Sides Are Deeply Divided in RI on Taking Syrian Refugees
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Sides are split as to whether Rhode Island should accept Syrian refugees, if asked by the Federal government, with elected officials and international relations experts warning of the consequences, while others in the faith — and political — communities are in support.
Following the news that now at least half of the country's Governors have said that they would refuse to take Syrian refugees, Rhode Island Representative Bobby Nardalillo (R-Coventry) announced Monday that he would be asking the Governor to do the same, while constitutional experts are saying that states don’t have the authority.
GRAPHIC: See States That Are Opposing Syrian Refugees BELOW
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“State governments have no authority to set refugee quotas or restrictions. That's a federal government responsibility, in some cases governed by treaties. Governors who claim otherwise are posturing for political effect. On the other hand, governors have every right to call on federal officials to ensure public safety,” said Providence College Professor Tony Affigne.
While Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced Monday that Massachusetts would refuse Syrian immigrants, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo said she remained committed to keeping Rhode Island open.
“We haven't received any requests to help, so there's nothing to decide at the moment. If a request is made, we will coordinate closely with the White House and with Col. O'Donnell,” said Governor Raimondo’s spokesperson Marie Aberger. “Anything Rhode Island may do in the future to support our nation's efforts to respond to this humanitarian crisis and help those in need must include robust background checks and security procedures to keep Rhode Islanders safe.”
“It will be difficult and expensive to screen Syrian migrants to ensure that ISIS soldiers are not hiding among innocent refugees, but the West has an obligation to do exactly that,” said PC’s Affigne. “Otherwise we fall into a trap set by ISIS, helping jihadists recruit more desperate people to their ranks. Partisan politics should not lead the country to abandon core American principles, as a land of freedom and opportunity.”
Dr. Mackubin Owens, the Dean of Academics at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C. and formerly of the Naval War College in Newport, however, countered their position.
“The United States should not accept Syrian refugees. Americans are inclined to help those such as the victims of tyranny and violence in the Middle East but in this case, security trumps humanitarianism,” said Owens on Monday. “The United States government has one overriding responsibility: to protect its citizens. A country has both the right and the obligation to secure its borders. The admission of Syrian refugees undermines this obligation.”
Politics, Public Safety, Fairness All Cited
Reverend Dr. Donald Anderson, the Executive Minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, was recently with a delegation of Rhode Island officials and leaders in Israel, and spoke to what he said is the humanitarian issue at hand.
“This was a hot topic before the horrific acts that occurred in Paris,” said Anderson. “In any group of people, at any point — just because there are are bad actors, punishing the whole community is a poor philosophy. It always backfires. History taught us that.”
“It's important for us to be prudent, it's important to do background checks, and not be naive and foolish,” continued Anderson. “We need not shut the doors on people in need because there might be bad actors among them. These people in Syria have lost so much, and for us and all we have to close the doors, it's immoral.”
Anderson noted that religion aside, that he saw politics at play in the pronouncements.
“We're in the midst of a Presidential election that is juicing up all of this to an incredible hype, especially the GOP candidates who have been under-represented until now, they’re saying things to get themselves out front," said Anderson.
Brookings Institution Vice-President of Governance Studies and former Director of Brown University’s Taubman Center for Public Policy Darrell West noted that the issue would continue to dominate the campaign discourse.
“The fact that one of the attackers was a refugee raises doubts about bringing many of them to the United States. At a minimum, there should be stronger security checks to make sure they are not in watch list,” said West. “Republicans are taking advantage of public fears to scare voters into demanding tough action. The terrorism will be a much bigger campaign issue and candidates will have to explain how they will handle this issue.”
Democrats in Defense of Immigration
The head of the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats — and Vice President of the Young Democrats of America — condemned efforts to shut out the Syrian refugees.
“Rhode Island is a land of immigrants. So many of our ancestors came to this state fleeing political turmoil, whether from Ireland, Portugal, Italy, Guatemala, Massachusetts, Cape Verde, Scotland, the Dominican Republic, the segregationist American South, or many other troubled regions. How can we deny refugee status without deep hypocrisy?” said Sam Bell with the Progressive Democrats. “This isn't just a moral issue. Struggling under the destructive right-wing policies of the machine, Rhode Island has seen stagnant population growth, further exacerbating our economic challenges. We desperately need an infusion of migrants to protect our state's fragile economy.”
Representative Aaron Regunberg (D-Providence) issued a letter to Raimondo to resist calls to refuse refugees; Kristina Contreras Fox, Community Coordinator for the RI Food Bank and Vice President of the Young Democrats of America, praised Raimondo for her stance.
"I'm very relieved and proud that Governor Raimondo had publicly stated Rhode Island would welcome refugees. Unlike other Governors, she has not allowed fear and ignorance to win," said Fox. "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free: not just pretty words. Compassion and love for our fellow human beings, we need to hold onto that always. That is what terrorism tries to destroy."
Nardolillo tweeted that he would be planning on a press conference and rally on Friday if Raimondo's response was "unsatisfactory," but he did not comment further on Monday.
"We need to take a strong stance, locally, we need to show a sign of strength. We can't keep tip-toeing around. We can't roll out the welcome mat," Nardolillo had told GoLocal. "I'm compassionate, that's my profession, that's my immediate emotion. I see the pictures of what the refugees are going through. But we can't be vulnerable."
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