war, more than four years old, has displaced nearly 12 million people, including 4 million who fled the country. That's about one-fifth of the roughly 60 million people worldwide who are displaced by wars, conflict and persecution, according to United Nations estimates.
SK/P01.03) Gregory Korte, USA TODAY, September 10, 2015, p. 3A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. More than 4 million people have fled Syria since 2012, the United Nations says, a number that has steadily increased since Assad's use of chemical weapons in 2013.
SK/P01.04) Editorial, USA TODAY, September 14, 2015, p. 9A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The sheer size of the Syrian refugee crisis is staggering. Roughly 11 million people, almost half the nation's population, have fled their homes. About 4 million have left their country. And 250,000 have died in Syria's civil war since 2011. This qualifies as a crisis on the order of the Ethiopian famine of 1984, which led to a worldwide humanitarian response (as well as the pop anthem We are the World). By some accounts, it is the worst refugee crisis since World War II.
3. EUROPE NOW FACES A STAGGERING REFUGEE CRISIS
SK/P01.05) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 8, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. More than 4 million Syrians have departed their country in the four-plus years of fighting. In that time, the US has taken just over 1,500 Syrian refugees. Most Syrians fleeing the fighting have settled in neighboring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. But growing numbers are setting off for Europe as conditions in countries like Turkey worsen.
SK/P01.06) Somini Sengupta, THE NEW YORK TIMES, October 1, 2015, p. A4, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. But the numbers of migrants heading to Europe are growing quickly. More than 500,000 refugees and migrants have crossed the Mediterranean Sea to reach the Continent this year alone, according to the International Organization for Migration.
SK/P01.07) THE ECONOMIST, September 12, 2015, p. 30(US), GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Europe is facing its gravest refugee crisis since the second world war. While Germany has shouldered the heaviest burden, Britain's government, mindful of anti-immigrant feeling at home, has looked on. Yet public opinion seems to have shifted: since the publication of harrowing photographs of a Syrian boy found drowned on a beach in Turkey, even right-wing tabloids such as the Sun have called for more help for refugees.
4. THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES HAVE DIED
SK/P01.08) Martin Schulz [President, European Parliament], THE WASHINGTON POST, September 13, 2015, p. A23, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. As of this week, out of the 3,776 migrant fatalities recorded this year worldwide, 2,748 died trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean, according to the International Organization for Migration. Europe's borders are by far the world's deadliest.
5. RELIEF AGENCIES ARE OVERWHELMED
SK/P01.09) David M. Herszenhorn, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 5, 2015, p. A9, LexisNexis Academic. Experts say that the international system of agencies, largely formed after World War II, still does excellent work but is now overwhelmed by the scale of the problem. Worldwide, some 60 million people are said to have been forcibly displaced, often by war, with some 19 million refugees, according to United Nations statistics.
SK/P01.10) Harriet Grant, THE GUARDIAN, September 10, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The UN's humanitarian agencies are on the verge of bankruptcy and unable to meet the basic needs of millions of people because of the size of the refugee crisis in the Middle East, Africa and Europe, senior figures within the UN have told the Guardian. The deteriorating conditions in Lebanon and Jordan, particularly the lack of food and healthcare, have become intolerable for many of the 4 million people who have fled Syria, driving fresh waves of refugees north-west towards Europe and aggravating the current crisis.
SK/P01.11) Harriet Grant, THE GUARDIAN, September 10, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Recent months have seen severe cuts to food rations for Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan as well as for Somali and Sudanese refugees in Kenya. Darfuris living in camps in Chad have been warned that their rations may end completely at the end of the year. UN-run healthcare services have also been closed across a large part of Iraq, leaving millions of internally displaced people without access to healthcare.
6. REFUGEE CRISIS WILL INTENSIFY IN THE FUTURE
SK/P01.12) Emma Graham-Harrison, THE GUARDIAN, September 24, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The pace of arrivals could even accelerate. Over half of Syrians have left their homes, but a large majority are still within their own borders. Heavy fighting, a further spread of Isis control, or other horrors could all push more to flee. Selim Yenel, Turkey's ambassador to the EU, warned last week: "If Aleppo falls to the regime or to Isis, we could have another flood of a million people from one of the biggest cities in Syria."
SK/P01.13) Somini Sengupta, THE NEW YORK TIMES, October 1, 2015, p. A4, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. On Wednesday, the secretary general, Mr. Ban, held a session on the sidelines of the General Assembly devoted to tackling the refugee crisis. Mr. Ban called on countries to “significantly boost” the number of refugees that they accept and create safe, legal channels for refugees and labor migration, something Europe significantly lacks. He also signaled that the exodus could grow, as people escape areas “ravaged by climate change.”
SK/P02. HUMANITARIAN NEEDS DEMAND GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
1. ALL NATIONS HAVE HUMANITARIAN OBLIGATIONS TO REFUGEES
SK/P02.01) United Nations Secretary-General, STATES NEWS SERVICE, September 30, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The future does not belong to those who seek to build walls or exploit fears. Migration and refugee flows are a global challenge. We have a responsibility to define a clear path forward guided by international refugee law, human rights and humanitarian law. The 2030 agenda for sustainable development sets goals and targets to better reap the benefits of migration. We must advance it with creativity, compassion and courage.
SK/P02.02) Peter Sutherland [UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration], STATES NEWS SERVICE, October 2, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. And it's not merely Europe, incidentally, that has a responsibility to refugees. Under the 1951 [Refugee] Convention... refugees are the responsibility of the world. They're the responsibility of the United States, of Canada, of Latin America and of Asia, as well as Europe. Proximity doesn't define responsibility.
SK/P02.03) Larry Elliott, THE GUARDIAN, September 22, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The west's richest countries have been warned by their own influential thinktank that the prospect of a million asylum seekers this year will require an urgent and collective response to the unprecedented refugee crisis that has developed over the past two years. The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which counts 34 of the wealthiest countries in the world as its members, called for a comprehensive plan that would provide both immediate humanitarian assistance to asylum seekers and help to integrate them.
2. HUMANITARIAN NEEDS OUTWEIGH NATIONAL INTERESTS
SK/P02.04) Harriet Sherwood, THE GUARDIAN, September 14, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. National interests should come second to the interests of humanity, the Dalai Lama has said in relation to the global refugee crisis, as he praised the response of Germany and Austria to those "crying, starving and asking for help".
SK/P02.05) Ian MacLeod, THE STAR PHOENIX (Saskatoon, Canada), September 10, 2015, p. C11, LexisNexis Academic. Boisvert [former CSIS assistant director of intelligence] said the current humanitarian need outweighs possible risks from terrorism. "It is a very manageable risk if you're conscious that there is a risk and that you do not undermine the efforts of CSIS [Canadian Service Intelligence Service] assets to do their job in the screening process."
SK/P02.06) Robert Samuels, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 11, 2015, p. A10, LexisNexis Academic. Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz said her country is willing to accept more refugees, even if that brings additional economic strain. "Accepting migrants escaping to save their lives is our duty," she said.
SK/P03. U.S. HAS UNIQUE HUMANITARIAN OBLIGATION
1. U.S. POLICY FAILURES CONTRIBUTED TO REFUGEE CRISIS
SK/P03.01) Reg Henry, PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, September 30, 2015, p. A2, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. What is startling is how the United States - which, after all, initiated some of the wars these refugees are fleeing and arguably set in motion the sequence of dreadful events - seems strangely removed from the suffering. Germany now leads the world in compassion. Look, we say, a drowned boy lies on the beach. A pregnant mother is tear-gassed. A man with his son is tripped up. How terrible, but not America's problem. This nation, so long the world's moral conscience, has not shown as much public sympathy toward these refugees as might have been expected from the poignant news coverage.
SK/P03.02) Carol J. Williams, LOS ANGELES TIMES, September 4, 2015, p. A3, LexisNexis Academic. Antiwar activists argue that the United States has a moral obligation to aid and shelter refugees from conflicts it had a role in instigating, the Iraq war first among them.
SK/P03.03) Trudy Rubin, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, September 17, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. Obama bears substantial responsibility for the Syria mess, having failed to help Syrian moderates when they still existed. He subcontracted the job of helping Syrian rebels to Gulf Arab states that preferred Islamist militias. Those same Gulf Arabs - with the exception of the United Arab Emirates - have done far too little to assist the refugees they helped create.
2. U.S. HAS MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE WORLD LEADERSHIP
SK/P03.04) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 8, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. "The US has historically been the world's leader in recognizing the moral obligation to resettle refugees.... But in the four years of the Syria crisis there has been inertia rather than leadership," said David Miliband, president of the International Crisis Committee and former British foreign minister, in a statement last week.
SK/P03.05) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 8, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The senators say the US should take in many more of the 130,000 Syrian refugees the UNHCR, the United Nations' refugee agency, wants the international community to resettle by the end of next year. "It is a moral, legal, and national security imperative for the United States to lead by example in addressing the world's worst refugee crisis of our time," the senators said.
SK/P03.06) Gregory Korte, USA TODAY, September 10, 2015, p. 3A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. But those countries -- some already fragile -- are inundated, with Syrian refugees now representing about a quarter of the population. Refugee relief groups say it's important for the United States to show leadership by taking on some share of the burden.
