...has made me wonder what individuals think about them coming to the United States. What do you think? It's a poll so you can be anonymous. 
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I'm sure if I were living though a civil war, and lost infrastructure for health, education, basic services, and there were bombs raining down on me and my children, and my loved ones faced conscription into a bloody conflict, and trying to emigrate put me into a 2+year wait, I'd hope there'd be countries where I could seek shelter.
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I'm in Germany. Thousands are arriving every day. I don't know how long this small country can keep doing that... Everyone I know is helping somehow. I really do hope other countries will start take them too and the sheer amount will be spread somehow.
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Assuming there are jobs for the adults and spots in the schools for the kids, I am all for accepting refugees from any location. The problem is, though, resources are limited and I am not sure how to spread the burden so that no one country or location feels the stress of the situation alone.
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I think we should absolutely accept Syrian refugees and all people fleeing from oppression and war. However, we need to an infrastructure or program that can support these waves that doesn't put a drain on our society. As it is we are in debt. I also think we need to vet anyone that's coming over seeking asylum and do the vetting as efficiently and quickly as possible.
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I read this amazing article in Rolling Stone about accepting Syrian refugees in light the Paris bombings. The author postulated that in order to bring a stop to terrorism for good, then we need to keep open doors for people trying to escape oppressive regimes so they have no one to recruit from. A quote from the article:
"To win the War on Terror, to actually defeat the terrorists, we have to dry up their recruiting once and for all. We have a chance of doing that by showing Muslims everywhere – Muslims targeted by terrorists in their homeland – that we stand with them as fellow humans, and that when they face violence and oppression in their homelands, we should welcome them in ours. "
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@ShootingStar: Yes!!! Inclusion and integration are the only way forward.
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I'd hope others would help us if in need, so yes I support helping them. I think it's important for every country to do their part to keep a handful of countries from being overwhelmed.
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The U.S. has always been a melting pot and should continue to do so. But I think there are significant issues that have become apart of wartime and that women are key to integration
https://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/download.php?id=4351 -
I see both sides of the situation and can identify with points on each side. However, I still lean toward allowing them to come over, for all the wonderful reasons already stated in this thread, especially what @ShootingStar: mentioned.
I think that whether or not we allow refugees, the true terrorists will find a way over no matter what. I think that America, because of the nature of the country, should extend open arms to helping others. I do have similar concerns as others, about infrastructure and the logistics of refugee programs. But overall, I do think that it's better for them to come here.
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This is our generation's holocaust. I think we have an obligation as citizens of the human race to do what we can to help. I'm not scared of them. They're running from the same people we are afraid of. If ISIS wants to attack America they will, refugees or not. There are lots of legal and illegal ways for them to get here regardless.
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I know I might get hazed but i really struggle with this.
I keep coming back to the situation in comparison to my actual home. If a stranger came running to my door would I be willing to welcome them into my home and shelter them. Of course I'd like to...and of course a very very high percentage of people in the world are safe and kind people who would do me no harm. But could I put my family at risk like that? And put that faith in humanity - knowing who I am putting at risk. I don't know that I could.
Would I get them out if immediate danger - yes. But in reality after offering safe harbor immediately I think I would have to place them in the hands of the authorities and offer them a meal and a ride to the police station where they could seek help.
All that said - I'm happy to see refugees accepted into our country but we need a solid infrastructure. Will it safeguard us entirely - sadly no - but it just cannot be open borders...I cannot and don't feel right subjecting my family to that. Not to mention our govt is too dysfunctional as is to support the influx...
I don't think there is a good answer sadly...
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@ShootingStar: agree.
And once again, according to the latest reports, the terrorists that have been confirmed in the Paris attack were all French or Belgian nationals.
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@Mae: this.
This graphic speaks volumes about how situations like this have gone down in the past....
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I absolutely think we should be allowing them in. I'm glad that governors don't actually get the last say on this. And I'm SMH at some of the responses by presidential candidates.
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So, i've been surprised at who in my FB friends group has come out against our governor's opinion. People are going as far as posting petitions to the white house and I do understand where they are coming from....our state is losing jobs at an alarming rate and people are relocating to lower cost of living states, but still, they don't understand what the laws are. It's mind boggling.
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@ShootingStar: I couldnt have said it better.
Kindness begets kindness and if we turn our back on those in need we become what the enemy believes us to be. I absolutely believe to win the war against terror compassion and empathy are the keys.
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Sooooo....I just read this. Not from The Onion, being totally serious, the mayor of a large city said this:
“President Franklin D. Roosevelt felt compelled to sequester Japanese foreign nationals after the bombing of Pearl Harbor,” he said, “and it appears that the threat of harm to America from ISIS now is just as real and serious as that from our enemies then.”
