Extreme vetting
'The O'Reilly Factor': Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points 1/30; Plus reaction from Charles Krauthammer
President Trump's executive order stopping the flow of your refugees into the USA until a new system of evaluations can be put into place is causing major dissent. So, let's examine this situation in a fair way. Last year, about 85,000 refugees were admitted to the country, nearly half of them Muslim. That does not count tens of thousands of people who claim refugee status crossing the Southern border.
About 19,000 Syrian refugees were admitted during the past few years. The Trump administration believes it is too easy for refugees from terror areas to come here. And stop citizens from Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, and Somalia from being processed for at least 90 days. It cites the refugee chaos in Europe and the violence that it has caused as evidence more vetting is needed in America.
Indeed, liberal countries like Sweden have cracked on hard on migrants entering, citing a myriad of problems. It is worth stating for the record that the massive flow of mostly Muslim refugees would not be happening had President Obama and the west not retreated from the Middle East and North Africa, allowing ISIS and the Syrian Dictator Assad to murder at will. That is what this is all about. Also, and I bet you didn't know this, President Obama stopped most refugees from Iraq from coming to America in 2011.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIMBERLY STRASSEL, WALL STREET JOURNAL COLUMNIST: Barack Obama put a pause for six months on refugees coming from Iraq back in 2011. I don't remember protesters and I don't remember lawsuits. So, I think the bigger question, if this is a temporary pause, which is designed for us to improve and look at our vetting processes and indeed temporary, I don't think necessarily that is an outrageous idea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: Now, here in the USA, we have had our share of migrant terror. All 19 Muslim killers on 9/11 walked on in here, so did the Boston marathon murderers, Muslims from Central Asia. One of the San Bernardino killers was from Pakistan. The Orlando mass murderer came from a Muslim immigrant family, as did the terrorist who attack the mall in Minnesota.
So, it is certainly responsible and logical for a new president to institute updated protections for this country by ordering specific, temporary immigration actions. Is it not? However, it is also responsible for a federal judge to order that foreigners with the proper credentials already issued not be punished. There should be room for a case-by-case decision making. As Republican senators McCain and Graham have requested.
If Muslims from terror areas have helped the USA, they should obviously be given waivers. In addition, it would be wise for the Trump administration to develop a strong outreach to the Muslim world. We need their support to defeat the jihad. In the past, "Talking Points" has proposed that NATO troops set up safe zones for innocent people threatened in places like Syria. Right now, Turkey, Turkey, is overseeing many of the refugee camps. Led by America, NATO should assist Turkey, Georgia, Iraq and other countries, willing to protect innocent people at risk.
Summing up, President Trump is being responsible, setting up a new refugee standards. As long as they are fully explained, and expedited in a timely manner. We don't want to tarnish the message the Statue of Liberty sends. Also, the administration must be willing to grant exceptions and above all, should help refugees survived in the terror zones abroad. We should do that. Protecting Americans is obviously priority number one but the nobility of our nation demands we help suffering helpless people, if we can. And that is "The Memo."
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