SK/P03.07) Patrick Healy, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 27, 2015, p. A26, LexisNexis Academic. Mrs. Clinton, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Gov. Martin O'Malley of Maryland each favor admitting 65,000 Syrians to the United States next year -- or more in the case of Mr. O'Malley, who has been the most outspoken on Syria as he tries to gain traction in the Democratic nomination fight. The Democrats argue that America has a moral obligation to take in people in need and help Europe manage the worst refugee crisis since World War II.
SK/P03.08) David M. Herszenhorn, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 5, 2015, p. A9, LexisNexis Academic. Eric P. Schwartz, a former assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and migration, who is now dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, said presidential leadership would help drive public response. “The folks who lead our humanitarian work in the government are the best in the world, but you need the president of the United States and the secretary of state, but the president in particular, to speak out about our responsibilities here and to define the challenge,” he said. Increasing the number of Syrians granted asylum by 50,000 on an emergency basis would also help, he said, by sending “an extremely powerful signal to Europe and to the world.”
3. U.S. SHOULD SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE REFUGEE ADMISSIONS
SK/P03.09) Carol Morello, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 10, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. In recent weeks, desperate Syrians have crawled across barbed wire and headed by foot to Germany seeking asylum. They are the vanguard. Hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions more migrants are expected to follow. Some lawmakers are saying the United States is not shouldering its share of the burden. Fewer than 1,600 Syrian refugees have been admitted since 2011, the vast majority arriving just this year. Another 300 or so are expected by year's end. But that is a small fraction of the more than 18,000 names the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says it has submitted for consideration, a number growing far faster than it is being whittled down.
SK/P03.10) Carol J. Williams, LOS ANGELES TIMES, September 4, 2015, p. A3, LexisNexis Academic. But the number of asylum seekers permitted to resettle in the United States in recent years pales in comparison with the refuge granted by even the most unwelcoming countries of Europe. In the latest year for which Homeland Security statistics are available, the fiscal year ending in 2013, the number of Syrians granted U.S. asylum was 36.
SK/P03.11) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 10, 2015, pNA, LexisNexis Academic. The United Nations is calling on wealthy countries to take in 130,000 Syrian refugees over the next two years, proposing that the US accept about half of those. A figure of about 65,000 would basically double the number of refugees the US is currently taking in annually, and would far surpass the approximately 1,500 Syrians the US has accepted during the Syrian civil war, now into its fifth year.
SK/P03.12) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 8, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. "The question of moral responsibility is undeniable," says Suzanne Shanahan, an expert in refugee resettlement at Duke University in Durham, N.C. Germany and Sweden have agreed to take in refugees equaling 1 percent of their population, she says. "Surely, then, the US can take in at least 65,000 Syrians," or about 0.02 percent of the US population.
SK/P03.13) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 10, 2015, pNA, LexisNexis Academic. Indeed, with images of tens of thousands of fleeing Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis, Eritreans, and others filling American homes and tugging at Americans' conscience, calls are mounting for the US to step up and do more. "It's not too late to do the right thing," Sen. Patrick Leahy (D) of Vermont said in a statement Wednesday on the refugee crisis gripping Europe. The US should accept thousands more Syrians and other refugees each year, some politicians and refugee advocates are saying - with some proposing as much as doubling the 70,000 refugees now taken in annually.
SK/P03.14) Patrick Healy, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 27, 2015, p. A26, LexisNexis Academic. Even the 65,000 people whom Democrats want to resettle in the United States would make little difference for the roughly four million Syrians already displaced from their country, refugee and human rights groups say. “We're falling short of our values as a nation if our presidential candidates can't come forward with comprehensive plans for a tragedy that is playing out daily,” said Eva A. Millona, the executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. “We've had so many phone calls from people here in Newton, Lexington, Arlington who would lead by opening their homes to Syrian families. This is a moment of truth for candidates to show how they would lead as well.”
SK/P04. OTHER NATIONS CANNOT SOLVE CRISIS
1. EUROPE CANNOT COPE WITH CURRENT REFUGEE CRISIS
SK/P04.01) Robert Samuels, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 11, 2015, p. A10, LexisNexis Academic. Thousands more refugees filled choke points across Europe on Thursday as overwhelmed leaders tried to rally support for a resettlement plan that even its backers acknowledge is not enough to handle the crush. "One could also say a drop in the ocean that won't solve everything," German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told Parliament as he outlined the proposal to spread 160,000 refugees across nearly two dozen countries.
SK/P04.02) Robert Samuels, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 11, 2015, p. A10, LexisNexis Academic. Officials in Hungary, the scene of major confrontations between authorities and refugees, said at a news conference Thursday that they plan to make crossing the border illegal and to dispatch the military to enforce the law by the end of the month.
SK/P04.03) Henry Chu, THE BALTIMORE SUN, September 17, 2015, p. 8A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The effects of Hungary's decision to seal its border with Serbia quickly rippled out to its neighbors, as Southern European nations that had been little affected by the crisis braced for its spread. Migrants searching for an alternative route to their preferred destinations of Germany and Scandinavia began crossing from Serbia into Croatia, which pledged to allow safe passage. But Slovenia said it would impose temporary border controls along its frontier with Hungary, and Romania convened a meeting of senior defense officials to discuss taking in more refugees. Despite Hungary's clampdown and new border checks popping up throughout Europe, the relentless tide of asylum seekers from countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan showed no signs of abating.
SK/P04.04) NATIONAL REVIEW, October 5, 2015, p. 9, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. "Crisis" is an apt word for what is presently unfolding in Europe. Hundreds of thousands of migrants are pouring into central Europe by land and by sea, marking the largest movement of peoples into the Continent since the end of World War II. Some are refugees from war-torn Syria. Many more are migrants leaving poverty-stricken countries in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa in pursuit of better prospects abroad. Migrants crossing into Hungary or washing up on the shores of Greece are pushing westward toward Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Hungary, which has become a staging ground for migrants, has declared a state of emergency and closed its border with Serbia, and Germany, after initially calling for openness to the flood of migrants, has closed its borders as well.
SK/P04.05) THE ECONOMIST, September 19, 2015, p. 46(US), GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. But within two weeks, on September 13th, Mrs Merkel performed a volte-face that stunned the European Union. Because Germany could not "manage" the influx of asylum-seekers and migrants, she reimposed controls along the border with Austria, accelerating an already galloping crisis. Austria, Slovakia and the Netherlands followed suit with controls of their own. They are said to be temporary and legal under the Schengen agreement that sets up free travel in most of the EU. And so they may be. But the crisis has a life of its own. Hungary declared an emergency, sealed its border with Serbia with barbed-wire fences and began arresting those trying to cross. Police fired tear gas at them; 20 officers and many refugees were hurt. Growing numbers of refugees are now trapped on the Serbian side and have started evading the barrier by marching into Romania and Croatia, which are in the EU but not yet in Schengen. Hungary responded by saying it will extend the fence to its Romanian border. The cascade of events is likely to continue.
SK/P04.06) Anthony Faiola & Robert Samuels, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 14, 2015, p. A1, LexisNexis Academic. Facing an unstaunchable flood of migrants and refugees, Germany on Sunday said it was reaching a breaking point and would implement emergency controls on its border with Austria, temporarily suspending train service and conducting highway checks along the main pipeline for thousands seeking sanctuary in Western Europe. The move signaled the extent of the crisis confronting Europe, a region where a decades-long policy of open borders, once a source of pride and unity, is eroding as nations struggle to cope with a record flow of migrants. Only last week, Denmark temporarily closed a highway and suspended trains on its southern border with Germany, and French authorities have searched for migrants on trains crossing from Italy.
2. GULF STATES ARE DOING THEIR FAIR SHARE
SK/P04.07) Taylor Luck, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 16, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. But Arab Gulf states are hitting back against the criticism, saying they have done their fair share to bankroll the international response to the refugee crisis. They say they have taken in hundreds of thousands of Syrians as visitors, guest-workers, and pilgrims - allowing them to overstay their visas and seek unofficial refuge in their countries. Saudi Arabia says it has taken in more than 2.5 million Syrians since the outbreak of the conflict, while the UAE says it has granted residency permits to 100,000 Syrians.
SK/P04.08) Taylor Luck, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 16, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. “The Gulf states were the first to act to help Syrians fleeing war and bloodshed and their help has not wavered," says Khaled Ghanem, whose Jordanian NGO, Together We Build for Development and Rehabilitation, relies almost solely on support from the Kuwaiti and Saudi governments.
SK/P05. U.S. HAS PRIORITIZED HUMANITARIANISM IN PAST CRISES
1. U.S. WELCOMED REFUGEES FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA
SK/P05.01) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 10, 2015, pNA, LexisNexis Academic. Refugee advocates, on the other hand, insist that the vast majority of applicants from countries in conflict are simply seeking safety for themselves and their families, and that the US has the capacity to welcome more than the 70,000 refugees currently accepted. They note that the US accepted up to 200,000 refugees annually toward the end of the Vietnam War in the 1970s.
SK/P05.02) Trudy Rubin, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, September 17, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. To set an example, Obama should invite 100,000 Syrians to settle here, just as Cubans were welcomed, or Vietnamese after the end of the Vietnam war. It would be shameful and shortsighted to do any less.
