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Preston Ellis
Professor Lisinicchia
English 111:3AF
19 Oct. 2016
Syrian Refugees
Different conflicts have always caused people to act in ways that have had ill-fated
consequences. Fear is a strong reason for it, and that fear has caused some terrible things to
happen, even in the past hundred years. During World War II, the U.S. put Japanese Americans in
internment camps out of fear of them being spies for the Japanese mainland, and helping attack
the United States. Also during World War II, Jewish people were sent back to Europe from fear
of too many coming to America, and most died in the holocaust. People should no longer let fear
get in the way of humanitarian aid, or to alienate a group of people because of a small few. The
people of Syria have been in a civil war for many years now and they do not want to be a part of
it anymore. Syrians want refuge, but they are being turned away by many countries for
uninformed, or in a few cases slightly justified, reasons. Syrian refugees should be let into the
U.S. and integrated with society.
In Europe they have had a few problems with the refugees. Some European countries
were swarmed by these refugees and could not regulate them because these countries are
landlocked. The United States has an advantage when it comes to letting in the refugees. The
U.S. is separated by an ocean and can control the influx of refugees coming in with much more
ease than the European countries. One country that has the same situation as the U.S. is Canada.
They are connected to the U.S. and are similar in many ways. They have successfully let in
refugees and can show how to let them in, and the U.S. could polish up the small mishaps with
the system Canada has put in place.

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Canada has let in 25,000 refugees and has gotten them settled into their new lives. The
people of Canada wanted and pushed for the resettlement of Syrians to Canada. One instance is
what pushed them into wanting to help. According to Anne-Marie Belanger McMurdo, an
Oxford Monitor for Forced Migration, This was further reinforced by the news of the death of
three-year old Ayan Kurdi, a Syrian child who drowned while travelling by boat from Turkey to
Greece with his family (82).
This push for refugees also fell on an election year for Canada. This situation opened up a
door for promises from politicians to let in Syrians. The new government body promised the
25,000 refugees and fulfilled their promise, but did have to push the plan back four months to get
the whole plan figured out (McMurdo 82).
Even after the attack on Paris, Brussels, and others by the terrorist group ISIS the people
of Canada are still welcoming refugees with open arms. Canada is a place of refuge for the
Syrians and has kept their promises working with them. McMurdo emphasizes, Canada is, at a
national and international level, making a clear and very positive commitment to refugees (83).
As previously stated, Canada has let in 25,000 refugees, but they also have had some
problems along the way. The problems have not been with the refugees, but with the fact that
they brought in such a high number in a small amount of time. The agency over refugee
resettlement was spread thin, and did not get the funding from the government that they were
promised. Even with this problem, it is still not a major problem that can be solved easily.
The citizens of Canada are also worried about the safety of the refugees coming into the
country. They have pushed for security to accompany refugees as they go through the process of
integrating into the country. This problem affects the refugees only, but needs to be addressed.

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The whole process typically takes 18-24 months, with high hurdles for security
clearance (Newland).
Furthermore, Clea A. McNeely, an associate professor at the Department of Public
Health, University of Tennessee, and Lyn Morland, a representative of the Division of
Innovation, Policy, and Research, argue that healthcare for refugees must be taken into
consideration as well:
In the United States, there are many checkpoints and different things for refugees to do to
get resettled into the country. For example, Refugees who are selected for resettlement to the
United States go through a painstaking, many-layered review before they are acceptednational
intelligence agencies independently check refugees biometric data against security databases.
Syrians, like refugees before them, arrive with a wide spectrum of issues,
including the need to nd paid work, transportation, and housing; deferred
preventive care; preexisting medical conditions, particularly untreated diabetes
and hypertension; and severe mental distress arising from great personal loss and
a chaotic and dangerous ight from Syria.(13)
This dynamic is an important, but somewhat forgotten part of the process for refugees. They
have many problems that must be addressed so that they can try to live normal lives after their
experiences in Syria. They are a group that have gone through something different than most
refugees. In Jordan, it is estimated that one-third of the refugees have been tortured (Murshidi
18). Vaccines have also declined in Syria since the war began. Before the start around ninety
percent of children were vaccinated for various diseases, now that number is around 48-52%
tortured (Murshidi 18).