I mean...what?? What kind of crazy person says, "Hey, guys, remember when we imprisoned a whole bunch of people based on their ethnicity? Fun times." I don't even know what's happening anymore...
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I keep thinking of that little boy who washed ashore and can't imagine standing at the edge of the waters telling people "you aren't welcome here." I can't imagine looking someone in the eye and saying, "those people you are fleeing from? Well you are the same religion as them and you are the same color as them, so go home."
The arguments I have heard against allowing refugees into the U.S. are misguided at best. The majority are women and children. 40% are under the age of 12. There is a 2 year application process to come to the U.S. and a thorough vetting process in place already.
There is always fear of the unknown. And I think that refugees probably have a really tough time once they get to the U.S., and we could probably do more to support them once they get here.
I think our country should be ashamed about how little we have done so far, and even more ashamed at our response in recent days.
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@jedeve: I keep thinking that picture of that boy should go viral again now - it caused this momentary surge of compassion for what's happening, which all seems to have dried up. What was that quote "you only put you kid on a boat if it's safer than land" - what did we think they were running from?
Besides - if there is a threat from Syrians or anyone else, I don't believe it's from the refugees. They're already vetted. It's from people on tourist visas, or citizens living here who are in contact with extremists (ie the Boston Marathon bombers).
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I do think we can/should take people in. But we need to have something in place to help integrate them into society and support them once they are here. Otherwise they just turn into a small faction of individuals who need our government's support forever and they never get the actual help they need (mental health support, in particular...)....I read a really great book about the Hmong refugees here in America and I imagine it would be pretty similar. They have no skills or language, so they stay on welfare forever, and are never able to get back onto their feet (which they want to do! But we don't have programs in place to support that). And of course, this all takes tax money to do, and we know how that goes...So i see both sides of the issue here, but I think something needs to be hashed out and put in place. I don't think bringing them here causes ISIS to target Americans more; they're extremists who will find something else to attack us for.
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@MrsSCB:
No words...@JoJoGirl: Yep, selective compassion at its finest.
Even France is still accepting refugees: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hollande-france-plans-to-take-in-30000-refugees-over-two-years_564c78bae4b06037734bb934
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@blackbird: I totally agree with this. These are the questions I've been asking as the refugees settle here in Europe. It's great that we are taking them in and it is something I definitely support. But what happens in the medium to long term? While many of them have job skills that they are bringing from their home countries, they need language skills in order to integrate, a support system to help guide them through bureaucracy and the day to day in their host country (getting and using healthcare, signing a rent agreement, enrolling in school, finding childcare, etc.), and very importantly in my mind, the feeling of acceptance and being welcomed into a society instead of facing discrimination and turning into a burden when they are left with little support.
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So explain to me, then how Indiana has refused a family, if the federal government has the authortity to place people in any state.
I assume they did it by refusing to provide state funds for housing, or did they do it some other way?
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@looch: “While that’s not the governor’s purview to do that they indicated at the state level that they wouldn’t provide services,” Miller told the Guardian. “We were not sure what it would mean for this family and we didn’t want them to be caught in the eye of the storm and not receive the services and benefits that they needed.”
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Yes, of course! I know it's not just a simple answer, but seriously what do we have as human beings if not love and compassion. It's the lack of value for human life that is just so saddening to me.
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@lamariniere: Yes precisely! And these were likely individuals who were self sufficient in their own country...now they're completely reliant on, essentially, the kindness of others. That's very hard for many to accept.
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Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
We are a country founded by people who were fleeing oppression, and that so many have forgotten this or think their ancestors somehow had more right than these people is frankly mind boggling.
As for concerns about resources, there's an excellent episode of the podcast planet money that explains that while concerns aren't entirely invalid, more people needing jobs Also means more people buying goods and services. They look at an instance of Cuban refugees coming to Miami that actually significantly improved that economy. Food for thought.
