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Putting America First: Reconsidering U.S. Policy Regarding the Levantine Migrant Crisis
submitted by: Jonathan Yao Carroll
English 1 (F)
Mrs. Courtney Neese
November 17, 2016

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PUTTING AMERICA FIRST:
RECONSIDERING U.S. POLICY REGARDING THE LEVANTINE MIGRANT CRISIS

Imagine living in relaxing and small-town Bowling Green, Kentucky just six years ago.
You may have not realized it, but it is likely that a pair of Islamic terrorists were living within
less than five miles of you. In early 2013, during the midst of the presidency of Barack Obama,
two Iraqi migrants were in Bowling Green conspired to kill United States (US) troops abroad
through weapons of mass destruction. These migrants only represent two of the many Levantine
migrants who have been caught as terrorist sympathizers after immigrating to the US. These
migrants, displaced from their homes, seek asylum in terrorist-free nations due to the destruction
of the Levant by the Islamic State (IS) and other insurgent groups formed during the Syrian Civil
War. President Obama has championed legislation in favor of the resettlement of Syrian refugees
at the expense of American security. The policies implemented by Obama do not provide a
permanent solution to the crisis, but instead a temporary one that is ineffective at tackling the
threat of IS and simultaneously compromises national security. The United States Congress
ought to reverse Obamas policies by imposing legislation stopping the influx of Levantine
migrants into our nation, and should instead combat the root of the crisis by acting against IS and
other driving forces of the Syrian Civil War.
The Obama Administrations policies regarding Levantine migrants have already been
proven to be flawed on both national and global levels. First, US government officials have
proven that there is no way to guarantee the proper screening of the 10,801 [Syrian] refugees
accepted in fiscal [year] 2016 (Shaw, Gross injustice: Of 10,000 Syrian refugees to the US, 56
are Christian). Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) assistant director Michael Steinbach states

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the concern in Syria is that we dont have systems in places on the ground to collect information
to vet . . . all of the datasets the police, the intel services that normally you would go to seek
information do not exist (Krikorian, The Syrian Refugee Crisis and Its Impact on Security of the
U.S. Refugee Admissions Program). Even US Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson, a supporter
of President Obama, concedes that the current screening process is time-consuming [and that]
one of the challenges well have is that were not going to know a whole lot about the individual
refugees that come forward (Baron, In Chattanoogas Wake, DHS Wants to Revive Terrorism
Alert System). If we do not have adequate records of these migrants who could be affiliated with
IS, how can we guarantee the safety of American people from terror attacks? Secondly, Obamas
policies have already failed in practice around the world. Lets take Europe, a major hotbed for
Levantine immigration. Over the past six months, more than three dozen suspected militants
who impersonated migrants [in Europe] have been arrested or died while planning or carrying
out acts of terrorism. They include at least seven directly tied to the bloody attacks in Paris and
Brussels (Faiola and Mekhennet, Tracing the path of four terrorists sent to Europe by the
Islamic State), reports the Washington Post. In addition, Breitbart News observes that migrants
[are] committing disproportionately high crime in Germany (Kassam and Tomlinson, Report:
Migrants Committing Disproportionately High Crime in Germany While Media and Gov []t
Focus on Far Right Thought Crimes). These jihadist attacks and violent crime will spread to the
US with the implementation of President Obamas policies. Therefore, Congress must disallow
the resettlement of more Syrian refugees in America to effectively eliminate the threat of any IS
fighters infiltrating our nation. This is not to say, however, that the US should not partake in
aiding the refugees. Former presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson visited the Middle East and
conversed with many Syrian migrants. He concluded that the migrants did not show any great

