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I got an email from President Obama in response to a petition I signed a number of weeks ago about accepting Syrian refugees, and it's a really great statement, so I'm posting it here:
Thank you for writing, and for your support of our shared values. Over the last few years, conflicts across the globe have forced an unprecedented number of civilians to flee from violence and persecution. In particular, the Syrian civil war and ISIL terrorists have caused millions of desperate and vulnerable parents, children, and orphans to seek refuge around the world. As President, my top priority is the safety of the American people, and I know many are worried about offering safe haven to refugees from Syria who seek protection within our borders.
Right now, no refugee can enter our borders until they undergo the highest security checks of anyone traveling to the United States. This enhanced interagency vetting process involves screening through the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBIs Terrorist Screening Center, and the Departments of State, Defense, and Homeland Security.
Each applicant must pass through extensive interviews to determine refugee status and need for resettlement, as well as any potential security risks, connections to known threats, and criminal history. Biometric data are also collected in some cases to help confirm a refugee applicants background and identity. Only after applicants clear this rigorous security screening—as well as medical checks and cultural orientation classes—are they provided with a resettlement location.
This is a crisis we cannot ignore and it will worsen over time. If we do nothing, we risk letting an entire disaffected generation grow up in refugee camps or grow up displaced and threatened by terrorists. That is why part of keeping this country safe requires forcefully affirming to the rest of the world that we will not close our hearts or our borders to those in need. Helping those who have been pushed to the margins of our world makes us safer, and turning our backs on them would be a betrayal of our values.
We, as Americans, have always been a people who ask what we can do to help. We will continue to protect ourselves while welcoming those desperately seeking the protection we can provide. That is why the United States of America has stepped up as the largest donor of humanitarian assistance and has committed to the resettlement of at least 100,000 refugees this year—including 10,000 Syrians.
As long as I'm President, I will do everything in my power to keep the American people safe and to ensure our country remains what it has always been—a beacon of hope to all who seek it.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
Visit WhiteHouse.gov
Thank you for writing, and for your support of our shared values. Over the last few years, conflicts across the globe have forced an unprecedented number of civilians to flee from violence and persecution. In particular, the Syrian civil war and ISIL terrorists have caused millions of desperate and vulnerable parents, children, and orphans to seek refuge around the world. As President, my top priority is the safety of the American people, and I know many are worried about offering safe haven to refugees from Syria who seek protection within our borders.
Right now, no refugee can enter our borders until they undergo the highest security checks of anyone traveling to the United States. This enhanced interagency vetting process involves screening through the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBIs Terrorist Screening Center, and the Departments of State, Defense, and Homeland Security.
Each applicant must pass through extensive interviews to determine refugee status and need for resettlement, as well as any potential security risks, connections to known threats, and criminal history. Biometric data are also collected in some cases to help confirm a refugee applicants background and identity. Only after applicants clear this rigorous security screening—as well as medical checks and cultural orientation classes—are they provided with a resettlement location.
This is a crisis we cannot ignore and it will worsen over time. If we do nothing, we risk letting an entire disaffected generation grow up in refugee camps or grow up displaced and threatened by terrorists. That is why part of keeping this country safe requires forcefully affirming to the rest of the world that we will not close our hearts or our borders to those in need. Helping those who have been pushed to the margins of our world makes us safer, and turning our backs on them would be a betrayal of our values.
We, as Americans, have always been a people who ask what we can do to help. We will continue to protect ourselves while welcoming those desperately seeking the protection we can provide. That is why the United States of America has stepped up as the largest donor of humanitarian assistance and has committed to the resettlement of at least 100,000 refugees this year—including 10,000 Syrians.
As long as I'm President, I will do everything in my power to keep the American people safe and to ensure our country remains what it has always been—a beacon of hope to all who seek it.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
Visit WhiteHouse.gov
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