Thoughts on refugees:1. Connecticut, where my family settled after seeking refuge from the former So
Thoughts on refugees:1. Connecticut, where my family settled after seeking refuge from the former Soviet Union, remains a light unto the nations: “A Syrian family that fled the war-torn country in 2011 was welcomed Wednesday to its new home of Connecticut after Indiana officials objected to plans for the refugees to resettle in their state. The married couple and their 5-year-old son had been living as refugees in Jordan and been waiting three years to resettle in the United States. They were scheduled to arrive in Indianapolis Thursday but were diverted when Gov. Mike Pence ordered state agencies to halt resettlement activities after the deadly attacks in Paris. Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said he personally greeted the family upon their arrival Wednesday in New Haven.”2. With France committing to accept 30,000 more Syrian refugees, the already-discredited meme that France is synonymous with spinelessness proves as inaccurate as ever.3. Unlike other liberals I’ve spoken to, I’m more receptive to the idea that the United States should be especially concerned about the fate of Christian refugees.There’s ample precedent for using religion in determining immigration eligibility. My family’s immigration to the United States was facilitated by the Lautenberg Amendment, a provision that gave special preferences to Jews and evangelical Christians fleeing the Soviet Union. Today, this law is used to help Iranian religious minorities escape persecution.Insofar as the vast majority of Syrian (and Iraqi) refugees will not be resettled in the United States or Europe, immigration officials and aid agencies have to determine which families face the most difficult path in ever returning to Syria or making a life in one of the surrounding Arab states. It’s not crazy to imagine that Christian families are especially vulnerable and so demand special consideration.At the same time, advocates for Christian refugees should recognize that these arguments apply doubly to Yazidis, who as “heathens” may not even have the dubious luxury of a forced conversion or tribute payments that Christians may be afforded by ISIL. Which is not to say that President Obama is wrong to chastise Republicans for creating “religious tests.” The majority of admitted Syrian refugees should be Muslim, as they are the numerically largest victims of the civil war. The majority of Republican officeholders are indeed just trying to cash in on a climate of fear. We should accept tens of thousands of Muslim Syrian refugees and we should also shame Republican elected officials for their remarkable cowardice. But that doesn’t mean a well-founded fear of religious persecution can’t be one criteria for determining who gets resettled in the States.4. I half expect Democratic officials to panic in the face of polls showing a majority of Americans want to halt Syrian resettlement (which has barely happened yet!). They should find their backbones. -- source link
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