Obama Thanksgiving message on refugees

Jordan has more than 600,000, Iraq 200,000 plus, and roughly 130,000 Syrian refugees have settled in Egypt. In Lebanon, World Vision staff report that many Syrian refugees are holding on to their house keys because they still hope to go home.

Mr. Obama has committed to resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees in the USA this fiscal year, and has been stunned by the vehement reaction from Americans who overwhelmingly oppose his plan in the wake of the Paris terrorist attack, where one of the suicide bombers is believed to have sneaked in as part of a group of refugees.

The message follows a bill passed in the House of Representatives on November 19 that aims to limit the number of Syrian refugees entering the United States by requiring strict background checks and security clearances. At the same time, a recent Ipsos survey commissioned by World Vision found that 71 percent of Americans said they would be willing to help Syrian refugees.

One woman from Pennsylvania wrote to me to say, Money is tight for us in my household.

States that fail to comply with the federal government would be perceived as law-breakers and “could be subject to enforcement action, including suspension or termination”, the letter says. The same can not be said of President Obama. “That was the case before Paris, and it’s the case now”, he said.

Washington (CNN)President Barack Obama issued a Thanksgiving address welcoming refugees on Thursday and spent part of his holiday calling troops to thank them for their service.

The Obama administration counters that the vetting process is thorough and can take up to two years.

Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin, who is not seeking re-election next year, has been vocal in his call to bring Syrian refugees to Vermont as a humanitarian gesture.

“And as president, I’m thankful that I get to see the best of America every day – the courage of our troops and veterans, the resilience of our families, and the basic goodness of the ordinary people who call this country”, he said.

“Governors are frustrated that there is a “complete lack of transparency and communication coming from the federal government”, according to BloombergView writer Josh Rogin, who said that several governors repeatedly, “…pressed administration officials to share more information about Syrian refugees entering the United States.

Like some Americans, the monarchs in the Gulf states appear to be suspicious of accepting Muslims who they fear could have a destabilizing effect on their societies.

“We have resettled 3 million refugees in the USA since 1975”, said Mitzi Schroder, director of policy for Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, to Al Jazeera.

US immigration system critic Julie Axelrod, director of investigations at the Immigration Reform Law Institute, said the onus should be on other Arab nations to do more for the refugees. One candidate said a Muslim should not be allowed to run for president.

Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon have also begun to impose new restrictions on accepting more Syrian refugees.