SK/P05.03) Lionel Beehner [instructor, U.S. Military Academy], USA TODAY, September 23, 2015, p. 7A, LexisNexis Academic. If these facts make us uncomfortable today, they should. Syrian refugees face similar arguments and are accused of having "nefarious purposes." They face a labyrinthine maze of red tape, ostensibly to conduct thorough background checks. Yet previous mass waves of refugees -- the hundreds of thousands of Southeast Asian "boat people" of the late 1970s and 1980s, the 10,000 Kosovar Albanians repatriated in 1999 -- did not face the same scrutiny. Just as the turning away of Jewish asylum seekers in the 1930s masked a reflexive anti-Semitism, does American refusal to accept more Syrians today in the name of preventing terrorism mask a latent Islamophobia?
2. CURRENT CRISIS PARALLELS WORLD WAR II REFUGEE CRISIS
SK/P05.04) Reg Henry, PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, September 30, 2015, p. A2, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Meanwhile, the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the end of World War II has been unfolding with scenes of despair hard for the most jaded eyes to avoid. The refugees then were Jews and other displaced persons staggering out of Nazi captivity. Now the refugees are Muslims fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. The call of humanity does not recognize much difference and we shouldn't either.
SK/P05.05) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 8, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Mr. Miliband's [President, International Crisis Committee] "moral obligation" argument for a more robust American response is also driving calls from some leaders and human rights groups. Several senators are renewing their call from earlier this year for the US to welcome more refugees. In May, a group of 14 senators, led by Dick Durbin (D) of Illinois and Amy Klobuchar (D) of Minnesota sent a letter to Obama in which they compared an inadequate global response to the refugee crisis to "the international community's tragic failure to shelter Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazi genocide."
SK/P05.06) Lionel Beehner [instructor, U.S. Military Academy], USA TODAY, September 23, 2015, p. 7A, LexisNexis Academic. Remember that by 1944, when the Roosevelt administration belatedly created a War Refugee Board to aid victims of Nazi Germany, well over 2.5 million Jews had already been killed. The history of the Holocaust shows how bureaucratic foot-dragging can offer cover for silence in the face of mass slaughter. While it's critical to thoroughly vet all those applying for asylum within our borders today, we should not let refugees' religious or ethnic backgrounds color our actions.
3. FEARS OF WORLD WAR II JEWISH REFUGEES WERE BOGUS
SK/P05.07) Lionel Beehner [instructor, U.S. Military Academy], USA TODAY, September 23, 2015, p. 7A, LexisNexis Academic. Throughout U.S. history, critics have proclaimed that immigrants take jobs from native-born Americans, bring disease and draw us into conflicts abroad. During the 1930s immigration crisis, these same tropes were used to talk about refugees fleeing Nazi persecution -- most of them Jews -- but with a new twist. After demonstrating that they'd never become public charges, Jewish refugees had to pass an ever-increasing barrier of paperwork meant to "prove" they were not a threat. These refugees were cast as "Hitler's slave spies," bent on sabotage in order to ransom the lives of their loved ones still in Europe. The slave-spy accusation allowed Americans to sympathize with these refugees, while apologetically reaffirming the primacy of national security.
SK/P05.08) Lionel Beehner [instructor, U.S. Military Academy], USA TODAY, September 23, 2015, p. 7A, LexisNexis Academic. The notion that Syrian refugees could represent a fifth column has eerie parallels to U.S. policies and attitudes in the late 1930s. At the time, tens of thousands of European Jews, mostly from Germany, were seeking refuge in America but were turned away, among other reasons, for fear they might be spies or communists, or worse.
SK/P06. TERRORIST THREAT IS MINIMAL
1. TERRORISTS HAVE NO NEED TO INFILTRATE REFUGEES
SK/P06.01) Anne Speckhard, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 29, 2015, p. A27, LexisNexis Academic. No doubt it is important to weed out radicalized individuals seeking entry into the United States. But while the Islamic State has threatened to embed itself among refugees heading to the West, terrorists don't need to go through the entry process to operate in our country. The Islamic State is already recruiting vulnerable, born-in-America citizens by connecting with them through social media.
SK/P06.02) Anne Speckhard, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 29, 2015, p. A27, LexisNexis Academic. Counterterrorism data is clear: Most of the terrorists on American soil do not come from the ranks of refugees but are individuals who are born here and who become vulnerable to recruitment because of mental illness, social marginalization, issues of discrimination and other factors that have nothing to do with admitting refugees into our country.
SK/P06.03) Ian MacLeod, THE STAR PHOENIX (Saskatoon, Canada), September 10, 2015, p. C11, LexisNexis Academic. The risk that some Islamic terrorists could infiltrate Canada posing as Syrian refugees is a valid concern but shouldn't be overblown, say national security specialists. "It is possible that among the stream of wretched refugees desperately looking for a way, that there might be some who aren't exactly the people we want to bring in," said Reg Whitaker, a security and intelligence expert and professor emeritus at York University. But "the idea that (ISIL) has some kind of a plan to plant agents in here" via the refugee process for Syrians, "this is crazy."
2. REFUGEES ARE VICTIMS OF TERRORISTS
SK/P06.04) Carol J. Williams, LOS ANGELES TIMES, September 4, 2015, p. A3, LexisNexis Academic. Syrian Muslims figure low on the list of asylum seekers designated as being of "special humanitarian concern" when U.S. politicians consider applicants from among the world's 60 million refugees because of fear that would-be terrorists from Islamic State, also known as ISIS, which is occupying much of northeastern Syria, might slip in among those trying to escape the violence. "If there is even a whiff of a security concern, no consular officer or security officer [in the multitude of U.S. agencies vetting applicants] wants to be the one that has his name on the bottom of a form where someone turns out to have done something horrible," Frelick said of the asylum seekers from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other Muslim countries in conflict. "There is every incentive to say no and very few incentives to say yes. This stigma of terrorism, the fear of a needle in the haystack, tends to hold the whole haystack back." The tragedy of that calculus, he added, is that "these refugees are the very people fleeing actors like ISIS." "They are people who want no part of that world and those ideologies and want to come with their children to have a decent life where they won't cower and live in fear."
SK/P06.05) Reg Henry, PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, September 30, 2015, p. A2, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. In the Donald Trump era, America's heart has shriveled, and fears have replaced its courage. That's sad. Refugees are woven into the fabric of the nation's cherished beliefs - the people of Israel fleeing pharaoh, the baby Jesus and the Holy Family escaping King Herod. Yet when the refugees are Muslims, we can't in our dread bring ourselves to distinguish the innocents from their murderous oppressors.
3. MOST OF THEM ARE WOMEN AND CHILDREN
SK/P06.06) Ron Atkey [teaches national security law, Osgoode Hall Law School, Canada], THE GLOBE AND MAIL (Canada), September 14, 2015, p. A16, LexisNexis Academic. But there's an elephant in the room: security. Are Syrian refugees potential threats to the safety of Canadians? Let's look at the facts. Half of the Syrian refugees in the camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey - the obvious geographical area for Canadian rescue efforts - are children. Half of the rest are women.
4. REFUGEES DO NOT BECOME TERRORISTS
SK/P06.07) Anne Speckhard, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 29, 2015, p. A27, LexisNexis Academic. There are cases where resettled refugees have become terrorists, but the examples are very rare, and the radicalization most often happened after they entered the United States. Since 2007, a small number of Somali refugees in Minnesota joined the Shabab in response to events happening in Somalia, which played into their own traumatic memories and failure to integrate well here. It bears noting that those who became terrorists left the United States to fight for Somalia rather than attacking the country that gave them refuge.
SK/P07. VETTING PROCESS IS EFFECTIVE
1. VETTING PROCESS WEEDS OUT POTENTIAL THREATS
SK/P07.01) Editorial, USA TODAY, September 14, 2015, p. 9A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. In reality, all refugees undergo extensive background checks before being allowed to settle in the U.S. That process, which can take as long as two years, ought to be expedited to some degree. But it still is an effective way to root out potential threats.
SK/P07.02) Paul Richter, THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE (Georgia), p. A1, LexisNexis Academic. The vetting is painstaking. The first step is for U.N. officials to refer the refugees for consideration, a step that can take time. Then the refugees must be reviewed by the Department of Homeland Security and other U.S. agencies, with names checked against U.S. government databases to ensure that they're not "liars, criminals, or would-be terrorists," the senior State Department official told reporters Wednesday. "This is something that slows down the process, and it's taken very seriously by everyone involved," said the official, who asked not to be identified because of department rules.
2. VETTING PROCESS CAN BE EXPEDITED
SK/P07.03) Anne Speckhard, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 29, 2015, p. A27, LexisNexis Academic. Short of evacuating the Syrian refugees, as we did for the Albanians from Kosovo, we can commit sufficient staffing and resources in the region to process the refugees faster. Currently, refugees are vetted in multiple layers and separate screenings by the F.B.I., the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense, the National Counterterrorism Center and other agencies. When similar delays held up visas for Afghans and Iraqis who had provided support for our forces in those countries and whose lives were in danger, a bipartisan push from Congress motivated the responsible agencies to speed up the process.
SK/P07.04) Gregory Korte, USA TODAY, September 10, 2015, p. 3A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Kathleen Newland, of the Migration Policy Institute, noted that the U.S. airlifted Bosnian refugees to U.S. military bases in New Jersey and Guam in the 1990s, giving them haven while they were vetted.
SK/P07.05) Trudy Rubin, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, September 17, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. The United States leads the world in humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees over the past four years (around $4 billion) but has admitted only 1,200 refugees. The president has now pledged to allow in a paltry 10,000 more over the next year, but our dysfunctional system of security checks will take at least two years to clear them. This is nuts.
