Partisan split
More than 4 million Syrians have fled their country since the civil war began in 2011, with most of them settling in neighboring countries such as Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon. In Lebanon, more than 1 in 5 people are now Syrians. Hundreds of thousands have also crossed the Mediterranean to seek refuge in Europe. Germany alone has taken a million refugees.
Given such numbers, the US should “consider this 10,000 milestone ‘a floor and not a ceiling,’ ” said David Miliband, the former British foreign secretary who is now president of the International Rescue Committee, in a statement.
Whatever the administration’s goals, now does not appear an opportune moment for trumpeting them.
While 56 percent of Democrats support admitting Syrian refugees, only 18 percent of Republicans do – and that has dropped from 27 percent in 2014, according to a Chicago Council on Global Affairs poll released this week.
Support among independents has also declined during the same time – to 32 percent from 40 percent, the poll found.
Mr. Trump has made dire warnings about the impact of allowing more refugees – and particularly Syrians – into the US.
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R) of Florida argued in a letter to Mr. Obama this month that the refugee program needs to be shut down.
“We need to stop accepting Syrian refugees as a matter of national security,” he said.