If you listen to much local talk radio, you’ve probably noticed that some vocal people of a decidedly conservative stripe are very concerned that a few hundred refugees, some of them Syrian, are going to be brought to Twin Falls.
Some of the reasons for the staunch opposition have some validity. Others, not so much.
Story continues below video
Generally speaking, Idahoans would describe themselves as caring people, and many would appreciate the humanitarian aspect of providing war-battered refugees a place to live out the remainder of their lives in peace.
But conservatives who point to our massive national debt have a point when they question whether we can afford to spend, by some estimates, tens of billions of dollars in relocation and welfare costs annually to bring in 90,000 refugees a year to the United States.
How many of these refugees are going to learn English, get jobs that allow them to pay their own way without having to rely on government assistance? Are they going to embrace American culture or isolate themselves from it?
It’s great when refugees love their new nation, proudly wave the flag, fill important jobs like physician and send their kids to college. Those are the people we want coming here; they make us stronger. We don’t want, nor can we afford, those who leach off the system, pose health and safety risks and produce nothing of value to society.
Those who believe refugees are plucked from conflict-torn streets, put straight on a plane and arrive here 48 hours later don’t understand the process. There is a screening procedure that can take years to complete, and all applicants are reviewed by, among others, Homeland Security. Not all applicants are accepted.
So fears that these Syrians are going to start lopping off heads when they arrive are paranoid at best, downright silly at worst.
Is it possible a bad apple or two can slip through the screening process? Sure. But there are no guarantees in life, and most of the violent killings in this country were perpetrated by Americans. The two Muslims who tried to attack the Texas “draw Mohammed” contest were both U.S.-born citizens.
Besides, more than 5,000 refugees have been brought to Magic Valley since 1984 — most from Iraq and Iran — and to our knowledge, not a single one has beheaded anyone.
Many of these refugees were displaced by Islamic caliphates. They know from personal experience how awful those are. So why would they want to establish one here?
Even if they did, look at it practically. The population of Twin Falls is about 46,000. In order to establish Sharia law, “no-go zones” or any other term you choose, that would likely require codification — or at the very least tacit acceptance — from the city council. That would require a majority vote for council members backing such a plan. Assuming righteous high turnout against such a candidate, it would take at least, say, 15,000 votes to elect such a person.
So this fear is even more unfounded than the “They’re going to behead people” one.
On balance, we believe there are more reasons to support these refugees than there are to oppose. But reasonable minds can disagree. Just make sure that, if you’re in opposition, your arguments are based in logic, not unreasonable paranoia.
Our editorial board: Our editorials are based on the majority opinions of our editorial board. Not all opinions are unanimous. Members of the board are Publisher Matt Davison, Opinion Editor Phil Bridges and community members Gretchen Quarve, Alishia Jonas, Rick Hogaboam, Dee Sizeland and Matt Andrew. Editor Scott McIntosh is a nonvoting member.
