Should We Allow Refugees Homage?
Following the Friday, Nov. 13, attack on Paris, reactions across the world, including the Kosciusko County community have ranged from shock and sadness to anger and fear. Today, a week after the the massacre that claimed the lives of more than 125 people in multiple venues throughout Paris, police in Mali are once again fighting to protect helpless civilians caught in the crossfire of extremism.
During the morning on Friday, Nov. 20, gunmen reportedly stormed a Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali killing at least three individuals outright and taking an estimated 137 people hostage. Though numerous people have escaped from the scene, officials note 124 guests and 13 employees are still believed to be within the hotel.
As the situation in Mali continues to escalate, people around the world and within the U.S. are beginning to question how they can best protect themselves from an attack similar to those occurring in the world. From promoting the right to carry a weapon to shutting down immigration for refugees to the country, the cry to action in the U.S. has been incredibly polarized.
Following reports that a Syrian refugee was among the perpetrators of the terrorists attacks that took place in Paris on Friday, Governor Mike Pence issued the following statement:
“In the wake of the horrific attacks in Paris, effective immediately, I am directing all state agencies to suspend the resettlement of additional Syrian refugees in the state of Indiana pending assurances from the federal government that proper security measures have been achieved.”
The statement issued by Pence and other like-minded governors launched a volley of statements in support and protest by citizens and politicians alike.
According to CNN, a bill was also passed Thursday through the U.S. Senate that will suspend the refugee program on U.S. soil until “key national security agencies certify they don’t pose a security risk.”
As republicans, and some democrats as well, work to quickly close boarders to the Syrian and Iraqi refugees, the public’s reaction has varied from disgust to elation.
Among those voices heard in protest was that of President Barack Obama, who CNN reports to have stated, “We are not well served when, in response to a terrorist attack, we descend into fear and panic. We don’t make good decisions if it’s based on hysteria or an exaggeration of risks.”
As the eyes of the world now fall on western Africa officials struggle to take hold of the hostage situation in Mali, we ask our readers what they believe the best course of action would be. Should the U.S. close borders to refugees, or should we allow the “widows and orphans,” as quoted by Obama, safe passage on U.S. soil?
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