SK/P08. REFUGEES DO NOT HARM ECONOMY OR SOCIETY
1. SYRIAN REFUGEES ARE EDUCATED AND HARD-WORKING
SK/P08.01) Lionel Beehner [instructor, U.S. Military Academy], USA TODAY, September 23, 2015, p. 7A, LexisNexis Academic. The Syrians fleeing violence come from a range of religions; they are majority middle class, educated and looking to start a new life abroad. Many who have settled in refugee camps and urban areas near Syria's borders are some of the most industrious and enterprising people aid workers there have seen. But these camps are overflowing.
SK/P08.02) Trudy Rubin, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, September 17, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. Right-wing parties in Europe are whipping up opposition to a "Muslim invasion," although this wave of Syrians is mainly professionals, artisans, students, and small-business people, often secular in their lifestyles. They have much to offer European states where birthrates are low. "These are ideal immigrants," says Landis, "middle-class people who still have enough money to pay smugglers." Many come from government-controlled areas where they were spared the worst of the war, but are now trying to flee as the Syrian state is collapsing.
SK/P08.03) Editorial, USA TODAY, September 14, 2015, p. 9A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The United States currently accepts 70,000 refugees a year from the entire world. Doubling that number for a discrete period would not significantly change the USA's overall immigration policies, which lead to more than 1 million people per year being granted residency status. In the long run, it would likely help the economy, as those fleeing Syria are relatively well-educated.
2. IMMIGRATION DOES NOT HARM EUROPEAN ECONOMIES
SK/P08.04) Scott Gilmore, MACLEAN’S, September 14, 2015, p. 10, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Immigration has changed the face of Europe. In London now, only 44 per cent of the population is both white and British. In Birmingham and Leicester, the majority are visible minorities. Newspapers across the continent are filled with daily stories of immigration problems, Roma crime rates, and welfare fraud by new arrivals. But, in most cases, the macro data suggest Europe has reaped immense economic benefits from migration.
SK/P08.05) Peter Sutherland [UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration], STATES NEWS SERVICE, October 2, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. We're well able to handle this problem in Europe. We've 29 per cent of global wealth. We have a huge population. We actually have demographic problems that require us to bring more, not less, migrants to fill the voids in our economic systems.
SK/P08.06) Peter Sutherland [UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration], STATES NEWS SERVICE, October 2, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Germany has the lowest birth rate in the world. That lowest birth rate in the world requires perhaps over a million migrants a year over the next 30 years to keep a situation where you have the same number of retirees to workers in 30 years' time.
SK/P08.07) Tom Vickers [author of REFUGEES, CAPITALISM AND THE BRITISH STATE], THE GUARDIAN, September 21, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. There is no zero-sum game between refugees and other working-class people, where more for one group means less for the other. Refugees frequently also contribute to the areas they live, for example in Byker in Newcastle, refugees dispersed in 2000 set up a community centre that became a valued local resource and a place British parents felt their children would be safe after school. British capitalism is international and so is its working class. The presence of refugees within Britain holds potential to build alliances that will strengthen all sections of the working class.
3. REFUGEES HAVE REVITALIZED U.S. URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS
SK/P08.08) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 10, 2015, pNA, LexisNexis Academic. Proponents of higher refugee numbers, and particularly of Syrians, also point out that the US has successfully welcomed and integrated communities of refugees from countries torn by Islamist extremist violence. They cite the Somali community that has settled in Minneapolis and grown to about 35,000. A few members of the community have been lured back to fight on the side of the Al Shabaab terrorist group, refugee advocates say. But the dominant picture by far, they add, is of once-downtrodden Minneapolis neighborhoods revitalized by an influx of Somali families and businesses.
4. REFUGEES ARE MODEL CITIZENS
SK/P08.09) Editorial, USA TODAY, September 14, 2015, p. 9A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The U.S. has taken refugees and lawful immigrants from other countries -- Iraq, Pakistan and Nigeria, to name a few -- where radical Muslim groups are present. Nearly all have been model members of their communities, happy to be in a place where they can live and work in peace.
SK/P08.10) William Booth, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 29, 2015, p. A10, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. During the early 1990s, the dormitories at Slovak Technical University [in Slovakia] sheltered people fleeing the Balkan wars. The dormitories were used again to house other refugees and migrants seeking asylum in Europe. "We had Chechens, Iranians, Sri Lankans, Romanians, you name it," said Zoltan Jaros, an administrator of the dorms. Jaros said that between 1993 and 2008, more than 5,000 refugees and migrants spent time at the campus dorms. "We have not had a single serious crime," he said. "Maybe somebody stole an apple from a tree. But no rapes, assaults, robberies. Nothing."
SK/P09. TURNING AWAY REFUGEES IS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER
SK/P09.01) Anne Speckhard, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 29, 2015, p. A27, LexisNexis Academic. Meanwhile, the vast majority of war-torn Syrian refugees are fleeing terrorist groups. But they are at risk. Experience from many conflict zones teaches us that the longer these refugees are left to languish in despair in camps the more prone they become to radicalization. Just as gangs attract youth in inner cities, terrorists are adroit at exploiting the most vulnerable who might turn to them for security, justice and even hope. Young men, in particular, gravitate to perceived models of strength and protection.
SK/P09.02) Trudy Rubin, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, September 17, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. But keeping refugees from war-torn Syria out may create bigger problems than letting them in. Over the past four years, the Syrian exodus has created a lost generation of youths without education or prospects. In May, I visited the desolate Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, where 100,000 Syrians live in trailers on terrain that looks like a moonscape. The men have no work, and thousands of teenage boys no schooling or hope. Their anger may well drive many to return home and join jihadi militias.
2. ENTIRE MIDDLE EAST RISKS DESTABILIZATION
SK/P09.03) Trudy Rubin, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, September 17, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. Millions of Syrian refugees threaten to destabilize neighboring countries. Tiny Lebanon has taken in 1.13 million Syrians, who now make up a fourth of its population. Jordan, where unemployment is high and services strained, has accepted 629,000. Turkey, although wealthier, is straining to cope with 1.8 million. As Syria crumbles further, additional millions may flee.
SK/P09.04) Patrick Healy, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 27, 2015, p. A26, LexisNexis Academic. Mr. Graham [U.S. Senator], a hawk on many national security matters, said he believed vetting systems were crucial but rarely perfect. “The risk of doing nothing is greater than taking vetted people,” he added, emphasizing the need to take pressure off Jordan, Lebanon and other neighbors of Syria -- as well as European allies -- by absorbing more of the displaced. “A year from now, if we don't stop the complete unraveling of Syria, this crisis will look so much worse,” he said. “What happens when the neighboring countries begin to collapse? What happens when other countries become overwhelmed with Syrian refugees and their own people are at risk? There's no good end to this if we don't act.”
3. IDEA OF CREATING A SAFE HAVEN IN SYRIA IS A FANTASY
SK/P09.05) Trudy Rubin, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, September 17, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. Some hope the nuclear deal with Iran will enable Washington to work out a solution with Tehran and Moscow, the main supporters of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. For the foreseeable future, that is a pipe dream. So is the fantasy of creating safe zones for refugees along the Syrian-Turkish border. No one has explained whose troops would protect those zones from Syrian shelling or provide safe haven for civilians amid wrecked towns and villages.
SK/P09.06) Carol Morello, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 10, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. The administration has spent $4.1 billion on humanitarian aid since the Syrian conflict began. Some of that money has gone to help feed and shelter the refugees, and some has aimed to help neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan cope with the burden of so many refugees. The goal is to keep refugees in the region instead of fleeing to Europe and beyond, a prospect that appears more unlikely with every passing day.
SK/P?C?01. HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE SERVES NATIONAL INTERESTS
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Evidence in this Brief says that meeting humanitarian needs of refugees also serves national interests. This could be PRO evidence since it supports a humanitarian response to refugees. But it is susceptible to a topicality argument that the humanitarian response is not being PRIORITIZED OVER national interests. This could be CON evidence for a topicality attack but it would then be contradictory to any other CON-side arguments that meeting humanitarian needs in any way hurts national interests. So be aware that there is potential danger to using this Brief on either side of the topic.]
1. REFUGEE AID SERVES HUMANITARIANISM & NATIONAL INTERESTS
SK/P?C?01.01) Anne Speckhard, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 29, 2015, p. A27, LexisNexis Academic. It is in America's best interest to speed up the refugee acceptance process for humanitarian reasons and our national security. Not helping refugees resettle as quickly as possible is, in itself, a factor that can increase risk for Americans the world over.
SK/P?C?01.02) Trudy Rubin, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, September 17, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. The desperate refugees setting sail on rickety boats and scaling barbed-wire fences to enter the European Union come predominantly from Syria. This crisis won't end soon, because the Syrian conflict isn't going to end soon. The Europeans can't solve it on their own. So it's time for the United States to provide leadership - by pressing our rich Gulf Arab allies to do much more for the refugees and by doing more ourselves. That is not just a moral imperative. It makes national security sense.
SK/P?C?01.03) Clemens Wergin, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 15, 2015, p. A23, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Germany and its less-welcoming European partners are treating the wave of refugees, many of whom come from Syria or other parts of the Middle East, primarily as a humanitarian crisis. But it is also a security crisis for Europe, and it should force a thorough rethinking of how Europe approaches the regions of the world that abut its southern and eastern borders.