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desire to come to the United States (Tribune wire reports, Carson after tour: Syrian refugees
dont want to come to U.S.) specifically. They instead longed for the Levant to once again
become a land of safety and security. This should not come as a surprise if your house was on
fire, wouldnt you rather put out the fire and renovate your home than permanently move into a
neighbors? Therefore, to provide this safe environment, the US must act to combat the Islamic
State and other insurgent groups in the Levant. Defeating these groups and rebuilding the
Middle East will effectively stop the never-ending spill of migrants into the US, providing
humanitarian assistance without compromising the security of our nation.
The most common response in advocacy of Obamas policies is that those who oppose
Syrian resettlement do not value the lives of said migrants. However, they do not mention that
the Obama Administration has worsened the situation for the migrants! After eight years in the
White House, Obama has not acted against IS or other insurgent warring groups, which have
risen under his presidency. He has instead only offered one solution to the crisis: migration,
which not only compromises our national security, but also forces the migrants to forfeit their
native culture, leading to stress and panic. The American Psychological Association (APA)
reports that many recently arrived immigrants face a wide range of stressors and risks [and that]
a higher prevalence of severe mental illness and suicide ideation have been observed among
immigrant populations in the United States (APA Presidential Task Force on Immigration,
Working with Immigration-Origin Clients). Rather than impose Obamas temporary solution,
the US ought to create a secure environment in Syria for the millions of potential migrants. In
addition, another argument opponents of my proposal have is that waging war against the Islamic
State is too costly. However, my opponents are overlooking the large costs that come with the
Levantine migrants. The Center for Immigration Studies reports that each refugee from the

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Middle East costs taxpayers $64,370 [over a period of five years] 12 times what the UN
(United Nations) estimates it costs to care for one refugee in neighboring Middle Eastern
countries (Camarota and Zeigler, The High Cost of Settling Middle Eastern Refugees). This
argument not only disregards the high costs that come with the migrants, but also does not
account for the migrants impact on national security. After all, isnt it much better to spend
money on defeating a terroristic organization than to spend it on a program which will harm the
safety of Americans?
In all, the US should move quickly to repeal President Obamas orders on Levantine
migration, and should begin creating a strategy to defeat IS. For too long the security of the
American people has been at risk as the number of displaced Syrians and Iraqis steadily
increases. Implementing my strategy will stop this never-ending cycle of migration and security
concerns, consequently benefiting both the Levantine migrants and American people.

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Works Cited
APA Presidential Task Force on Immigration. Working with Immigration-Origin Clients
American Psychological Association. 2013. 15 Nov. 2016. <http://www.apa.org/
topics/immigration/immigration-report-professionals.pdf>
Baron, Kevin. In Chattanoogas Wake, DHS Wants to Revive Terrorism Alert System
Defense One. 13 Oct. 2015. 15 Nov. 2016. <http://www.defenseone.com/business/2015/
10/chattanoogas-wake-dhs-wants-revive-terrorism-alert-system/122748/>
Camarota, Steven and Zeigler, Karen. The High Cost of Settling Middle Eastern Refugees
Center for Immigration Studies. Nov. 2015. 15 Nov. 2016. < http://cis.org/High-Costof-Resettling-Middle-Eastern-Refugees >
Faiola, Anthony and Souad Mekhennet. Tracing the path of four terrorists sent to Europe by
the Islamic State The Washington Post. 22 Apr. 2016. 15 Nov. 2016. <https://
www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/how-europes-migrant-crisis-becamean-opportunity-for-isis/2016/04/21/ec8a7231-062d-4185-bb27cc7295d35415_story.html>
Kassam, Raheem and Chris Tomlinson. Report: Migrants Committing Disproportionately
High Crime in Germany While Media and Govt Focus on Far Right Thought Crimes
Breitbart News. 23 May 2016. 15 Nov. 2016 <http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016
/05/23germany-registers-surge-crimes-right-wing-radicals/>
Krikorian, Mark. The Syrian Refugee Crisis and Its Impact on Security of the U.S. Refugee
Admissions Program Center for Immigration Studies. Nov. 2015. 15 Nov. 2016
<http://cis.org/testimony/Krikorian-Syrian-Refugee-Crisis-Impact-Security-US-RefugeeAdmissions-Program>

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Works Cited (continued)
Tribune wire reports. Carson after tour: Syrian refugees dont want to come to U.S. The
Chicago Tribune. 28 Nov. 2015. 15 Nov. 2016. <http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/
nationworld/politics/ct-ben-carson-syrian-refugee-camp-20151128-story.html>
Shaw, Adam. Gross injustice: Of 10,000 Syrian refugees to the US, 56 are Christian Fox
News. 2 Sep. 2016. 15 Nov. 2016 < http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/09/02/grossinjustice-10000-syrian-refugees-to-us-56-are-christian.html>
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Former Iraqi Terrorists Living in
Kentucky Sentenced for Terrorist Activities. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
29 Jan. 2013. 15 Nov. 2016 <https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/louisville/
press-releases/2013/former-iraqi-terrorists-living-in-kentucky-sentenced-for-terroristactivities>

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