Obama: Welcoming Refugees Is An American Tradition

“America has a proud tradition as the land of opportunity, and we must continue to be a country that welcomes people seeking to contribute and be a part of that tradition”.

He went on to quote from letters he received from two women who said they wanted to welcome the refugees – including one from Florida who can trace her family back to the Mayflower, and “said that welcoming others is part of ‘what it means to be an American'”. The figure has been criticised by refugee activists who point out that countries such as France and Germany are settling far greater numbers.

Obama has vowed to allow 10,000 Syrian refugees into the US over the next fiscal year.

“While the United States has the most generous refugee system in the world, the American people are rightly concerned about admitting Syrian refugees and the impact it would have on the safety of their families and neighbours….”

Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. is traced to a feast in 1621 by the Pilgrims in which they gave their appreciation to god for their first successful harvest in the New World. Such concerns amount to “hysteria” according to President Obama.

“Following the tragic events in Paris, I’ve spoken with many Delawareans who have shared their concerns about the Syrian refugee crisis, and particularly the role that DE and our country play in providing homes for the refugees”, Short said in a written statement.

One woman from Pennsylvania wrote me to say: “Money is tight for us in my household….”

“As a Muslim myself, I am sad to see people’s assumptions that everyone with our faith is risky…I feel that I have to prove to them that I am just here to study”, said Nor Amira Abd Rahman, a student from Malaysia studying economics. “That was the case before Paris, and it’s the case now”, he said. We can do this, ‘ ” Obama said.

In a letter addressed to state officials, the Office of Refugee Resettlement warned states they will be breaking the law and could faceenforcement action, including suspension or termination of the nationally funded program. And what happened in Paris hasn’t stopped Americans from opening their arms anyway.

“Decisions concerning immigration and refugee resettlement are exclusively the province of the federal government, and attempts to pre-empt that authority violate both equal protection and civil rights laws and intrude on authority that is exclusively federal”, said ACLU of IN legal director Ken Falk IN a press release.

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. The extensive vetting process that all refugees undergo before arriving in the United States, “screens out any possible threat of terrorism”, said the executive director of the USA bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services.