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The refugees also need translators. Translators are needed so that the Syrians can get the
treatment that they need. Translators also need to be familiar with the customs that the refugees
have. Different beliefs can influence how refugees feel that their ailments should be treated, or
treated at all (McNeely and Morland 13).
In the United States, there have been places that have successfully implemented
healthcare systems for the refugees. Philadelphia and King County, Washington have programs
that have helped the resettled Syrians. In Philadelphia, they have three refugee resettlement
agencies, and eight healthcare agencies that work together. This has helped by letting the two
parts of the process work closely together to find out what is needed and what will be done to get
what is needed. Washington has a group that meets every other month that works out what
refugees must do. They are made up of refugee resettlement agencies, mental, healthcare, and a
host of other agencies. They have worked out the Medicaid and other services for refugees, and
in turn lessened the time for Syrians to come to the U.S (McNeely and Morland 13).
The U.S. has a large number of citizens and some government officials have fears of
bringing in refugees. Many fear that they will bring in crime or unrest into the country. There are
examples of different places having trouble with the refugees that have been accepted, but other
countries that have the same conditions have much better results (McMurdo).
In Jordan, there are refugee camps that have seen a rise in crime. It is believed that they
have been put into set ups made more for western tastes, and not for the people of the Middle
East. This situation has caused the refugees to become uneasy and restless. It also is a result of
mental health issues and the people being on edge from the civil war in Syria (Murshidi 18).
This issue could be helped by better healthcare being given to the refugees. The healthcare in the

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area is spread thin and needs funding, from either the Jordan government or other world
governments (Murshidi 18).
Some camps have little violence, because they have shops and other little places set up.
This gives them a sense of being at home, or taking their mind off the situation at hand. This also
helps give people something to do so that they do not get restless from doing nothing or being
put into a small area with many people (Murshidi 18).
Germany has been a strong point that people against the refugees have used. Germany
does have a different situation than the U.S. has when it comes to these refugees.
In September 2015 the most powerful politician in Europe said there was no option but to
take the high ground, responding to the human tide of misery escaping wars and shattered
lives. Ms. Merkel said the nation's constitution requiring support for those fleeing
persecution demanded it.
This shows that Germany has to let in refugees. The U.S. does not have to let in just any refugee
that wants into the United States. The U.S. can put them through the process to get in and control
the influx of refugees even more. While Germanys Chancellors heart is in a good place, it has
caused some problems and the loss of some support from her party and the people of the country
(McCathie). This situation is something that the U.S. can avoid easily because of the vetting
process that is already set in place.
People also have a misconception that it is only men coming here from Syria seeking
refuge, or terrorists trying to kill. Most are full families trying to get away from the war. One
example is the Sarraf family. They lived in a refugee camp in Jordan for three years before being
resettled into Canada. Their family consists of Omar, Fatima, and their four-year-old daughter

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Ruya. They must go through health screenings, both physical and mental. Vaccines are also
discussed, but not required (Pottie).
There are even pictures showing that there are more than just men coming over from
Syria. This proof shows that the stance that only men coming over is just a scare tactic to stop the
flow of refugees (Balogh).
Terrorists do not use the tactic of coming over as a refugee to get into the U.S., it is not
practical for them with the regulations that are put on the refugees coming into the country.
Demonstrably, The reality is this: The United States has resettled 784,000 refugees since
September 11, 2001. In those 14 years, exactly three resettled refugees have been arrested for
planning terrorist activities (Newland).
There is also an analogy that has started that people use as an example as to not let in
refugees tweeted by Congressman Joe Walsh If I had a bowl of Skittles and told you three of
them would kill you: Would you eat a handful? No? This is our refugee problem. This analogy
is not an accurate one. Over the past 14 years there have only been three refugees that have been
arrested for anything to do with terrorism out of 784,000 refugees (Newland). This analogy has
met much backlash from the public, but is also still used by people and certain presidential
campaigns as a reason to not let in the Syrians (Donald Trump Jr compares Syrian refugees to
poisoned Skittles)
The people of Syria have suffered through a war that they did not want to be a part of.
Their people have been bombed, tortured, and other unspeakable acts put upon them. Fathers and
mothers see their children die, and children roam without parents. Terror groups run rampant and
other nations bomb the country. The Syrians are human, and should be helped as such. People
now are blinded by fear that they ignore the atrocities that are put on the people of Syria and do

