The Controversy Surrounding Syrian Refugees

People all over the world have been asking themselves if it is right for their country to let in refugees from Syria. It is a question everybody fears from answering because of the consequences it may take. Several states in America have denied the entry because of security reasons and the over population. Even if there are several countries still refusing Syrians there are a few who are accepting them. Looking at some articles, I’ve seen differential opinions and one must read and understand why Syria refugees need a chance to be rescued from all the chaos and horror they’ve been through.

Destruction, violence, and chaos engulfs the lives of those in the Middle East, specifically in Syria. Since 2011 the country has been in disarray and consumed in a vicious civil war displacing millions of inhabitants of the region. Several countries have offered aid and asylum to these refugees, which raises the question: Should the United States (U.S.), a prominent world leader, allow Syrian refugees to seek asylum in their country? Several articles explore this question, including “Are Syrian Refugees Really a Security Risk? - Harvard Political Review”, “To Defeat ISIS, Know Thy Terrorist; Scorning Syrian refugees is doing ISIS a huge favor”, and “No vetting of Syrian "refugees" in Obama's "resettlement" invasion: the FBI says there is no way to vet incoming refugees and Senate and House chairmen blasted Obama for serious national security risks and economic costs of refugee policy”. The authors of the first and second article, Evan Bonsall and Kurt Eichenwald, argue that the refugees should be allowed asylum, while the author of the third article, William F. Jasper, argues against granting asylum. All of the authors employ complex rhetorical strategies including ethos, pathos, logos and other systems to explain their opinion and target their desired audiences.

Immigration laws have resulted in a situation where many illegal immigrants live and work in the United States. Yet, it is an important issue that has been blown out of proportion by the media and politicians. Here in the United States, Syrian refugees have enriched our cultural growth into a more diverse and positive outcome and have enhanced our influence in the World. However, Americans have responded to their arrival with violence and hate towards them.

Walter Kirn, an American novelist and literary critic, stated that ‘‘Everyone loves a witch hunt as long as it’s someone else’s witch being hunted.’’ (Web. Walter Kirn Quote) Although the Salem Witch Trials took place over 300 years ago, in 1692, and we claim that we have come a long way since then, the truth is we have not. The hysteria that took place during the witch trials occurred because people refused to take responsibility for their actions. The same thing is happening in modern day America due to a 4 year long civil war, in Syria, and a mounting war on terrorism, in the United States. Syrians are fleeing their country because of the impending civil war, of 4 years, between those loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and those who oppose him, the rebels. Accepting refugees from war torn countries has always been something the United States has done, even if it caused some controversy. However, there has never been more controversy on whether or not to accept refugees from Syria. This is because of the terrorist groups in Syria who have continued to execute fatal attacks on Westernized countries, specifically the United States. A number of U.S. citizens do not want to accept Syrian refugees for fear that some refugees could pose potential threats or have relations with the terrorist group, ISIS.

The debate about letting Syrian Refugees into America has been a heavily debated topic in the last year. One surprising fact is that, ‘The third largest city in the country of Jordan, Za’atari is just a refugee camp filled with Syrians escaping the Syrian Civil War and the population of Za’atari of 90,000.’ Syrians should be let into our county because: we have been letting Syrian Refugees into our country a very few have been of them have been radicalized and carried out terrorist attacks on our country, U.S. states cannot legally reject and deport Syrian Refugees coming here to seek refuge without the approval of the federal government, and not all the Syrian Refugees fit the supposedly true stereotypes

Many U.S. citizens have no problem with Syrian refugees coming to America. According to both “Why America Could-and Should-Admit More Syrian Refugees.” and “Our Responsibility to Refugees”, The authors feel that The people of the United States are turning their backs on the refugees. In “Why America Could-and Should-Admit More Syrian Refugees.” the author says, “The United States has resettled over three million refugees, offering victims of persecution and conflict the opportunity to build a new life. Refugee resettlement is unequivocally safe. It would be wrong, both morally and politically, to curtail Syrian refugee resettlement, and why it is in fact both ethically imperative and politically expedient to instead expand U.S. commitment to refugee resettlement” (Long). This author sees nothing to fear from refugees. Furthermore, the writer of “Our Responsibility to Refugees” states, “The U.S. can do more and we must. Since 2011, more than 4.2 million Syrians have been displaced by war and violence, and fewer than 3,000 of them have resettled in the U.S. President Barack Obama has committed to resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees in the U.S. His administration needs to

Many people believe that the United States should not let Syrian refugees into the United States to escape war would damage the country’s safety and way of life, but the U.S. should allow them in because it provides these immigrants such as humanitarian aid, safer families, a well- rounded education, and a strengthened workforce. As the Syrian Civil War rages, ISIS bombs the Middle East, and Russia targets airstrikes, thousands of Syrian refugees flee their home and country with their lives. Children cannot go to school and parents are running out of money. They need aid, but in the war-torn cities there is little help that these people can find. Separated from their jobs, livelihood, and families, they can

