U.S. must step up and accept more Syrian refugees

Like much of what guides U.S. policy in these times, the debate over accepting more refugees is guided by dollars and a corrosive dose of xenophobia.

Anyone who has caught a glimpse of the news understands the need. More than 4 million Syrians have fled that ruined nation. Most of them are packed into camps in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.

Others, along with thousands of Iraqi citizens and migrants from other nations, are boarding unstable rafts, crawling under razor-wire fences and breaking through barricades to get to Europe.

The worldwide apparatus for helping refugees is overwhelmed, and European nations are working feverishly to bring some kind of order to a nearly impossible situation.

America’s inadequate response so far has been to take in 1,500 displaced Syrians as part of the 70,000 refugees it plans to accept this year from around the world. As the crisis escalates, the nation needs to do much more.

President Barack Obama’s administration has asked Congress to include funding for an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees in next year’s budget. That’s a small drop in a bucket of need. But even that modest request set off yelps from some Republicans about the dangers of admitting possible Islamic terrorists.

People who sound that alarm either willfully or unintentionally misunderstand the process. Every refugee who enters the U.S. undergoes a rigorous security screening process. Nearly all have spent years in camps.

Those selected are generally highly motivated or extremely vulnerable – widows with children, for example.

The U.S. should respond to the crisis by at least doubling this year’s quota of 70,000 refugees.

There is precedent for such a leap: The nation dramatically increased its numbers to respond to the fall of Saigon, famine in Ethiopia and upheaval in Cuba.

The reasons to do so are compelling:

Many displaced Syrians are educated and can quickly contribute to the U.S. economy.

More resettlements would get people out of refugee camps and help preserve stability for crucial U.S. allies like Turkey.

In the eyes of the world, the U.S. holds a large share of responsibility for creating the Syrian refugee crisis. To sit back while other nations shoulder the burden generates more antiAmerican sentiment that we can’t afford.

The reason not to do our share is based on fear and stinginess, poor grounds on which to respond to an international crisis.