Secretary of State John Kerry today announced that the administration intends to significantly increase the number of refugees allowed into America in 2016 and 2017, bringing the number up from a planned 70,000 a year to 85,000 in 2016, and 100,000 in 2017.
Of course the current administration will be out of office by 2017, which means that whether this actually happens depends largely on if the incoming president decides to keep the policy in place. There has been significant scaremongering over the “danger” posed by the refugees in recent days, a narrative that most analysts agree is “overblown.”
Still, opponents are looking to make poltiical hay out of today’s announcement, with Senate Judiciary chair Chuck Grassley (R – IA) condemning the plan, saying that some of the incoming refugees might conceivably be ISIS or other terrorists.
Though the announcement inevitably centers on the growing Syrian refugee crisis, the figures actually refer to worldwide refugees accepted, not simply those from Syria and Iraq. Indeed, the “vetting” process to get refugees admitted to the US appears to be quite onerous for refugees from ISIS-held territory, and that’s making even getting the promised 10,000 Syrian refugees into the US difficult.
'Senate Judiciary chair Chuck Grassley (R – IA) condemning the plan, saying that some of the
incoming refugees might conceivably be ISIS or other terrorists…'
These Repugs have short memories. There wouldn't be ISIS and other so-called 'terrorists' if
Bush and his neocon flunkies hadn't invaded Iraq in the first place. This entire mess is a
nightmare that won't end.
A step in the right direction. The refugees are rapidly wearing out their welcome in Europe. The are just too many of them all at once and some are refusing to register with the authorities, a necessary for refugee status, which suggests that such people are fraudulent "refugees" trying to slip into Europe in the mass. Because of the distance, that's much harder to do if they go to the US.
The question in the next GOP debate that should be asked of each candidate is, "Will you or won't you honor the present administration's numbers of taking in immigrants, coming from the Middle East, that will be 85,000 in 2016 and 100,000 in 2017?"