Obama ‘Lonely and Isolated’ on Issue of Syrian Refugees — CNN’s King

At last count, 31 governors, all but one a Republican, have said their states won’t take any Syrian refugees.

The bill, proposed by Republican Congressmen Mike McCaul and Richard Hudson, would block the entry of Syrian refugees into the USA unless the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence assure Congress that these people pose no threat.

Obama accused proponents of bigotry, but House Speaker Paul Ryan, in supporting the bill, was careful to avoid the vitriol and scare tactics. “But as lawmakers, our foremost job is to protect the people we represent”. The week ended with the House of Representatives voting for an overhaul of the nation’s refugee programs for Iraq’s and Syrians.

Des Moines, Iowa (CNN)As Christians, they want to be compassionate.

McLaughlin said banning refugees makes it easier for ISIS to radicalize American Muslims who are offended by that decision. Officers responsible for conducting the interviews undergo a five-week training course followed by additional weeks of training specific to the population they will interview.

In a November 20 letter signed by Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Secretary of State John Kerry obtained by the Dispatch, the two lay out the country’s current extensive system for approving refugees, including interviews by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and biometric screenings by the Department of Defense.

In any event, Obama’s veto pledge is unfortunate because the House bill addressed the public’s fears about jihadists slipping into our country without simply blocking access to legitimate refugees.

Rep. Walter Jones, left, voted against a bill co-sponsored by Rep. David Rouzer, right, that would strengthen security checks for Syrian refugees. This would involve a tremendous waste of time and resources and likely create a bureaucratic backlog.

Then he would have to be among the only 10,000 Syrian refugees the States is planning to admit next year. However, Abbott and his fellow governors are misguided.

“There was a Supreme Court case about whether states have the authority to restrict who can move in and out of their states”.

If the president was not so self-righteous, he would see that by addressing Americans’ security concerns, Congress’ actions will likely strengthen support for accepting desperate refugees.

It is true that many people have concerns about our safety. Many people are wondering if state governments actually have the right to deny Syrian refugees.

American presidential candidates have been pushed to take a stance on the issue and tow the party line. That’s no surprise, given the GOP rhetoric we’ve been hearing about Syrian refugees. Ben Carson compared a few in the refugee population to “rabid dogs”.

But Syrian refugees are not the problem. It would be far simpler for a potential terrorist to come here on a tourist visa, rather than go through the lengthy process to obtain refugee status.

“Defeating terrorism should not mean slamming the door in the faces of those fleeing the terrorists”. Opponents to Obama’s policy are calling for establishing “safe havens” for refugees within Syria rather than allowing them to resettle in the U.S. This is as inhumane as it is un-American. The letter agreed with the Refugee Council USA’s recommendation that the country should resettle a mimimum of 200,000 refugees by the end of 2016, including 100,000 from Syria despite, the expected backlash.