Here’s an example that not all Syrian refugees pose a threat
IT’S an extreme example, perhaps, but an example nonetheless for U.S. Rep. Steve Russell that simply saying “no” to any and all Syrian refugees is a mistake on the part of the United States. Republicans in Congress, concerned that not enough safeguards were in place, voted in November to require more screening before Syrian and Iraqi refuges can be admitted to the country. That move followed the news that a Syrian passport had been found near one of the perpetrators of the ISIS-led attacks in Paris a short time earlier.
Russell, R-Choctaw, spoke at length and with great passion against the bill requiring more screening, but ultimately voted in favor, helping give Republicans a veto-proof majority. He said he did so in return for a promise to be part of further discussions about the refugee issue.
That agreement was what had Russell in Turkey recently, visiting refugee camps as part of a fact-finding tour to learn about the screening process. While there, he heard about a 2-year-old Syrian girl who had been badly burned when her home was hit by a Russian barrel bomb.
As KOKH-25 reported, the girl’s eyelids were burned off and her condition was considered grave. Her mother, herself hospitalized for a month after the attack, placed a post on Facebook about their situation and was contacted by a California group called the Syrian Institute for Progress. Subsequently, the Shriners Hospital for Children in Galveston, Texas, volunteered to help the girl.
But lack of documentation made obtaining a visa problematic; repeated trips to a Turkish airport in hopes of being allowed to travel to the United States were
U.S. Rep. Steve Russell will hold a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Village City Council Chamber, 2304 Manchester Dr.
unsuccessful.
Russell wound up being able to provide the help needed. “On our word, we asked the Turkish government to accommodate her and allow her to travel. The next morning, that little girl and that family was on an airplane,” Russell told the TV station.
The girl is receiving the treatment she needs. Her mother says they plan to return to Syria once the girl can travel, and hope to be reunited with the rest of their family there.
“Maybe we haven’t been able to help everybody, but we helped one family while we were there,” Russell said. “That’s an example: This girl is not a threat to the national security of the United States.”
He has made the same argument a number of times since last year, when fear-mongering and demonization won the day, particularly among Republicans – and not just in Washington. Oklahoma was among many GOP-led states that said they wanted a reset on the Syrian refugee program – some lawmakers here even sought to ensure that no Syrians would be accepted in Oklahoma.
Commenting on his help for the wounded Syrian girl, Russell said the United States must “be a nation that opens its doors to the greatest in need and vulnerability.” He’s right about that, and he deserves a salute for doing his part to help make an innocent child whole again.