We Must Stand with the Refugees, Not Shamefully Abandon Them

Let's be clear- none of the people involved in the terrorist attacks on Paris this past Friday are refugees from Syria. Oh sure, they may be Syrian nationals, or even just Arab, but they were not refugees. They did not come to Europe as one of the hundreds of thousands looking for peace. Even the "passport" found on one of the terrorists' body was actually bought in Turkey according to reports. In other words, they had the passport on themselves as a plant, they were not an actual refugee.

ISIS has a stated goal of breaking down the Western concept of co-existence. They have continually told the refugees that they cannot escape them by going to Europe. They have said that real Muslims cannot live in peace in the Western world, where they will be subject to increased scrutiny and surveillance, especially after ISIS pulls off attacks in those regions. They want a black-and-white, one-on-one fight in mind, where all Muslims will have to support them against all non-Muslims. If they can turn Europe and the U.S. against the refugees and Muslims in general, it helps them achieve their stated goal.

The United States has taken in 750,000 refugees since 9/11, and not one of them has been arrested for domestic terrorism since. Zero. Zip. Nada. These people fleeing Syria are human beings who need our help. They face death, living under awful leadership, or worse. America has always been a friend to people in this situation,  it is who we are. It's in our values.

It is shameful to hear Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz talk about instituting a religious litmus test, to say we should only help Christians. It's even more shameful to hear Donald Trump say we shouldn't take any. This is not who America is. This is not about our safety, our safety is not any more in doubt with refugees than without. This is about our values. These men would shamefully abandon our values. It is disgusting.