Ohio Takes a Stand Against Obama’s Refugee Policy



OHThe Ohio General Assembly stood up to President Obama’s reckless refugee policy this week by passing House Concurrent Resolution 31 (HCR 31).  Sponsored by Rep. Timothy Derickson (R-53), HCR 31 urges President Obama to prevent the resettlement of Syrian refugees into the State of Ohio as well as the rest of the United States.

Importantly, the resolution recognizes that terrorists could easily use our country’s generous immigration system to carry-out another 9/11-style attack.  HCR 31 states, “it is possible that members of the Islamic States of Iraq and Syria, or another radical extremist terrorist organization, could infiltrate the State of Ohio and the United States of America by claiming Syrian refugee status….”  Here the Ohio General Assembly admits what the Obama Administration refuses to: that terrorists have used our immigration system to attack us before, and that they will, if we turn a blind eye, use it to do so again.

If only Obama Administration officials shared the same concern and foresight regarding our country’s national security as members of Ohio’s General Assembly, our nation would not be having the debate over whether to admit individuals that it knowingly cannot properly screen.  Consequently, the measure underscores the problem and frustration that many state lawmakers are experiencing as they learn there is no mechanism under federal law that expressly grants them control over whether refugees are sent to their state.

HCR 31 passed the Ohio General Assembly by a vote of 65-29, with almost all Republicans supporting the legislation.  It now goes to the Ohio Senate for consideration, where the rest of the country will be watching, and hoping, that more states take a stand.

 

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Content written by Federation for American Immigration Reform staff.

3 Comments

  1. avatar

    Oil’s Plummeting in Price With No Where to Store the Excess Gasoline Reserves

    A good indicator industry, higher waged jobs and manufacturing have stalled too……that’s all EU needs right now, more overpopulation workers….

  2. avatar

    Europe’s Looming Nexus of Migration and Disease

    By Melissa S Hersh http://www.nationalinterest.org/feature/europes-looming-nexus-migration-disease-14398
    Excerpts:

    –As Europe looks to bolster measures for mandatory screening, another type of screening must not be overlooked. To date, screening migrants for infectious and contagious diseases has been voluntary, inconsistent and under-resourced. If public health security is left unaddressed, this looming issue has potential to become another disaster for European authorities, threatening not just the health of both migrant and host populations but also possibly giving rise to further societal instability.

    –Currently, European public health officials only conduct voluntary health screenings of migrants, at best. This means that many epidemic-prone diseases go undetected as migrants enter into Europe. Prioritizing infectious and contagious disease detection and treatment is a short-term must.

    –When mass gatherings of people come together—in this instance, disparate groups from places like Eritrea, Syria and Afghanistan united mostly by their pursuit of a better life in Europe—the risk for disease outbreaks that can overwhelm already maxed-out health systems is heightened. Diseases that are contagious (capable of being spread person-to-person) and diseases that are infectious (arising from insects or animals that can transmit disease, untreated water-borne microorganisms or poor sanitation and hygiene) can rapidly affect large numbers of people. Anticipating these risks and preventing what is preventable, and protecting the public—including migrants—is vital to health security, and therefore to national security.

    — It isn’t hard to see how Europe’s refugee crisis could potentially mutate into a health security crisis. To prevent this, one obvious place to start is to introduce mandatory rather than voluntary health screening to identify potential disease carriers at migrant reception centers.

    –Fundamentally, a decision to introduce mandatory screening and quarantine and isolation is a political decision that can be supported by technical guidance. Security is not just about fences and guards, but also effectively managing expectations and making difficult decisions to protect the population from foreseeable threats.

    –And as Europe bursts at the seams with asylum seekers, refugees, and irregular migrants—presenting their own endemic disease footprint—there’s a greater need to consider when and how to establish quarantine and isolation at migrant processing/reception centers. Clear, consistent and transparent policy and processes for screening and treating migrants for infectious and contagious diseases at borders should have multiple benefits for protecting public health and agricultural biosecurity.

    Melissa S Hersh is a Washington, DC-based risk consultant and analyst.

  3. avatar

    If you listen to some of the commentary on different “news” sites, particularly CNN and MSNBC, you will learn that European countries bear a large burden for the attacks because Muslim youth in those countries feel “alienated” from the mainstream. Never mind that no one forced their parents, or them, to move to Europe. If “inclusion” means catering to their 15th century mentality, no thank you. When you invite the fox into the hen house, why be surprised at the result? But now, countries across Europe are closing their borders, something that used to be condemned as “far right”. Funny how it works when left wing feel-good rhetoric meets reality.

    It was interesting earlier this week to read about the debate between Mark Krikorian and Alex Nowrasteh of the CATO Institute and Nowrasteh”s endorsement of open borders. Asked by Krikorian if he had any problems with 300 million people moving here all at once, Nowrasteh had no objections to this lunacy. But like all other open border libertarians, he cannot acknowledge any limits. Because the minute they admit that there ARE limits, their precious theory goes out the window.

    India alone could have half of their billion plus people come here if allowed, because polls there have shown that. Open border advocates have yet to explain how that amount of people could come here in a short time and not have major chaos. We barely have the infrastructure and water now to support 320 million. But Nowrasteh and his ilk just worship the golden calf of open immigration, no questions asked nor rational explanations given.