Bob CollinsIowa is one of many U.S. states that have shrunk in terror at the possibility that refugees from a war zone may end up within its borders.
Like our neighbor to our east, our neighbor to our south has said if Syrians end up in the state, it will not provide any help with housing or services.
So today, the editorial in the Des Moines Register fought back against the hysteria with a once-potent weapon: logic.
Set aside, for a moment, the moral implications of blocking Syrian refugees, or any legal concerns. (International law gives anyone fleeing persecution or torture the right to seek asylum.)
Instead, take a deep breath and ask yourself: If someone wanted to enter the U.S. to cause havoc, would he go through an 18- to 24-month process with a high likelihood of rejection? Or would he try to slip over a porous border?
“There are so many faster ways to get here than through the resettlement process,” said Carly Ross, director of the Des Moines office of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. “A terrorist is unlikely to be that patient.”
“Much of America is in the grips of Islamophobia, which is clearly driving some of this overreaction and ignorance,” the Register said. “Such intolerance will further turn potential friends against us.”
Actual threats: Terrorists are buying guns in the U.S. legally (Washington Post)
