Only “reasonable” to someone with a profound ignorance of the differences between the two areas vis-a-vis refugees, coupled with a strong desire to remain ignorant by refusing to learn anything.
Maybe luci should have “sarcastic” branded on his buttocks?
True, some of us are roadies.
Couldn’t I just have a tattoo like your Mom’s?
Look, don’t get me wrong: you’re hot and all, but you couldn’t pull it off like she does.
.
Pics, or it didn’t happen.
Canada is taking 25,000 refugees. As I read somewhere, the problem with North America is an improper division of resources. The Americas got the power, the Canadians the virtue and common sense.
You know that those people are NOT refugees (despite the terms used in the media)? Those are asylum seekers–a completely different thing. By constantly bringing them up in a thread about the mindless reactions of Americans towards true refugees coming to the U.S. you are implying that they are analogous, and is disingenuous. (It’s also exactly what the pandering, attention-whoring presidential candidates are doing.) It’s precisely the conflation of these two totally distinct things that’s problematic, and the focus of the thread.
You don’t seem to have a clue about the process of U.S. refugee resettlement–or you didn’t when the thread began. There is, in fact, a downside to trying to get into the U.S. through the refugee process. A person being considered for refugee status comes under intense scrutiny by the U.S. intelligence apparatus. They have to show affirmatively that they are being persecuted, and then have their entire background vetted. On the other hand, you know the guys that committed the Paris attacks? They were Belgians. They could’ve just come to the U.S. as tourists, if they’d wanted—with a visa waiver.
Sure, but what kind of “background checks” are possible in a civil war type situation? The Syrian government is going to help out?
From Time Magazine:
However your Argument from Personal Incredulity is noted.
That is an excellent point. Probably what will happen is that very few Syrians will be granted refugee status anyway, for this very reason. (Indeed, comparatively very few have gotten it so far.)
What many people don’t seem to understand is that the number for refugees which the administration announces every year is just a theoretical cap. Often that number isn’t reached, because it isn’t possible to complete the security checks. This is what has happened with Iraqi refugees. Until the rise of ISIS, there was a steady flow of Iraqis being granted refugee status. Then, with the war conditions affecting northern Iraq in addition to Syria, it has become increasingly difficult for Iraqis to be adequately checked, and in the past year and half, the number of Iraqi refugees being granted status has dropped to a trickle.
So you know what happens? They just don’t get processed. They’ve been waiting even longer than two years, now.
In a way, all of these promised or projected numbers of coming Syrians being granted status which have been bandied about (often completely falsely, such as some numbers Trump has pulled out of his ass) don’t really matter. It doesn’t matter how many are announced for the cap, if they can’t be vetted. Probably in the end very few Syrians will be granted refugee status in the U.S. while the war continues, no matter what number is officially projected.
All of this hand-wringing and political posturing is just bullshit, and the bill just passed in the House is a shamelessly gratuitous farce. It’s also an insult to all the people in the Dept. of State, DHS, CIA, FBI and military intelligence who–on a regular basis, year after year–have been doing these refugee security checks quite competently already.
DHS recognizes this is the real potential risk, and is has started to take action, as explained in this interview today of DHS director Jeh Johnson about visa waivers.
On the other hand, he reiterates (indirectly) that this stupid bill in the house is carrying coals to Newcastle:
[QUOTE=Dept. of Homeland Security director Jeh Johnson]
The refugee program, as it currently exists, is probably the most thorough, multi-layered, time consuming way for anyone to cross our borders and come into this country.
[/quote]