Despite “heroic” promises to accept 160,000 Syrian refugees, European Union member states have only accepted 6,000 to date while the US alone has already admitted 8,000 of the 10,000 promised. So in light of recent terrorist attacks this begs the question is the U.S. being honorable or just dumb? According to Nayla Rush of the Center for Immigration Studies the answer might just be the latter (although she’s far more polite than we are):
Of the 160,000 asylum seekers in need of resettlement from Greece and Italy, EU member states admitted less than 6,000.“There is an obvious lack of solidarity,” Henry claimed.
This could be, instead, a sign of mere common sense. France has been under direct threat from ISIS and has suffered tremendously this past year from multiple terrorist attacks on its soil. French intelligence services know for a fact that terrorists from the Middle East have infiltrated refugee flows crossing into Europe. Many of those so-called refugees have been directly linked with the latest terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels. This particular climate is even jeopardizing the Schengen Agreement and its free movement policy, as many European governments have actually started implementing border controls again.
Meanwhile, on this side of the Atlantic, the Obama administration is dead set on admitting, as promised, 10,000 Syrian refugees by the end of this fiscal year (September 30). Over 8,000 are already here and there is no doubt the remaining 2,000 will arrive before the refugee summit to be hosted by President Obama on September 20 in New York. Not only is this administration right “on track” as we predicted; in order to meet its target, a special “surge operation” was implemented in Jordan to speed up the resettlement process and allow for the screening of over 10,000 Syrian refugees in just three months.
Keeping one’s promise is certainly admirable. However, keeping citizens safe should bear no compromise. France, sadly, learned its lesson the hard way. Let us hope the U.S. doesn’t have to. – READ MORE
There’s no shame in shifting gears. After all, as the French say, only fools do not change their minds.
Given the inability to properly vet refugees, even the New York Times has questioned Obama’s logic after a number of refugees have been arrested for prior links to terrorist groups or direct ties to recent attacks in Europe.