SK/P?C?01.04) Greg Bluestein & Jeremy Redmon, THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, September 9, 2015, p. 1A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Local resettlement agencies have long pushed back, beyond arguing that Georgia has a moral obligation to embrace refugees. They say refugees attract millions of dollars in federal aid money, form a ready pool of eager employees and ultimately create businesses and pay taxes.
2. HUMANITARIAN INACTION UNDERMINES NATIONAL INTERESTS
SK/P?C?01.05) Anne Speckhard, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 29, 2015, p. A27, LexisNexis Academic. With four million Syrians having fled their country, the United States has accepted only a small number to date, and many have become desperate. Our national security interest requires us to diminish the Islamic State's recruiting grounds wherever they are. We have failed to enact efficient practices and sufficient resources to allay our fears that within the refugees' ranks might lurk a soldier of misfortune who wishes to do us harm. Denying safe haven to thousands of suffering Syrians because of that is itself the threat -- to our security, to our role as a leader in today's complex world, and to our compassion as a nation.
SK/P?C?01.06) Editorial, USA TODAY, September 14, 2015, p. 9A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Yet in contrast to the Ethiopian famine, the fall of Saigon or even routine outbreaks of violence in Central America, the United States has done relatively little in response. So far, it has taken just 1,500 Syrian refugees. America has a strategic interest, not to mention a moral purpose, in significantly raising those numbers. U.S. interests in a volatile region would be undermined if the crisis destabilized nations such as Turkey (1.9 million Syrian refugees), Lebanon (1.1 million) and Jordan (630,000).
SK/C01. CURRENT REFUGEE CRISIS IS EXAGGERATED
1. MANY ASYLUM-SEEKERS IN EUROPE ARE NOT REAL REFUGEES
SK/C01.01) Scott Gilmore, MACLEAN’S, September 14, 2015, p. 10, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. There can be no question that the vast majority of the people arriving on European shores are fleeing horrific conflict. Most are coming from Syria, where they were caught between violent rebel groups such as Islamic State and the Assad regime dropping barrel bombs from above. But, once they arrive safely in Europe, there is also no question that most of them are turning into economic migrants. The men breaking into U.K.-bound transport trucks in Calais have passed through six or seven other European countries to get there. Likewise, the 800,000 people arriving in Germany this year travelled through a similar number of countries, any one of which could have provided safe haven.
SK/C01.02) Scott Gilmore, MACLEAN’S, September 14, 2015, p. 10, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. There is also the fact that the term "refugee" implies someone who has been displaced, but intends to return home when he or she can. It is hard to believe those arriving in Europe right now are only passing through.
2. MANY ARE GUILTY OF OPPORTUNISTIC BEHAVIOR
SK/C01.03) Editorial, FLORIDA TIMES-UNION (Jacksonville), September 26, 2015, p. B8, LexisNexis Academic. The Syrians should be resettled as close as possible to their home country. It's curious that refugees are applying for sanctuary in affluent Germany rather than in nearby countries. "It's nothing but opportunism," said Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Austria's interior minister.
SK/C01.04) Editorial, TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL, September 23, 2015, pNA, LexisNexis Academic. Indeed, if the hundreds of thousands of Muslims in this unprecedented migration wave were true refugees fleeing for their lives, they wouldn't need to go any further than the safety of Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. That they request - demand, in fact - passage to more comfortable societies in Western Europe and the United States is evidence that many are no more than opportunistic migrants, particularly the inordinate number of healthy young men in their midst.
SK/C01.05) Jonah Goldberg [Fellow, American Enterprise Institute], THE BALTIMORE SUN, September 13, 2015, p. 25A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Inspired by the images of welcome parties at German train stations, Iraqis are now also packing their bags. "This is a golden opportunity," Osama Ahmed, 27, told The Wall Street Journal as he lined up last Sunday at Baghdad International Airport with five friends. "It's totally nonsense to stay in Iraq when there is a chance to go."
SK/C01.06) Bill Ravotti, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE REVIEW, September 20, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Germany's "open border" rhetoric not only increased the dangers for all EU citizens but also for the legitimate war refugees themselves, who now have become easy prey for the criminal smuggling syndicate that transports them to Europe in very unsafe conditions, sometimes with tragic human consequences. It also encouraged "economic migrants" from places such as Albania, Bangladesh and even South America to seek the promised land.
3. THE REAL REFUGEE CRISIS IS NOT IN EUROPE
SK/C01.07) Scott Gilmore, MACLEAN’S, September 14, 2015, p. 10, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. There is a refugee crisis. Just not in Europe. According to the United Nations, there are now 60 million refugees globally. This stunning number, equivalent to the entire population of Italy, hasn't been seen since the Second World War. The total refugee population has been above 40 million since 2007, driven by fighting in Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. But we didn't start calling it a "crisis" until some of them began arriving in Europe.
SK/C02. HUMANITARIAN NEEDS CANNOT BE TOP PRIORITY
1. U.S. HAS RESPONDED GENEROUSLY TO HUMANITARIAN NEEDS
SK/C02.01) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 8, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. "There is certainly capacity in Europe to deal with this problem, and the United States certainly stands with our European partners," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters last week in response to mounting criticism. Mr. Earnest noted that the US is the top donor of humanitarian assistance to the region, having provided $4 billion for the Syrian crisis alone.
2. THERE ARE LIMITS TO WHAT A GOVERNMENT CAN DO
SK/C02.02) Reg Henry, PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, September 30, 2015, p. A2, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Granted, even with abundant goodwill, which of course is sometimes lacking, millions of refugees can't be accommodated easily, especially at a time when economies are sputtering. Any melting pot can successfully absorb only so many ingredients over a short period.
SK/C02.03) Thomas Sowell [Sr. Fellow, Hoover Institution], CHARLESTON GAZETTE-MAIL, September 9, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Most of the Muslims may be peaceful people who are willing to live and let live. But it takes only a fraction who are not to create havoc. No nation has an unlimited capacity to absorb immigrants of any sort, and especially immigrants whose cultures are not simply different, but antagonistic, to the values of the society in which they settle. The inescapable reality is that it is an irreversible decision to admit a foreign population of any sort - but especially a foreign population that has a track record of remaining foreign.
SK/C02.04) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 8, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The crisis roiling Europe is prompting human rights advocates and some United States politicians to demand that the US do more to address what is now considered the greatest refugee crisis since World War II. To no small degree, the Obama administration's tepid response reflects President Obama's cautious, entanglement-wary approach to the Syrian civil war. The position that the US cannot ride to the rescue in every global crisis rings hard-hearted to some, and there was some suggestion Tuesday that the White House is considering a more active role. But the president's hesitation is more realistic than some past US policies, some experts say. "The days are long gone when the United States rode in on a white horse and solved or tried to solve these big problems," says Hurst Hannum, an expert in international law and US foreign policy at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.
3. CRITICS ARE GUILTY OF MORAL GRANDSTANDING
SK/C02.05) Jonah Goldberg [Fellow, American Enterprise Institute], THE BALTIMORE SUN, September 13, 2015, p. 25A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The line of people wanting to move to Europe and America doesn't end there, because it doesn't end at all. Demand outstrips supply by orders of magnitude. Given this fact, I only have so much tolerance for all the moral grandstanding. The phrase "heartless" gets thrown around a lot at times like this. But it is not heartless to note that taking in huge waves of migrants from the Middle East has come with problems, particularly for Europeans. Even President Barack Obama has acknowledged that Muslims have had a hard time assimilating in Europe.
SK/C02.06) Jonah Goldberg [Fellow, American Enterprise Institute], THE BALTIMORE SUN, September 13, 2015, p. 25A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Also, as we've seen time and again, even when mass migration is relatively painless, telling citizens that it is illegitimate and bigoted to want less of it inevitably leads to a backlash.
4. ACCEPTING MORE REFUGEES DOES NOTHING TO SOLVE THE CRISIS
SK/C02.07) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 8, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. "What should we do, start sending C-130s [airplanes] and troops-transport ships over to bring people back to the US?" he [Hurst Hannum, expert in international law and US foreign policy at Tufts University] says. "That's an insufficient answer at best, and it does nothing in the direction of a long term solution," he adds. "If all you do is that, you're detracting from the goal of stabilizing Syria and enabling Syrians to return and live there."
5. TRIAGE IS NECESSARY WHEN DEMAND OUTPACES CAPABILITIES
SK/C02.08) Jonah Goldberg [Fellow, American Enterprise Institute], THE BALTIMORE SUN, September 13, 2015, p. 25A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. When demand outstrips supply-- and turning to market mechanisms isn't an option -- all that is left is rationing. That means choosing who gets to come and who doesn't. And that requires making people wait their turn and not crash the gates. When doctors resort to triage in crowded emergency rooms, it can seem heartless to those demanding immediate relief. But it's actually the most humane thing to do.
SK/C03. U.S. HAS NO UNIQUE HUMANITARIAN OBLIGATION
1. REFUGEE SOLUTION IS PRIMARILY EUROPE’S RESPONSIBILITY
SK/C03.01) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 8, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Professor Hannum [expert in international law and US foreign policy at Tufts University] says there is also some argument that Europe's proximity to the refugees makes this more of a European problem. "Geography does matter - it's difficult to criticize the US for seeing this primarily as a European issue when it's their shores and borders the refugees are reaching," he says. "In the same way, I'd imagine the Europeans must have seen the Central Americans arriving at the US border as primarily a Western Hemispheric problem for the US to address."