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I came to the US as a refugee in the early 90s. This perception that refugees are a drain on the economy, a threat to safety, it's so god-awfully misguided and wrong. Refugees are running from awful things - I could tell you horrifying stories of what my father lived through as a Jew in Soviet Russia in the late 80s/early 90s before we finally left, and they're nothing compared to what the Syrians are running from.Refugees coming to other countries with nothing. Literally nothing. My parents and my brother and I had maybe a suitcase each, that's it. They had maybe a couple hundred dollars, which was their entire life savings at the time. All they wanted was a better life, and they worked their asses off to get it. I watched my dad close his head in the refrigerator after 12 hour shifts at a convenience store because he was so tired. My brother and I nearly raised ourselves form the time we came here to the time my parents finally settled down enough and got full time 9-5ish jobs, because they worked so much, and even then they continued to pick up extra jobs, work weekends, etc. No one ever gave us anything for free. We lived without medical insurance for years. We were called commies and all sorts of names in school. We rarely spoke Russian with each other at school or even on the street for fear of getting yelled at for not assimilating. I don't wish that experience on anyone, and mine, compared to what the Syrians are going through right now is a cakewalk. I got called a commie, but whatever. They have to deal with being seen as terrorists and being feared, even though they just want their kids to not be living under bombs. They're drowning and dying just to make it to a better life for themselves and their kids. Until you've lived it, you have absolutely no idea how awful that life is, and to turn a blind eye and say well, what if, it's just so atrocious to me. My dad would likely be dead if the US said no to us when we came - the white supremacists would have killed him as he was coming home from work one day (that nearly happening is what finally spurred us to leave). I thank God for those who didn't turn us away, and I hope that this country continues to be the one that saved my dad's life rather than the ignorant masses I'm seeing all over Facebook today.
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Our mayor has pledged an open door to Syrian refugees. I hope that our city can help!
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@Mrs. Carrot: that's terrible. My neighbor works with refugees and they've found 3-5 American families are required per refugee family to really help support them and build a new life. they all chip in financial support for activities for the kids and daycare as well as do lots of babysitting themselves. And most families need drivers and temporary housing and help with job searches. They do a great job and still the families have such an uphill battle because it's trying to start life over on super speed. so communities do need to offer more support to refugees.
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@lawbee11: So now, they've set a precedent, by moving the family to another state. I am worried for that family.
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@Mrs. Carrot: Thank you so much for sharing your story.
Have you guys seen this? Google has a new fortune telling feature. (Doesn't seem like it's related to the topic, but just trust me and just click on it)
http://betagoogle.com/ -
@Mrs. Carrot: Seriously, your story upsets me. I'm sorry that you had to go through that and I can't even imagine. I have people on facebook wondering what about OUR homeless people? Let's take care of them first, and I'm just so infuriated by that. Yes, homelessness is a problem, but having cities that are entirely rubble... I just wonder, where the fuck do they want these people to go? Our homeless communities have shelters and social programs. What do these refugees have? NOTHING. Fucking nothing.
I'm so damn upset about how people are acting. I will do anything I can to help any refugee I come across, whether it's intentional or otherwise.
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@Mrs. Carrot: Thank you. I have a few friends who came with the same wave that you did and are equally horrified by the political climate today. My closest friend spent 2 years in a German refugee camp as a teenager waiting to gain entrance to the US - her mom and sister were still in the USSR, she and her Dad in Germany. Split up for years. They were eventually reunited here, also with no public assistance whatsoever, and went on to be super successful and resilient adults.
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@.twist.: I can't dismiss how awful we are to people in this country - our vets, our senior citizens. We have so many problems here and I completely agree that we should be taking care of them. But these things are not mutually exclusive. We've been doing a crap job of taking care of our own for years, bringing in refugees that are looking for a roof over their head isn't going to make it any worse. We need to step it up in every way and stop making these things so absolutist.
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@Mrs. Carrot: thank you for sharing your story. That is precisely why I hope governments and communities are thinking ahead to plan, not only for taking in refugees but helping them settle and integrate.
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@Mrs. Carrot: Exactly. They are not at all mutually exclusive. Our homeless population isn't perfectly taken care of, but people are certainly trying. Every single day they try. There are a ton of social programs here (in Canada) to integrate these people back into society. There are no social programs to help out Syrian refugees in their country. No drop in centres for them that are safe. I'm sure every country has internal problems that they could "fix" before they deal with refugees, so why let anyone in at all!?
I know, for me, I sure as fuck hope if I were in their shoes, someone would take me in despite all the other crap on their plate.
Sorry for the rant.
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@JoJoGirl: you say with no public assistance but we have public schools and some healthcare safety net, programs for homeless and people on low income. Refugees come to the U.S. and Europe because of our social programs. Pull yourself up by the bootstraps is great but societies need a safety net and it's fine and good for refugees to use them.
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@Mrs. Carrot: Totally agree. I've been seeing people say, "Well, we should take care of the homeless vets first!" And I just want to respond, "Oh, so NOW you care about homeless vets? Interesting, because you didn't seem to care much about homeless/struggling people in this country when you were ranting about how we should cut welfare and other social programs because they enable lazy people...." But, you know, that's probably another story for another day
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