The number of governors to say the feds should refuse to admit Syrian refugees is now more than 20. One of these, as we mentioned yesterday, is Florida Governor Rick Scott.
They hold this position despite the fact that — get this — hawkish Bush-era Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has even said the method by which potential refugees are screened has been "very careful" and "has worked for us." And she should know a thing or two about that, given that she once headed the agency largely responsible for the 13-step, 18-month process of vetting those seeking refuge from brutal and tyrannical regimes.
But no matter. Scott and his ilk, whose entire way of thinking seems to derive from your sad uncle's racist chain emails, are holding steady.
In response, Susan Smith, President of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida, said Scott's attitude makes her think of something the that happened the last time there was a refugee crisis this big.
"Governor Scott's demand that Congress act to prevent Syrian refugees from settling in Florida, reminds me of another shameful time in U.S. history," Smith wrote in a prepared statement. "Seventy-six years ago, the S.S. St. Louis, carrying almost 1,000 Jews seeking refuge from the Nazis, was refused entry into the United States. Those refugees were forced to return to Germany where many of them did not survive the Holocaust."
Florida is set to accept 425 of the 10,000 U.S.-bound refugees. It's not in the purview of states to determine whether or not they can come. Far from it. But it is within their purview to not fall under the spell of xenophobic vitriol, and to not spout fiction about people who are, at the moment, desperate for a new start. The people we elect, Smith writes, need to be the grown-ups in the room in situations like this.
"Republican governors and politicians are feeding hysteria that threatens to poison our country for years to come," said Smith. "By falling into this trap, we inadvertently support and further the mission of ISIS to foment hatred and division, and we will once again find ourselves on the wrong side of history."
Many other progressive as well as civil and human rights groups have called on Scott and the others to reexamine their positions — as well as their roles.
“By calling for the refugees fleeing Syria to be denied placements because of some perceived link between those fleeing violence and the perpetrators of that violence, Governor Scott is letting fear take control," said ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon in a media release. "Not only is the settlement of refugees an obligation of the U.S. State Department, not state governors, but the U.S. refugee system is extremely rigorous, involving multiple background checks and vetting by the Department of Homeland Security. By claiming in the wake of the tragedy in Paris that this vetting process is suddenly insufficient for Florida, Governor Scott is punishing refugees for the horrible attacks perpetrated by the kinds of terrorists they are trying to escape."
Those familiar with the vetting process will tell you that it can take years, and the avenues by which terrorists are able to cross borders and cause violence in Europe don't really exist in the U.S.
"The average length of time that a refugee waits to come to the United States is 18 months," said Sam Sipes, CEO of Lutheran Services Florida, a nonprofit that helps resettle refugees and has done so for years. "They go through a 13-step screening process that involves the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, the Counterterrorism Center. So it's a very, very thorough background and vetting process. These are the very people that are fleeing persecution from the people that are creating havoc and chaos in Syria. It's not like in Europe, where you have hundreds of thousands of people fleeing across borders. These are individuals who are waiting in line, over an extensive period of time, an average of 18 months, to be fully vetted through all the various security channels that they're vetted through.”
When they do get here, Sipes said, they have nearly nothing.
“Typically they'll show up with all their worldly belongings in a plastic bag,” Sipes said. “And we find groups to sponsor them, typically a church group, that will collect used furniture and furnish and apartment, folks who will act as mentors to help them find jobs."
Former Secretary of State Rice isn't the only Republican who is saying the U.S. has to have a mature attitude about the Syrian refugee crisis. While most GOP presidential candidates have said they don't support bringing the refugees in — Donald Trump even called the program a "Trojan Horse."
But presidential contender and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said the only reason to stop helping refugees is "if there's any kind of concern" that crops up.
Find a list of all major presidential candidates' positions on the U.S.'s refugee policy here.
This article appears in Nov 12-18, 2015.