SK/C03.02) David M. Herszenhorn, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 5, 2015, p. A9, LexisNexis Academic. “That choice has certain moral consequences, and those moral consequences include vast suffering of the people in Syria, and now in them striking out, at least in the case of refugees, for Europe,” Mr. Patrick [Council on Foreign Relations] said, adding that the crisis was “largely Europe's responsibility.”
SK/C03.03) Somini Sengupta, THE NEW YORK TIMES, October 1, 2015, p. A4, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The rush of migrants into Europe, combined with the Continent's fear that Islamic State fighters may cross porous borders to carry out attacks, has stirred new urgency among Western leaders to address the war in Syria and push harder for an end to it. They have been huddling on the sidelines of the General Assembly with their rivals from Russia and Iran. They are stepping up aid. And what was seen as a lost cause a few months ago -- a political settlement in Syria -- was the centerpiece of a lunch hosted by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon this week for the foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
2. GULF STATES ARE NOT TAKING SUFFICIENT ACTION
SK/C03.04) Taylor Luck, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 16, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. As the number of migrants flooding Europe's shores and borders swells, wealthy Arab Gulf states have come under increasing scrutiny for their perceived reluctance to open their borders to those fleeing Syria. Amnesty International reported late last year that six Gulf states have offered "zero" resettlement places for Syrians and that the region has taken in a total of eight registered Syrian refugees.
SK/C03.05) Bill Ravotti, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE REVIEW, September 20, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Tragically, there are rich countries in the Arab region that have not accepted a single Muslim refugee. The Persian Gulf monarchies such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Qatar have the capacity, resources and experience from the first Gulf war to take them all. They certainly bear much of the responsibility for the instability in the region; it's time they start helping their fellow Muslims in need.
SK/C04. ALLOWING MORE REFUGEES INTO U.S. IS NOT THE ANSWER
1. WE HAVE ALREADY TAKEN IN OUR FAIR SHARE OF REFUGEES
SK/C04.01) Carol Morello, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 10, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. The United States has taken in 70,000 refugees from around the world in each of the past three years, more than all other countries combined.
2. PROVIDING HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE IS A BETTER APPROACH
SK/C04.02) Bob Goodlatte [Chair, U.S. House Judiciary Committee], STATES NEWS SERVICE, September 30, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Next week, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the national security and public safety implications of our nation's refugee program, including the Obama Administration's plan to resettle thousands of Syrian refugees. As we examine the Administration's plan and the overall refugee program, it's important to remember that most refugees prefer to go back to their home countries and live in peace. The best way to stem this refugee crisis is to promote peace in the region and support humanitarian operations in affected countries and not try to bring more and more people to the United States."
SK/C04.03) Thomas Sowell [Sr. Fellow, Hoover Institution], CHARLESTON GAZETTE-MAIL, September 9, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Middle Eastern countries might have been expected to take in more refugees who are their Muslim brothers - especially oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia. But the West, including the United States, could at least send more financial aid to Middle Eastern countries like Jordan and Egypt, to ease the burden of the refugees they have already taken in. Sending money to Middle Eastern countries that are taking in Muslim refugees makes a lot more sense for the West than taking in more refugees themselves.
3. A SAFE HAVEN IN SYRIA WOULD BE A BETTER APPROACH
SK/C04.04) Carol Morello, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 10, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. Sen. Timothy M. Kaine (D-Va.) called for creating a safe zone in Syria so refugees can stay. "Why not create that safe zone in Syria so people don't have to leave their country," he said. "They would rather stay there if we can guarantee safety and basic comforts of food, shelter and medical care. . . . If we can create that, then people will come back."
SK/C04.05) Juliet Eilperrin & Carol Morello, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 11, 2015, p. A1, LexisNexis Academic. "Well, I do want it to be clear that ultimately the refugee crisis is a symptom of the horrendous conditions in Syria, and that ultimately a lot of these refugees would presumably want to return home once conditions are safe," Eric Schultz, the White House principal deputy press secretary, said Wednesday. "So at the end of the day, the only true resolution to this will be a Syria that is safe for them to return home to."
SK/C04.06) Peter King [Chair, U.S. House Counterterrorism & Intelligence Subcommittee, Homeland Security Committee] , USA TODAY, September 14, 2015, p. 9A, LexisNexis Academic. The White House announcement that 10,000 additional Syrian refugees will be admitted next year is contrary to the advice of law enforcement and intelligence professionals.
5. U.S. VETTING PROCESS TAKES TOO LONG TO RESETTLE REFUGEES
SK/C04.07) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 10, 2015, pNA, LexisNexis Academic. Standing in the way of a quick response is a complex vetting system. On the books since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it is aimed at keeping terrorists and other bad elements out of the country. "We're trying to weed out people who are liars, who are criminals or would-be terrorists," a senior State Department official told reporters Wednesday on the condition of anonymity since the issue of increased refugee quotas is under discussion. Noting that the country's refugee acceptance program was completely shut down after 9/11 to allow for a new, more through vetting system to be put in place, the official acknowledged that the new system "slows down the process."
SK/C04.08) David M. Herszenhorn, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 5, 2015, p. A9, LexisNexis Academic. Taking in 65,000 Syrians, as the 14 senators had urged, is virtually impossible under the existing asylum process, which requires lengthy background checks.
SK/C04.09) Carol Morello, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 10, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. But when it comes to Syrians, the United States has lagged far behind several European countries lately. That's largely due to the time-consuming screening procedure to block Islamist militants and criminals from entering the United States under the guise of being legitimate refugees. As a result, it takes 18 to 24 months for the average Syrian refugee to be investigated and granted refugee status. The process takes so long that the UNHCR takes biometric images of some applicants' irises to ensure that when refugee status is eventually granted, it goes to the same person who applied. "We're trying to weed out people who are liars, who are criminals or would-be terrorists," said a senior State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity about administration discussions on the refugee crisis. "This is something that slows down the process, and it's taken seriously by everyone involved."
SK/C05. NATIONAL INTERESTS MUST BE TOP PRIORITY
1. NATIONAL SECURITY MUST BE TOP U.S. PRIORITY
SK/C05.01) Paul Richter, THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE (Georgia), p. A1, LexisNexis Academic. Despite repeated announcements of plans to increase resettlement over the past two years, U.S. agencies have struggled to clear refugees through a vetting process that, because of security considerations, takes 18 to 24 months. Though there is growing public sympathy for the displaced, those security concerns have many lawmakers leery of bringing in more Mideast refugees. Before "opening the floodgates," the administration "must prove to the American people that it will take the necessary precautions to ensure that national security is a top priority," said Sen. Charles Grassley, the Iowa Republican who heads the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the program.
SK/C05.02) Chuck Grassley [U.S. Senator], STATES NEWS SERVICE, October 1, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Before agreeing to accept tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, the Obama administration must prove to the American people that it will take the necessary precautions to ensure that national security is a top priority, especially at a time when ruthless terrorist groups like ISIS are committed to finding ways to enter the United States and harm Americans.
SK/C05.03) Patrick Healy, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 27, 2015, p. A26, LexisNexis Academic. For Mr. Trump and several other Republicans seeking support from hard-line conservative voters, national security concerns take precedence in weighing whether to admit migrants and refugees.
SK/C05.04) Ted Cruz [U.S. Senator], STATES NEWS SERVICE, September 23, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. In the current threat environment - with an Administration that seems more intent on responding to the interests of the world than the needs of the American people - Congress has an obligation to be vocal and, if necessary, resist this effort. To be clear, this has nothing to do with immigration policy and everything to do with national security. Congress needs much more information before we can allow the United States to engage in a process that could wind up spending taxpayer dollars to import terrorism, much less fund that process.
2. HUMANITARIAN CONCERNS MUST BE SECONDARY
SK/C05.05) Juliet Eilperrin & Carol Morello, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 11, 2015, p. A1, LexisNexis Academic. "There's a humanitarian strain" in the administration, Itani [resident fellow, Atlantic Council] said, that had manifested itself in the policy discussions surrounding Syrian refugees. "It's not the dominant one, but it's there."
SK/C05.06) Patrick Healy, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 27, 2015, p. A26, LexisNexis Academic. The prospect of taking in 10,000 Syrians next year, as the Obama administration recently proposed, may be the sort of humanitarian goal that Francis was urging, but it does not reflect the inward-looking mood of many Americans.
SK/C05.07) Editorial, FLORIDA TIMES-UNION (Jacksonville), September 26, 2015, p. B8, LexisNexis Academic. Granted, millions of Syrians are fleeing or being kicked out of their war-town country, a total of 4 million refugees and 7 million displaced. That's a tragedy, certainly, illustrated by the child's body that washed up on a Turkish beach. But there always are global tragedies that affect millions. What's different since Sept. 11, 2001, is that the United States homeland is a target. It's a worrisome sign that President Barack Obama has directed the State Department to prepare for at least 10,000 Syrians in the next 12 months. That is more than can be safely checked out and vetted. After all, the United States has accepted only 1,600 Syrian refugees since the conflict started four years ago.
