Over 11 million Syrians have fled their country after a civil war broke out in March 2011. Six years later, the debate is still fired up over whether we should be allowing Syrian refugees into our country.

The usual cons given are the lack of security and safety they could potentially cause in the country and the price of helping these refugees (Reword- doesn’t flow). Of course, one can see that the benefits in the long run are more abundant.

The concern of impending terrorist attacks should not be blamed on refugees; most attacks are not done by refugees, but rather by citizens of the countries themselves. German journalist, Ulrike Demmer, said, “Most of the terrorists who committed attacks in Europe in the past months were not refugees.” The German government is urging its citizens not to blame these attacks on all refugees.  

One of the big reasons as to why Americans should be compelled to allow immigrants into America is the economic benefits. The majority of refugees are below the age of 25, allowing for a workforce that can be easily taught and trained, cost less, and replace retirees.

Considering refugees will most likely be taking lower-paying jobs due to lack of skills (both in workplace and English), this will allow for Americans to take higher ones. For those Americans in lower-paying jobs, however, this will cause job competition. Refugees will have leverage in that managers may choose the cheaper source of labor. Americans will have leverage in being in their homeland.

Another major argument against taking in Syrian refugees is American taxpayers will be paying for them. The price for this may be up to one billion dollars. However, much of this money is going to settlement programs, such as language training, which will benefit Americans more in the long run.

Of course, a common question asked about Syrian refugees is, “What does it have to do with us?” Well, one must remember that America was founded on refugees fleeing religious persecution. Of course, not only is it a question of morality, but also of diversity.

Allowing refugees the opportunity to work in America takes them away from refugee camps, a common place where terrorist groups recruit. They can also aid America in times of crisis should it occur. During the Iraq War, Iraqi immigrants contributed by informing or translating for the US government.

“We cannot allow terrorists to intimidate us into abandoning our values and humanitarian obligations. Turning away orphans, applying a religious test, discriminating against Muslims, slamming the door on every single Syrian refugee -that’s just not who we are. We are better than that,” said Hillary Clinton in a statement from her 2016 campaign.

It is this statement that shows that we cannot let fear take away from our humanity. It is not just our duty as a world leader, but our obligation as the land of the free to take in Syrian refugees.

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