Despite the recent terrorist attacks, the citizens of Paris are going on with their everyday lives, walking outside and eating at cafés and restaurants that the attackers sought to drive them away from. These defiant acts send a clear message to their attackers: they will not be intimidated or defeated through bombings or threats of terror. Instead they will continue with their lives, regardless of ISIS threats.
That attitude extends to the immigrants who are fleeing the war in Syria. Regardless of the attacks, Parisians are still willing to take in immigrants if security measures are heightened. Unfortunately, some American states can’t say the same. The states that have decided to prevent refugees from settling down have cited security concerns. Although all Paris attackers that have been identified so far have been citizens of the country, this is not an unreasonable concern. They think that since immigrants are coming from the same area that ISIS is based in, it is possible that one will turn out to be an ISIS operative in disguise.
This would be a valid argument, but the vetting process immigrants have to go through before they can come to the Untied States prevents ISIS operatives from settling in the country. The U.S. has already admitted more than 1,800 refugees without any major incidents. There is no reason why a process that has worked so well in the past would suddenly become ineffective. Instead of focusing on needlessly strengthening an already-sufficient screening process, states should focus on enacting common sense legislation, such as strengthening background checks, which would limit the amount of damage a terrorist could cause.
This reaction also conveniently lines up with the propaganda and narrative ISIS has created. ISIS has tried to manufacture an “us vs. them” narrative, painting their created state as a nation that is truly in line with the principles of Islam and is under attack by Western nations. By denying refugees access to our country, we are assuming all those from that region are terrorists. This cements the narrative, providing proof that we regard all those who come from that area of the world as enemies.
This narrative is further enforced by some Republican presidential candidates, who say we should only accept Christian immigrants, since they’re obviously the safest. After all, it’s not like Christians have ever been involved in acts of violence, terror or discrimination.
If we continue to accept immigrants we will be providing a counter-narrative showing that we are not a country that is at war with Islam as a religion. Instead, we are at war with ISIS, an organization that terrorizes thousands of people and is willing to hurt innocent civilians. When we accept refugees, we send the message that we are willing to accept those that have been affected by ISIS, regardless of religion.
In the weeks following the Paris attacks the citizens of the country showed courage and compassion in the face of disaster. It’s time for the U.S. to do the same. We need to make a stand and send the message to ISIS that their attacks will not make us change our ways. We will continue to offer help to those that need it and stand with our allies.