3. NATIONAL SECURITY MUST BE TOP EUROPEAN PRIORITY
SK/C05.08) Bill Ravotti, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE REVIEW, September 20, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. As the refugee crisis continues to bring chaos and potential danger to Europe, Angela Merkel and other European Union leaders are allowing compassion to imperil their security and decision making. The idea of allowing hundreds of thousands of migrants "" without knowing who they are first "" to enter Europe from regions well known for persecuting non-Muslims and containing ISIS jihadists who have declared Europe as their "next Syria" is not compassion but sheer lunacy.
SK/C05.09) Anthony Faiola & Robert Samuels, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 14, 2015, p. A1, LexisNexis Academic. Berlin says the emergency on its southeastern border is a question of national security. Germany has thus far stepped in to take in the most asylum seekers of any European Union nation, but its ability to aid refugees is being tested amid a record surge of 40,000 migrants over the weekend - from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, among other countries. Officials in the overwhelmed state of Bavaria, for instance, declared they have run out of space to house refugees.
SK/C06. TERRORIST THREAT IS PERVASIVE
1. SYRIAN CONFLICT IS HEMORRHAGING TERRORISTS
SK/C06.01) Gregory Korte, USA TODAY, September 10, 2015, p. 3A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. "I think the only thing we can do at this point is accept that Syria is a divided country," said Andrew Tabler, a fellow with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "But the problem with that approach is because the conflict in Syria is so intractable and isn't going to end anytime soon, Syria is going to continue to hemorrhage a lot of people, and it's going to hemorrhage a lot of terrorism as well."
2. ISIS AIMS TO INFILTRATE RANKS OF THE REFUGEES
SK/C06.02) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 10, 2015, pNA, LexisNexis Academic. At the "no more Syrians" end of the scale is the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Texas Republican Michael McCaul, who says that rushing to accommodate more Syrians risks opening up a "jihadist pipeline" to the US. "[Accepting] thousands of Syrians into the United States, not knowing who they are, I think would be very irresponsible," Representative McCaul told Fox News Tuesday. Noting that the cyber-evidence is out there that the self-described Islamic State aims to infiltrate the US, McCaul added, "We've read their documents ... when they talk about exploiting the refugee crisis issue to get into the United States."
SK/C06.03) Carol J. Williams, LOS ANGELES TIMES, September 4, 2015, p. A3, LexisNexis Academic. "Terrorists have made it known they want to manipulate the refugee program to sneak operatives to the West," Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, said at the same hearing.
SK/C06.04) Editorial, FLORIDA TIMES-UNION (Jacksonville), September 26, 2015, p. B8, LexisNexis Academic. As Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in The Wall Street Journal, "ISIS and other terrorist groups have made it abundantly clear that they will use the refugee crisis to try to enter the United States.”
SK/C06.05) Chuck Grassley [U.S. Senator], STATES NEWS SERVICE, October 1, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. ISIS and other terrorist groups have made it abundantly clear that they will use the refugee crisis to try to enter the United States. And, it's becoming apparent that people in other countries are attempting to hide in the masses in order to enter Europe. Reports suggest that a vast number of those fleeing Syria are neither Syrian nor refugees. The International Organization for Migration reports that only 40% of those showing up at Europe's borders are Syrians. Some suggest that people from Iraq, Afghanistan, and sub-Saharan Africa are fleeing their homelands and taking advantage of the crisis.
SK/C06.06) Ted Cruz [U.S. Senator], STATES NEWS SERVICE, September 23, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. While what is occurring in the Middle East and Europe is clearly a humanitarian problem, I have grave concern about what appears to be this Administration's headlong rush to import tens of thousands of individuals from Syria and elsewhere who have not been properly vetted. This scenario would be of grave concern even in the absence of specific commentary by ISIS, but there is good reason to believe that ISIS is trying to use the outflow of refugees from Syria to help send terror operatives into Europe and the United States. Given these and other circumstances, the refugee flow out of Syria must be treated as a substantial national security risk.
SK/C06.07) Patrick Healy, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 27, 2015, p. A26, LexisNexis Academic. Anxiety over infiltration by terrorists crosses party lines. President Obama's director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper, said this month that the possibility that Islamic State operatives could sneak into the country among refugees was “a huge concern of ours.”
SK/C06.08) Trey Gowdy [Chair, U.S. House Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee], STATES NEWS SERVICE, September 30, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. "America has a proud history of providing refuge for those who have been persecuted for their beliefs or otherwise face imminent harm. But we also have a duty to ensure the necessary background checks can be done to stop terrorists from exploiting Americans' generosity and ruthlessly taking more innocent lives. The Administration has not provided certainty to Congress that they have a plan to prevent ISIS from infiltrating our country through the refugee program.”
3. TERRORISTS CAN SLIP INTO EUROPE WITH REFUGEES
SK/C06.09) Tom Fontaine, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE REVIEW, September 17, 2015, pNA, LexisNexis Academic. U.S. intelligence officials raised concerns this week that Europe's disorganized response could let terrorists slip through the cracks, as Islamic State terrorists in Syria and Iraq try to blend with the mass exodus.
SK/C06.10) Jonah Goldberg [Fellow, American Enterprise Institute], THE BALTIMORE SUN, September 13, 2015, p. 25A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. There is no shortage of evidence that Arab and North African migration comes with challenges. That includes rioting in French banlieues, the Charlie Hebdo attacks and the fact that many of the 9/11 hijackers lived in Germany, and that nearly half of all violent crimes there are committed by foreign-born youths.
4. LONE WOLF ATTACKS ARE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO PREVENT
SK/C06.11) Editorial, FLORIDA TIMES-UNION (Jacksonville), September 26, 2015, p. B8, LexisNexis Academic. Since 9/11, the United States has set up a thorough security process for refugees. It involves screening by the National Counter Terrorism Center and the FBI Terrorist Screening Center - not to mention checking the databases of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and the intelligence community, reports The New York Times. Another level of security would be appropriate when the refugee comes from a terrorist haven like Syria. This process is long, taking 18 to 24 months for Syrians. If Congress wants to appropriate more funding to speed up the process, fine, but don't start cutting security measures when lone wolf attacks are so difficult to prevent.
5. LONE WOLF ATTACK CAN DO INCREDIBLE DAMAGE
SK/C06.12) Editorial, TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL, September 23, 2015, pNA, LexisNexis Academic. The Obama administration's plan to admit 85,000 mostly Syrian refugees during the next year, and nearly 100,000 in 2017, is a self-destructive act born of dangerously deluded notions of compassion. It is a step bordering on suicidal. The administration has turned a blind eye toward Islamist terrorist groups who have made it clear they will exploit the refugee crisis to bring jihad to European and American soil. If just one terrorist or terror-sympathizer gets through, Americans will die. Perhaps large numbers of them.
6. TERRORIST THREAT CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND GENERATION
SK/C06.13) Thomas Sowell [Sr. Fellow, Hoover Institution], CHARLESTON GAZETTE-MAIL, September 9, 2015, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. With refugees, as with all other human beings, the current generation will pass from the scene. Those who may be grateful to have found a refuge from the horrors of the Middle East will have a new generation of children in Europe, or in any other place of refuge, who will have no memory of the Middle East. All the new generation will know is that they are not doing as well as other people in the country where they live. They will also know that the values of their culture clash with the values of the Western culture around them. And there will be no lack of "leaders" to tell them that they have been wronged, including some who will urge them to jihad. Europeans have already seen this scenario play out in their midst, creating strife and even terrorism.
SK/C07. VETTING PROCESS IS INEFFECTIVE
1. U.S. VETTING PROCESS CANNOT IDENTIFY TERRORISTS
SK/C07.01) Michelle Malkin, CHARLESTON GAZETTE-MAIL, September 16, 2015, p. 5A, LexisNexis Academic. Our nation remains utterly incapable of screening out legitimate dreamers from destroyers, liberty-seekers from liberty-stiflers. Indiscriminate asylum and refugee policies rob the truly deserving of an opportunity for freedom - and threaten our national security.
SK/C07.02) Howard LaFranchi, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, September 10, 2015, pNA, LexisNexis Academic. Would-be refugees to the US must pass muster with a myriad of agencies. And given that those seeking US entry are fleeing conflict and failed states, gathering the necessary documentation can become nearly impossible.
SK/C07.03) Robert Samuels, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 11, 2015, p. A10, LexisNexis Academic. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), House Homeland Security Committee chairman, said the Islamic State wants to "sneak operatives into the West" disguised as refugees, and he warned that the United States' vetting capability is insufficient.
SK/C07.04) Carol J. Williams, LOS ANGELES TIMES, September 4, 2015, p. A3, LexisNexis Academic. Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Counterterrorism and Intelligence subcommittee, said during a June hearing that intelligence capabilities in Syria and Iraq are insufficient to identify asylum seekers with terrorist connections.
2. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO VET REFUGEES FROM SYRIA
SK/C07.05) Anne Speckhard, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 29, 2015, p. A27, LexisNexis Academic. In 1999, 20,000 ethnic Albanians, mostly Muslims, were not left to languish in refugee camps but instead evacuated from Kosovo to the United States, given asylum here and efficiently processed at Fort Dix, N.J. But in the case of the Syrians, there is anarchy in the region, and the United States doesn't have in place the resources required to vet refugees fleeing the conflict.
