Thanksgiving Day Appeal from President Obama for Syrian Refugees

“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 neighbors”, said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte.

It also adds that ORR is committed to making sure that refugees receive the assistance and services they need to become “self-sufficient, integrated members of our communities”.

Amid a growing political controversy, the Obama administration on Wednesday reminded state officials across the country that states do not have legal authority to refuse to accept Syrian refugees. Obama has already vowed to veto any sort of legislation deterring his administration’s plan of increasing the number of refugees fleeing the Islamic State, otherwise known as ISIS or, in Syria to 10,000 throughout the 2016 fiscal year. At the same time, 31 governors notified President Barack Obama that they do not want Syrian refugees coming to their states.

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.

The president said the USA situation is different from that in Europe, where refugees arrive and then have to be sorted out.

Roughly 2,200 Syrian refugees have been allowed in over the last four years. 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.

A spokesman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which oversees refugee resettlement in the state, said the letter will not change the state’s position of blocking Syrian refugees. The holidays, he said, are important for giving, not just what you get.

After being attacked two weeks ago, France has confirmed it still plans to take up to 30,000 Syrian refugees. The process begins with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, which identifies and interviews refugees based on certain established criteria, including whether they have been persecuted or have a well-grounded expectation of persecution in their home country.

President Obama used his weekly radio address – delivered on Thursday – to chide Americans for not throwing open their arms and gladly welcoming tens of thousands of Syria refugees.

“Quoting from the same statute as Carey does, 8 U.S.C. § 1522(a)(2)(A), FAIR points out that the ORR Director “shall consult” with state and local governments and voluntary non-profit agencies, “…concerning the sponsorship process and the intended distribution of refugees among the states and localities before their placement…” One guy says make them register so an opponent suggests closing their places of worship.

Did Obama’s view on refugees and pilgrims resonate with Americans?

According to a letter from the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement, state officials were informed that they can’t legally block the entry of Syrian refugees.