Four years ago, a civil war erupted in Syria after President Assad’s security forces fired into a group of peaceful protester, killing several of them (Syria), and starting a conflict that has rocked the stability of the world today. Now, as we go into the beginning of 2016, the world faces a refugee crisis unlike any other, and pressure is being put on many of the the world powers to give Syrian refugees a safe haven inside their countries. However, with taking in these refugees comes risk. America has always been a beacon for immigrants of all races and ethnicities for ages, but with the rise of a new terrorist group, with an obvious vendetta against America, the United States is having a difficult time determining whether or not it is safe to let these refugees into the country. Americans are faced with a decision. We can close ranks and turn helpless people away out of fear, leaving them to die or suffer some other unknown horrible fate, or we can put our fear aside and embrace these people with open yet cautious arms.

The U.S. should let Syrian refugees in the United States to settle, but only a select few. According to Elizabeth McBride, a writer for NBC.com, Razan is a mom of a family of four from Damascus. Her family left after their youngest son, Ibrahim, witnessed his father getting killed in a protest against the Syrian government. Looking at this example, it becomes clear that some Syrians

The issue of whether or not allowing the Syrian refugees continue to enter the United States have became a popular issue after the terrorist attack in Paris on November 13th. In my opinion, I think U.S should still remain allowing the Syrian refugees to start a new life in America. Following two reasons can best explain my point of view.

It is understandable that Americans are nervous about letting in hundreds of thousands of refugees into their home country. It’s a situation that can be explained with an analogy of a hitchhiker: Would you pick up a hitchhiker with your family in the car? However, many of these fears sprout from the irrational fear of terrorism, which, as CNN states, “the number of fatal terror attacks refugees have carried out in the US is zero.” (CNN Refugees and Terrorism) Not all refugees are terrorists, and not all

First, the United States has already acknowledged the humanitarian crisis in Syria so now the country is morally obligated to take in the number of refugees promised. It is against the United States’ morals, as written by Emma Lazarus on the Statue of Liberty, to turn away those the country has pledged to help. According to the Pew Research Center, “An executive order signed Jan. 27 by President Donald Trump suspends refugee admissions for 120 days while security procedures are reviewed, though the resettlement of persecuted religious minorities may continue during this time on a case-by-case basis. Under the plan, the maximum number of refugees allowed into the U.S. in fiscal 2017 will likely decline from 110,000 to 50,000”; this reduction goes against United States’ morals by repudiating a pledge the country made and refusing help to those who need it, even if they acquiescently admit a small amount of refugees. Similar to fears of refugees during World War II, Americans today fear a large amount of refugees could disrupt the economic climate and social environment in the United States, as Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has said, “We cannot allow terrorists to take advantage of our compassion… This is a moment where it is better to be safe than to be sorry”. Contrary to popular opinion, a Syrian

The Syrian refugee crisis has received massive media coverage. People around the world are trying to comprehend the desperate, complicated situation surrounding Syria. The civil war in Syria is the worst crisis in our time. Syrians upset at the fact that long promised reforms have not been enacted, began anti-government demonstrations which started the civil war in 2011. The peaceful protests turned ugly, with the government violently putting an end to those protests. Afterward, ordinary citizens took arms, causing the situation to escalate. Syrians are fleeing their homes because of the great violence, which have left thousands dead and millions wounded, a collapsed infrastructure, resulting in a shattered economy, and for the safety of the children. Syrians are either streaming to surrounding countries or risking their lives to travel to Europe.

A refugee is defined as an individual who has been forced to leave their country due to political or religious reasons, or due to threat of war or violence. There were 19.5 million refugees worldwide at the end of 2014, 14.4 million under the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around 2.9 million more than in 2013. The other 5.1 million Palestinian refugees are registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). With the displacement of so many people, it is difficult to find countries willing to accept all the refugees. There are over 125 different countries that currently host refugees, and with this commitment comes the responsibility of ensuring these refugees have access to

Since 2011, Syria has been engaged in a Civil War with protestors against the government and members of the extremist group ISIS, and approximately 7.6 million people have been displaced from their homes (usnews.com 2015). As the conflict destroys more homes and livelihoods each year, an increasing number of civilians have been forced to leave Syria and try to find safety elsewhere. Already a contentious issue, the Syrian refugee crisis has awakened tensions, both economic and social as debate erupts over what to do with the refugees.In response to the crisis, while some countries like Germany have pledged to help the refugees, (New Statesman 2015 1) only 2,340 have been admitted. Clearly, more needs to be done in order to help the refugees. Although there are economic and population concerns to be considered, the humanitarian conflict that faces the refugees and solutions already available are reason enough for Europe to increase the numbers of Syrian refugees allowed in.