SK/C07.06) Carol Morello, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 10, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. The concern about refugees from Syria is particularly acute because it is the base of the Islamic State, where militants have declared a caliphate and urged their supporters to strike against the West. Although Kerry has said that U.S. security agents are "super vetting" refugees from Syria, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, worries that terrorists will use the refugee crisis to slip into the United States. "Terrorists have exploited the refugee process to sneak into our country in the past, and officials have warned my committee that we lack the on-the-ground intelligence in Syria needed to confidently vet individuals for resettlement," McCaul said.
SK/C07.07) Carol Morello, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 10, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. Jon B. Alterman, who directs the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that the push to accept more refugees into the United States is complicated by "a serious intelligence problem" posed by applicants from Syria, where the hurdles of gathering background information are often insurmountable. "How do you vet people when you don't have a cooperative government to help you vet them?" he asked. "That, from a homeland security perspective, is a huge obstacle."
SK/C07.08) Patrick Healy, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 27, 2015, p. A26, LexisNexis Academic. In an interview Friday, Mr. Trump held fast. “With all due respect, the pope didn't change my mind,” he said. “I have a big heart, but we as a country need to say, 'We have to get our own act together,'” he added. “We cannot take the chance that thousands of ISIS militants will sneak in among the migrants. The last thing we need is a big surprise, which we've had before. We can't even create a website that works for Obamacare. How are we supposed to screen undocumented Syrians?”
3. U.S. MUST PRIORITIZE THIS FATAL FLAW OVER HUMANITARIANISM
SK/C07.09) Adam Edelman, DAILY NEWS (New York), September 14, 2015, p. 7, LexisNexis Academic. "It's a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions," House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said on ABC's "This Week" of the tens of thousands of refugees flooding Europe from Syria and other Middle Eastern countries. "If I could be assured these people could be vetted properly, I would be supportive," McCaul said. "The problem is, the FBI testified before my committee (and) I've had Homeland Security officials and the intelligence community who all say to me that we don't have the systems in place on the ground in Syria to properly vet these individuals. We don't know who they are," the Texan added.
SK/C07.10) Peter King [Chair, U.S. House Counterterrorism & Intelligence Subcommittee, Homeland Security Committee] , USA TODAY, September 14, 2015, p. 9A, LexisNexis Academic. While the United States and international community must respond, I have very serious concerns about how refugees coming here will be vetted, since we know that ISIL will attempt to infiltrate its members into the United States with these refugees. It is vital that we measure our humanitarian beliefs against the security risks of bringing in thousands of unknown individuals. Since the beginning of the year, the FBI has arrested more than 50 individuals connected with ISIL and plotting attacks in the homeland; we cannot afford to compound this threat.
SK/C08. EMPIRICAL EXPERIENCE PROVES THE RISK
1. VETTING FAILURES GO BACK TO 1993 TRADE CENTER BOMBER
SK/C08.01) Peter King [Chair, U.S. House Counterterrorism & Intelligence Subcommittee, Homeland Security Committee] , USA TODAY, September 14, 2015, p. 9A, LexisNexis Academic. The United States has already experienced the danger of flawed refugee vetting, as well as the potential for refugees to be radicalized once they are here. In 2011, two Iraqi refugees were arrested in Kentucky for conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals abroad in support of al-Qaeda in Iraq, the predecessor to ISIL. Other cases include "blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel Rahman; 1993 World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef; Mir Aimal Kasi, the 1993 CIA headquarters shooter; the Tsarnaev brothers; and the 20-plus cases of Somali Americans who left the U.S. to join al-Shabaab; and the dozen or so who have joined ISIL.
SK/C08.02) Michelle Malkin, CHARLESTON GAZETTE-MAIL, September 16, 2015, p. 5A, LexisNexis Academic. Ramzi Yousef landed at New York City's JFK airport from Pakistan and flashed an Iraqi passport without a visa to inspectors. He was briefly detained for illegal entry and fingerprinted, but was allowed to remain in the country after invoking the magic words "political asylum." Yousef was released for lack of detention space and headed to Jersey City to plot the deadly 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
2. IRAQI REFUGEES HAVE ASSISTED TERRORISTS
SK/C08.03) Patrick Healy, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 27, 2015, p. A26, LexisNexis Academic. The pope's admonitions collide with the fears of many Americans about terrorism and the government's ability to keep out dangerous foreigners like the two Iraqi refugees in Kentucky who pleaded guilty in 2012 to charges that they tried to send weapons and money to Al Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq.
SK/C08.04) Carol Morello, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 10, 2015, p. A14, LexisNexis Academic. In Congress, some lawmakers oppose raising the quota to accommodate more Syrian refugees, fearing national security could be compromised if they are admitted without adequate scrutiny. In 2009, two Iraqis linked to al-Qaeda were discovered living as war refugees in Bowling Green, Ky.
3. SOMALI REFUGEES HAVE ASSISTED TERRORISTS
SK/C08.05) Michelle Malkin, CHARLESTON GAZETTE-MAIL, September 16, 2015, p. 5A, LexisNexis Academic. The Somali refugee population in Minnesota has been a gold mine for jihadist recruiters for ISIS.
4. BOSTON MARATHON BOMBERS WERE GRANTED ASYLUM
SK/C08.06) Michelle Malkin, CHARLESTON GAZETTE-MAIL, September 16, 2015, p. 5A, LexisNexis Academic. Boston jihadist brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev received dubious asylum status through their parents thanks to lax vetting. After entering on short-term tourist visas, their mother and father (an ethnic Chechen Muslim) won asylum and acquired U.S. citizenship. Next, younger son Dzhokhar obtained U.S. citizenship. Older son Tamerlan, whose naturalization application was pending, traveled freely between the U.S. and the jihad recruitment zone of Dagestan, Russia, a year before executing their Boston Marathon massacre. Though they had convinced the U.S. that they faced deadly persecution, the Tsarnaevs' parents both had returned to their native land and were there when their sons perpetrated their bloody terror rampage.
SK/C08.07) Dan Friedman & Larry McShane, DAILY NEWS (New York), September 6, 2015, p. 9, LexisNexis Academic. Rep. Peter King says a mix of compassion and concern is necessary in arranging permanent refuge for Syrian migrants in the United States. "I don't want another (Boston) Marathon bombing," said King, chairman of a Homeland Security subcommittee on terrorism and intelligence. "All you have to do is have a handful of ISIS or Al Qaeda coming in with (the Syrians) and we've got our own disaster on our hands." The April 15, 2013, explosion at the annual Boston race was the work of a pair of radicalized Muslim brothers - ethnic Chechens who came to the U.S. from the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan. Three innocent people were killed and more than 260 injured by the twin blasts near the race's finish line.
SK/C09. REFUGEES HARM ECONOMY AND SOCIETY
1. REFUGEES OBTAIN CITIZENSHIP AND GOVERNMENT SERVICES
SK/C09.01) Juliet Eilperrin & Carol Morello, THE WASHINGTON POST, September 11, 2015, p. A1, LexisNexis Academic. When asylum seekers accepted for resettlement first arrive in the United States, most go to orientation programs run by a coalition of faith-based and refugee nonprofit groups. These groups receive federal funds to help welcome the arriving refugees and determine the best place in the country for them to relocate, find housing, learn some English and start looking for jobs. As refugees, they are eligible for Medicaid and become permanent residents authorized to work in the country. After a year, they are eligible for a green card, and five years after that, they can become U.S. citizens.
SK/C09.02) Jonah Goldberg [Fellow, American Enterprise Institute], THE BALTIMORE SUN, September 13, 2015, p. 25A, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Everyone agrees that Germany is being generous. The question remains whether it's being foolhardy. Certainly Germany's neighbors think it is making a mistake -- potentially at their expense, because once you have citizenship in one European Union nation, you can move to any other. "There is no place in the world you can enter without permission and decide to live in -- except Germany in the past few weeks," broadcaster Deutsche Welle's Christoph Hasselbach writes. And this fact is serving as a magnet for migrants and refugees alike.
2. REFUGEES HAVE FAILED TO ASSIMILATE IN EUROPE
SK/C09.03) Reg Henry, PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, September 30, 2015, p. A2, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Another cautionary note is that Europe has places where Arab immigrants long ago came and failed to properly assimilate - and some of these are now home to alienated recruits for the Islamic State.
3. U.S. SHOULD NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES EUROPE HAS MADE
SK/C09.04) NATIONAL REVIEW, October 5, 2015, p. 9, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Still, Germany expects 1 million people to settle there by the end of the year, suggesting that multiple millions could be in Europe by Christmas. And many more are likely to arrive in the years to come. Classicists might recall that "crisis" traditionally referred to a turning point, a decisive moment; surely that is what this is for Europe. Without decisive action to turn back migrants, Europe will undergo a demographic transformation that will radically alter the social and cultural landscape of the Continent, not to mention worsen its already bleak finances. Yet European leaders, heavily invested in their transnational experiment, seem willing to accept that. There is no reason that the United States should. Difficult as it may be, calls for America to accept large numbers of migrants, especially Syrian refugees, should be rebuffed. The United States can offer aid to refugee camps, but it should not follow Europe's self-destructive course.
SK/C09.05) Patrick Healy, THE NEW YORK TIMES, September 27, 2015, p. A26, LexisNexis Academic. “We could be inviting some of the most violent and vicious people on Earth to come right in here and live among our families,” Mr. Huckabee, a Baptist preacher, said in a radio interview after Francis said Thursday that “we must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons.”
