I’m already extremely cynical when it comes to politics, politicians and the media. So it comes as something of a shock to me that recent pronouncements by Republican governors “refusing to accept" Syrian refugees in their states, as well as attempts by other politicians to bar Syrian refugees, delay their arrival or allow in only Christians, have turned my cynicism meter up a few more notches to levels I didn't know existed.
The ineptness and flaccid cowardice of the media in the face of this storm of ignorant demagoguery is just as sad and shocking.
Why oh why can’t our journalists point out to these idiot GOP governors and presidential candidates (as well as the few fellow-traveling Democratic politicos who have signed on to this idiocy) a few pertinent facts?
(1) Most members of ISIS aren’t Syrians. Duh. The leadership is Iraqi-heavy, and other ISIS members come from all over the Muslim world, and the West, too. If you’re worried about ISIS infiltrating the U.S., singling out Syrians is just stupid and toothless.
(2) The refugee process is a long one. It takes at least a year, and maybe two, from the time you are initially granted temporary asylum until you are granted refugee status and admitted to the U.S. This comes only after a process of background checks and extensive interviews to prove your bona fides as a genuine refugee. The process isn’t foolproof, but the fact is that refugees get far more scrutiny than other immigrants. If you’re ISIS and have thousands of volunteers with European passports (no visa needed), you’d be just stupid to spend all that time messing about with trying to infiltrate operatives as refugees when you can just send them across the Atlantic on the next flight from London or Paris. Or use American citizens who are ISIS adherents. So, again, it’s stupid to focus on Syrians.
(3) Like American citizens, anyone who has been admitted into lawful permanent residence in the U.S., refugees can live anywhere they damn well please. The states have no say where they are resettled. Nonprofit organizations, churches, etc., are the ones who usually handle resettlement on the local end. So all these governors proclaiming Syrians won’t be settling in their states are just blowing hot air.
None of this is a secret. Any journalist can research this whole subject thoroughly in under an hour. They can call the State Department or UNHCR, and they’ll explain it. Hell, they can call me and I’ll explain how the system works. Once upon a time I was the refugee officer at the U.S. Embassy in Rome.
The sick cynicism of these politicians is beyond belief, even for an old skeptic like me. That they can get away with saying this crap for more than the couple of hours it ought to take to call them out as a bunch of ignorant liars is just disappointing as hell.