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not want to help them. Fear is the path to the dark sidefear leads to angeranger leads to
hatehate leads to suffering. (The Phantom Menace). This quote is from a movie, but still has
some weight to the real world. Fear of the Syrians leads to an anger towards them, that anger
towards the Syrians leads to a hate for them, and hate towards the Syrians causes suffering for
them. Canada has had good luck with their resettlement plan, with a few minor hiccups. The
U.S. has the ability to help the Syrians if systems were put in place that have worked in certain
towns in the country. Lastly the likelihood of something bad happening are low, and even though
countries in Europe have had problems, they do not have the same advantages that the U.S. has.
Canada has shown how it can work, and the U.S. should follow in their footsteps by letting
vetted refugees into the country so that they do not have to suffer from the war any longer.

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Works Cited
Donald Trump Jr compares Syrian refugees to poisoned Skittles The
Guardian,
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/20/donald-trump-jnrcompares-refugees-poisoned-skittles-twitter-reacted Accessed 7
November 2016
Balogh, Laszlo, Asylum seekers march along the highway towards the border with Austria, out of
Budapest, Hungary. abc, www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-03/asylum-seekers-march-alongthe-highway-towards-the-border/7811282 Accessed 7 November 2016
Beehner, Lionel. "Are Syria's Do-It-Yourself Refugees Outliers or Examples of a New
Norm?" Journal of International Affairs, vol. 68, no. 2, 2015, pp. 157-175,
spacesofmigration.org/migration/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/refugeecamps.pdf. Accessed 12 Oct. 2016.
McCathie, Andrew. Europe migrant crisis: Germany's 'open door' refugee
employment problems, 12 months
on. abc, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-03/germany's-open-door-refugeeproblems-12-months-on/7811116 Accessed 7 November 2016
McMurdo, Anne-Marie Blanger. "Causes and Consequences of Canada's Resettlement of Syrian
Refugees." Forced Migration Review vol. 52, May 2016, pp. 82-84,
fmreview.org/solutions/belangermcmurdo.html. Accessed 12 Oct. 2016.

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McNeely, Clea A., and Lyn Morland. "The Health of the Newest Americans: How US Public
Health Systems Can Support Syrian Refugees." American Journal of Public Health, vol.
106, no 1, pp. 13-15, Jan. 2016.
aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302975. Accessed 12 Oct. 2016.

References
Murshidi, Muhalli. Syrian Refugees Constitute 20% of Jordans Population. American Journal
of Public Health, vol. 106, no. 5, pp. 18-19,
aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303117. Accessed 12 Oct. 2016.
Newland, Kathleen, Senior Fellow. The U.S. Record Shows Refugees Are Not a Threat.
Migration Policy Institute, October 2015, migrationpolicy.org/news/us-record-showsrefugees-are-not-threat?
gclid=CjwKEAjw7svABRCi_KPzoPr53QoSJAABSvxfQgp5Zyhqnv3IGyNZ8ZEYlkSC
aBWC2cI3lM3xnKxdHBoCKzHw_wcB. Accessed 28 Oct. 2016.
Pottie, Kevin, et al. "Caring For A Newly Arrived Syrian Refugee Family." CMAJ: Canadian
Medical Association Journal, vol. 188, no. 3, pp. 207-211, 2016.
cmaj.ca/site/misc/caring-for-a-newly-arrived-syrian-refugee-family-cmaj.151422.xhtml
Accessed 12 Oct. 2016.
The Phantom Menace. 1999. Star Wars, George Lucas producer and performance by Ewan
McGregor and Liam Neeson, episode I, chapter 20, 20th Century Fox.
Walsh, Joe, If I had a bowl of Skittles and told you three of them would kill you: Would you eat
a handful? No? This is our refugee problem. 19 September 2016. 5:38 P.M. Tweet.

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