What Obama, U.S., Must Do Now on Syria, ISIS, Refugees

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) endeavors to promote the national security interests of the United States, while at the same time, protecting persecuted Christians and other authentic refugees fleeing Islamic terror.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris, and it is reported that at least one of the terrorists who attacked Paris departed from Syria as a “refugee,” possessing a Syrian passport. Reports also indicate that ISIS has stated its intention to send terrorists around the globe posing as refugees. Now, ISIS has specifically threatened the United States: “[A]s we struck France in the center of its abode in Paris, then we swear that we will strike America at its center in Washington.” The threat is real. So is the barbaric violence ISIS imposes on Syrian Christians and others. 

With this in mind, the ACLJ advances the following:

First, the American people must recognize that, as Justice Goldberg observed, the Constitution of the United States “is not a suicide pact” and that the first responsibility of the United States government is national defense. For the United States to remain in a position to secure liberties and safety, the United States must defend against and defeat its enemies. This is best for the United States, best for its citizens, and best for refugees fleeing the chaos of their homelands. The admission of refugees, or any alien, is a sovereign act of the United States, as is an act of national security.

Second, the ACLJ recognizes both the dire plight of those forced out of their homes due to the ongoing civil war in Syria and the role the United States and its people have played historically to aid persons in such circumstances. The U.S. should continue to be a shining city on the hill and a beacon of freedom for all the world.

Third, the ACLJ recognizes that the failure of the current administration to negotiate a status of forces agreement (SOFA) with Iraq led to our removing all U.S. forces from Iraq, thereby creating the conditions that led to the break-up of Iraq along sectarian and ethnic lines which, in turn, led to the rise of ISIS. Also, this refugee crisis is a result of failed American leadership in the region which has allowed the rise of ISIS to terrorize and exterminate anyone who disagrees with their jihadi views. If the U.S. led as we have in previous generations, then there would be no refugee crisis. We must destroy ISIS once and for all to provide a sustainable and lasting solution for the approximately 10 million refugees who have been displaced.

Fourth, in light of the recent ISIS-related attacks in Paris, the ACLJ supports a moratorium on the admittance of all refugees from Syria to the United States until the American people can be assured that the federal government has implemented an extensive and reliable vetting process to establish the identity and associations of those persons who are admitted to our country so that no radical Islamic jihadis may enter camouflaged as “refugees.”

Fifth, the United States should align its Syrian refugee policy to encourage future reintegration into a stable Syria, prioritizing aid and assistance to create safe “in-region” relocation options for those fleeing Syria. If the United States is unable to establish the true identity and associations of persons seeking admittance to the United States as refugees, the United States should lead international efforts to provide for the security and material well-being of such persons at safe locations in the region. The creation of “safe zones” addresses the need to protect the persecuted, while still protecting the national security interests of the United States.