Obama: Refugees & Pilgrims Share Goal Of A Better Life In America

President Obama sees Syrian refugees in the same light as the pilgrims who made their voyage to the United States back in 1620.

In September, President Obama announced plans to relocate 10,000 Syrian refugees in the coming fiscal year. “Nearly 400 years later we remember their story”.

Moreover, the Secretary reminds us that throughout history “America has become a better nation by welcoming refugees in a time of crisis”, naming Albert Einstein as one example of an American who came to this country through the refugee resettlement during the Holocaust.

US President Barack Obama in a Thanksgiving Day message on Thursday said that letters he received in support of Syrian refugees were a demonstration of Americans’ “generosity”. However, following the Paris attacks, several US governors, Congressional Republicans and 2016 presidential candidates have doubled down on their criticism of the plan, citing reports that the Paris attackers entered France disguised as refugees.

Obama stressed in that warnings in that refugees would pose a danger are overblown since people getting in to the country are completely screened.

In three US opinion polls published by Bloomberg, NBC News and the Washington Post/ABC News this month, 53 to 56 percent of respondents said no more Syrian refugees should enter.

Casey advised that “all refugees are subject to the highest level of security checks of any category of traveler to the United States”, in what he called a “multi-layered and intensive screening and vetting process involving multiple law enforcement, national security, and intelligence across the Federal government”. That was the case before Paris, and that is the case now.

The bill’s backers say that if the Obama administration has really vetted all of the refugees as it says, such certification should be easy and will go a long way toward ensuring Americans that someone is directly responsible for the program.

Three are some 4 million Syrian refugees that have fled and are living outside of the country; most of the refugees live in either Turkey or Jordan, far and away the two largest state recipients. “Welcoming refugees is the American way and an important part of our Catholic Christian calling”.

“ORR is aware that state and local leaders, including some governors, have expressed concern about the resettlement of Syrian refugees in their states”. “The notion you would put on pause the that we would welcome refugees fleeing the violence is not true to who we are as a country and it is also not true to who we are as a city”, Emanuel said.