Katie Pavlich: US should be cautious in handling refugee crisis

By now we’ve all seen the heart-wrenching photos as tens of thousands of men, women and children pour over the borders of eastern Europe in desperate hopes of fleeing violence in Syria and the region to a freer, more humane place. 

The numbers are staggering, and the crisis is being called the worst in a generation. But as the pressure mounts on the United States to help solve the problem, leaders should be cautious, and refugees should be heavily scrutinized before they are allowed to set foot on American soil for good.

{mosads}There are two main reasons for caution. First, the current Syrian refugee crisis poses a serious national security risk to the United States. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has conquered much of the region, claims it has already exploited the situation by smuggling thousands of trained fighters into Europe with an ultimate goal of getting them on American soil as refugees. 

“[A] Syrian operative claimed more than 4,000 covert ISIS gunmen had been smuggled into western nations — hidden amongst innocent refugees. The ISIS smuggler, who is in his thirties and is described as having a trimmed jet-black beard, revealed the ongoing clandestine operation is a complete success,” the U.K.’s Express recently reported. “[The] Islamic State, also referred to as IS and ISIS, is believed to be actively smuggling deadly gunmen across the sparsely-guarded 565-mile Turkish border and on to richer European nations. … They are following the well-trodden route taken by refugees and migrants fleeing, travelling across the border of Turkey then on boats across to Greece and through Europe.”

Second, the U.S. is already stretched too thin when it comes to hosting refugees here. It was just last year when Mayor Domenic Sarno (D) of Springfield, Mass., begged the federal government to stop sending refugees to his city because they were starving it of resources. 

“The mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts has asked the federal government for a moratorium on sending refugees to the city, claiming that newly arrived families create a strain on city resources and the school system and do not receive sufficient aid from resettlement agencies,” The Associated Press reported at the time. 

“Sarno first demanded last summer that the U.S. government stop sending refugees. But after recent inspections found Somali families living in overcrowded, pest-infested apartments without electricity and sometimes heat, he stepped up complaints, saying resettlement agencies are bringing in ‘warm-weather’ refugees and dumping them into cold climates only to leave them dependent on the city.”

It is important to point out that over the years, thanks to the generosity of the American people, tens of millions of dollars in aid, supplies, resources and personnel have been dedicated to the current crisis region.

Germany and other western European countries are welcoming refugees by the thousands with open arms and little vetting or security requirements. This move could prove regrettable in the future. As for the richest Persian Gulf states, where the main religion is Islam, they’ve done little to blunt a crisis in their own backyard. 

“Statistics available on the website of the UN refugee agency show that Saudi Arabia received a grand total of 12 Syrian applications, of which four were recognized; Oman received four applications and recognized none; Kuwait received 12 and recognized seven; Bahrain received three and rejected them all; the United Arab Emirates received 23 applications, of which it recognized nine; and Qatar received seven applications, recognizing all but one,” The Times of Israel reports. 

The U.S. has already accepted thousands of refugees from Syria. If the country is going to accept more, it should be done with the utmost scrutiny; security measures already in place should be bolstered. 

Historically, the U.S. has led the way in helping to relocate those ravaged by war-torn regions — as we should — but in this instance national security and the safety of Americans must come first. 

“We’re a compassionate nation, and this is a tragic situation, but I also have to be concerned as Chairman of Homeland Security about the safety of Americans in this country,” House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said in an interview with Fox News on Monday. “And the concern that I have and that the FBI testified to is that we don’t really have the proper databases on these individuals to vet them passed and to assure we’re not allowing terrorists to come into this country, and until I have that assurance, I cannot support a program that could potentially bring jihadists into the United States. 

“We don’t know who these people are, and I think that’s the bottom line here. And until we know who they are, we cannot responsibly bring them into the United States.”  

Finally, it’s important to look at the cause of the refugee crisis. 

The civil war in Syria, the rise of ISIS and a lack of strong, stable Middle Eastern strategy from the Obama administration have allowed pandemonium to prevail. 

Not enforcing red lines on Syrian President Bashar Assad’s violence and the failure to “degrade and ultimately destroy ISIS” have both exacerbated the chaos — thanks to President Obama’s indecision and lack of leadership. 

This refugee crisis certainly could have been prevented. 

Pavlich is the news editor for Townhall.com and a Fox News contributor.