1 Name: Cicada : 2016-02-16 11:57 ID:Xag1XT8c [Del]
Hey guys, I was wondering if you can help me out with my essay. I specifically need help with the introduction and conclusion paragraphs, as I need a way to make my hook and concluding sentence more fluent. The essay is on the topic of Syrian Immigration. If you can offer any more reasons why the United States should open it's borders, or more compelling arguments for existing points, that would also be helpful. Just suggestions, I don't want to copy anyone word for word.
Syrian Immigration to the United States
Imagine you are a Jewish man or woman living in Nazi Germany. Until 1939, you would have had the ability to flee the Nazi’s and their terrible death camps, but found that you were unable. Where would you have gone? The same countries who had advocated for your lives had now condemned you to death. They barred you from entry, all because they were afraid of you. And from that fear came the death of millions. In today’s society, everyone claims to no longer fear such frivolities, but we couldn’t be any farther from the truth. In today’s world, there are still people out there with that WWII mentality; any foreigner is automatically a spy. The issue at hand today is our struggle with the Syrian immigration crisis. America is divided on this issue, with the great majority completely against the idea. The time we waste bickering will be time wasted in saving these refugees from persecution. The reasons we should allow these refugees in is because they will pose almost no threat, help to add an ally in our war on terrorism, and show the international community that we are willing to do our part to make our world great.
Opponents to the idea of allowing refugees into the United States base their ideals solely on their fear of terrorism. They use events such as the Boston Bombing and the Paris attacks as their rallying cry, when, in reality, they really don’t know that much about the attackers. Contrary to popular belief, the Boston Bombers, the people who attacked at the Boston Marathon, were not refugees. Rather, they came to the United States by way of their father, who was an asylee. The Paris attacker did a similar thing: they applied for asylum, entered France, then committed their crime. On par with their fear of terrorism, they fear allowing in a trojan horse. The fact is, not one U.S. refugee has ever carried out an act of terrorism, reason being that it is way too hard to become a refugee. In order to gain refugee status, applicants must undergo an extremely thorough vetting process, which takes almost two years to complete. During this, the DHS weeds out any active or potential terrorist threats, and either detains them or turns them away. According to Alex Nowrasteh, a foreign policy analyst at the CATO Institute, there is “one terrorism-planning conviction for every 286,543 refugees that have been admitted.” (Nowrasteh) That means that, of the almost 860,000 refugees that have flooded into the U.S since 2001, only three of them had terroristic tendencies, and none of their plots were carried out. Much of the fear that is cast about refugees is the misunderstanding between the term refugee and asylee. Refugee’s are almost always vetted in their country, with extremely stringent screenings. As I had mentioned before, it takes two years, sometimes more, to obtain refugee status in the U.S. Paired with a borderline obsessive monitoring system, it is highly unlikely that a terrorist should be able to weasel their way into the United States. However, those same rules do not apply to the asylee process. When one is seeking asylum, they are invited into the lands in which they seek refuge. They are usually detained until a decision can be made, although in some cases, can be made to roam free. In order to gain asylee status, one must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they are in danger of being persecuted for their race, religion, ethnicity, role in a social group, or political opinion in their country of origin. It’s very similar to the refugee process, although screenings are less stringent and asylees are invited into the country before vetting. That means that potential threats are entering the United States before they can be screened, which makes this one of the easier ways for terrorists to enter our country.
Another reason that the United States should accept Syrian refugees is because it would be unwise for the United States to turn away potential allies. Think about it: If they are shut out from the U.S. and treated as a threat in every other country, they are going to stay right where they are. Under the threat of attack, they would have nowhere else to go but right into the arms of terrorists, all in the interest of self safety. People aren’t seeing the long term; if it isn’t obvious, terrorist organizations feed off of people filled with hatred and confusion. Remember last year, when several U.S. teens went to Syria to join ISIS? According to Aki Peritz, teens ran to ISIS "searching for an identity, because what the jihadis are actually pushing is a specific narrative, which is: Muslims are being oppressed in this place called Syria; your government is doing nothing; we're the only ones who are actually going to help you out. Why don't you join the fight?" (Peritz) As he said, the government is doing little to help them, and it is for this that anti-U.S. groups exist. If the U.S. allowed more Syrians into the country, then they could debunk ISIS’s theory, as well as show the international community that they’re doing their part to make the world a better place.
In its history, the United States has done very little to assist refugees when it counts. For example, in the Holocaust, the U.S. allowed millions to die over mass xenophobia. the government closed its borders to Jewish victims, stating that they could be spies for the Nazi party. In reality, it was because the people of the United States didn’t want them here; they would take their jobs, eat their food, and bring their religion. It wasn’t until millions had to die that they opened their eyes and finally saw the error of their ways. (USHMM) The same thing is happening today, it’s just a Holocaust by a different name. Although I wonder; how long will it be until the United States finally starts to enforce it’s values and allow those suffering into the nation? Frankly, it doesn’t seem close in sight. United States Presidential Candidate Donald Trump has made it painstakingly clear that the United States should take an extreme anti-Muslim stance. In a fashion not unlike FDR’s policies on Japanese-Americans, Trump orders that it’s borders be closed to all Syrians, as well as place all mosques and areas of Islamic importance under constant surveillance. What people like Donald Trump do not understand is that, should either of those plots come into fruition, hatred of the United States will only spread more fervently, the same implied for surveillance of mosques. (Kopan)
In conclusion, I believe that Congress should go through with the motion to relocate 10,000 Syrians into the United States. Are there going to be dangers involved in allowing that number into our country? Yes, and that point is irrefutable. But will there be greater dangers if the United States allows them to stew in Syria? Absolutely. There is no way to ensure the country's safety, so, sadly, the U.S. is going to have to choose between the lesser of two dangers; will we allow terrorist organizations to rise up in power, or will we finally step out of the shadows and do a service to the international community?
