Terrorist attacks that claimed 129 lives Friday in Paris have some governors and presidential candidates clamoring to keep refugees from war-torn Syria out of the United States, but California and Bay Area officials said Monday it’s time to balance caution with empathy for those in need.
“Now is a time for us, as Americans, as Oaklanders, to turn toward each other — not on each other,” said Mayor Libby Schaaf of Oakland, where at least 16 Syrian refugees have settled since 2013, according to State Department data, the most in the Bay Area. “We should not let fear and anger lull us into accepting the false choice between safety and compassion.”
The White House has pledged to admit at least 10,000 more Syrian refugees over the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. About a dozen governors — all but one, Republicans — have called for a freeze on that or said they don’t want any in their states, though their legal authority to block it is in doubt. Gov. Jerry Brown told The Associated Press he’ll work closely with President Barack Obama to ensure any Syrian refugees coming to California are “fully vetted in a sophisticated and utterly reliable way.”
Still, Republican presidential candidates are criticizing the Obama administration’s plan; Ben Carson urged GOP congressional leaders Monday to cut funding for any resettlement programs. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security will hold a hearing Thursday on the Syrian refugee crisis and its impact on U.S. security.
But Bay Area members of Congress said Monday that just shutting the door isn’t an option.
“The U.S. and the vast majority of individuals fleeing Syria have a common enemy in ISIS,” said Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin. “We should methodically and carefully ensure a full vetting of every refugee who passes our borders. However, America has never turned its back on people in need and we shouldn’t let fear lead us to do so now.”
Reps. Mike Honda, D-San Jose; Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord; and Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, said much the same, as did California U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and at least one notable California Republican.
“Let’s be careful, and smart, and vigilant,” state GOP vice chair Harmeet Dhillon wrote on Facebook, “but not lose our humanity, and not turn on our fellow human beings with hateful rhetoric by judging them guilty just because of where they came from seeking peace and safety.”
Josh Richman covers politics. Follow him at Twitter.com/Josh_Richman. Read the Political Blotter at IBAbuzz.com/politics.
