Policy Memorandum
TO: Barack Obama, President of the United States
Joseph R. Biden, Vice President
Sen. Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader, U.S. Senate
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Majority Leader, House of Representatives
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader, House of Representatives
FROM: Hanna Mueller, Jennifer Joseph, Chris Tagoe, and Shanice Branch
RE: United States’ response to the Middle East refugee crisis
DATE: December 8, 2015
Executive Summary
The Syrian civil war has killed more than 300,000 people since it began in 2011, and forced more
than twelve million to leave their homes. At least eight million people are internally displaced in
Syria, while four million people have left and now live mainly in refugee camps located in
neighboring countries, causing a major economic strain. Rise of harsh political debate and
controversies over the role of the West resulted in harsh legislations across EU and the U.S.
To address the crisis from the U.S. standpoint, after cautiously examining the causes of the
refugee influx and studying the current problems they face, we propose three policy options:
diplomatic talks to achieve cease-fire in the region; financial and technical support to Turkey,
Jordan, and Lebanon; and increasing intake of refugees in the U.S. We recommend that all three
policy options should be combine in order to safe lives of the innocent people who are bearing the
impact of complex geo-political struggles.
Problem: Middle East refugee crisis
Cause of refugee crisis emergence
The last couple months of the civil war in Syria have been brutal. More than 300,000 people have
been killed since the war started four and a half years ago (Yourish). Amidst the escalating
violence, people experience unemployment, inflation, electricity and water shortage. Syria’s
population lives in extreme poverty (Rummery). Mass shooting and gunfire between pro-Assad
forces and rebel militias has pushed more then four million Syrians to flee the country, adding to
already existing problem of refugees and migrants from Afghanistan and Iraq in the Middle East
and Europe.
Terminology matters
Migrants and refugees are leaving their countries for different reasons, but often travel on the
same route. Metir Corabarir urges that there are political and humanitarian consequences of using
inaccurate terminology, since it shapes our perception and behaviors. According to international
refugee law, “refugees” are people who are forced to leave their countries and are unable to return
because their lives and freedom are in danger; the causes of danger may be widespread violence,
war, foreign occupation, prosecution and other serious human rights violations (The 1951 Geneva
Convention). On the other hand, international migrants are people who leaving their country
voluntarily mostly due to economic hardship; they leave in search of a better life. Under the
international refugee law, countries have responsibilities towards refugees, but not migrants.
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However according to the Universal Declaration of Human rights they ought to respect the human
rights of both refugees and migrants. The use of terminology allows some countries to evade their
responsibilities towards refugees by naming them “migrants”, “illegal migrants”, or “persons
under temporary protection” (Corabatir). Most Western countries call the largest humanitarian
crisis of our era “the migration crises”. They impose more restrictive policies, which leads to the
double victimization of refugees, describes Corabatir for Al Jazeera English.
Current situation of refugees
There are officially eight million Syrians displaced in their home country, and more than four
million seeking safety in the neighboring Lebanon, Jordan or Turkey (Samaan). The
overwhelming number of the refugees in these countries causes hostility, cutback of benefits, and
restricted access to borders. The UN Refugee Agency recorded funding shortfalls for refugee
programmes in Jordan and Lebanon. The United Nation Human Rights Council (UNHCR) states,
“The Syria Refugee and Resilience Programme for 2015 is currently just 37 per cent funded.”
This underfunding leads to reduction of food aid and worsening conditions at the formal refugee
camps across the region, forcing people to send their children out to beg (Rummery). Victims are
seeking an escape by taking increasingly extreme measurements to go further afield, especially to
Europe.
Physically exhausted and psychologically traumatized refugees have two ways to arrive in
southern Europe. One of the ways is to cross the Mediterranean Sea; this route considered the
deadliest for refugees and migrants. More than 2,700 migrants and refugees have drowned or
suffocated at sea this year (UNHCR). According to the UNHCR data, over 350,000 refugees have
reached southern Europe by sea as of the end of August. Another way is by crossing through the
heavily guarded border of Turkey. The lack of legal routes leaves no choice for asylum-seekers
but to turn to smugglers for unauthorized border crossing. These inhumane transportation
methods take the refugees through the Balkans and onward through Hungary (“Sea Route”).
The European Union border agency announced more than 150,000 refugees entered the European
Union (EU) in August, adding up to more than half a million for the year (Frontex). Michael
Birnbaum states that amid the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the Balkan Wars of the
1990s, a surge of thousands of refugees is reaching Europe faster than they can be
accommodated. As arrivals increase, reception capacity and conditions are inadequate to support
the demand (UNHCR). The Serbian-Hungarian border was rebuilt and secured with armed forces
last weekend in order to maintain an orderly stream of refugees trying to get to Germany and
Austria, where authorities promised them protection. William Spindler, a spokesman for
UNHCR, says that registration systems and processes across the EU differ from country to
country, and many don’t have the ability to register more than a few hundred a day (qtd. in
Witte). According to Alexandra Krause, a UN representative at the Greek-Macedonian border, a
record 7,000 people crossed the border in just one day in early September.
As the EU, Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan have extended a hand of help to most of the people
fleeing the war torn countries, the richest states on the Arabian Peninsula have not stepped up to
the plate. Rich gulf counties such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) have so far failed to offer safe havens for the refugees fleeing their war
torn countries. These Gulf countries are not signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention and so
they are not obligated to take in these refugees. These countries to varying degrees have
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supported and allied with various rebel and Islamic factions the region (Maslin). The international
community should put pressure on these counties to help with the current situation. On the other
hand, most of these countries in the region are allies of the United States and the U.S. should use
its’ influence to persuade them to do more to resolve this humanitarian crisis.
Role of the U.S.
The question of what the U.S. role should be in addressing the growing humanitarian crisis has
made for some harsh political debate and has raised a lot of controversies. A senior White House
official told the NBC News that "the reality is the U.S. can't come close to solving the problem."
(Jansing) Some lawmakers worry that accepting a large number of refugees could mean exposing
the country to security risks. Some politicians don’t believe that it is our responsibility to resolve
the refugee problem and that other countries such as the Arab gulf states “which are awash in oil
money” should be the ones taking initiative to solve the issues (Williams). The U.S. has generally
been a leader in humanitarian response; however they have never recovered from the post 9/11
fear that a terrorist may infiltrate their refugee resettlement program.
According to Maher Samaan, less attention has been paid to the Syrian Arab Republic’s civil war
and its victims since the rise of Islamic State due to the highly publicized violence and threat ISIS
poses to the West. In October, due to escalating concerns about Islamic extremism in the West
and following the killings of 130 people in Paris, the House of Representatives voted
overwhelmingly to make it more difficult for refugees from Iraq and Syria to enter the United
States. Even though President Obama has repeatedly pushed back against warnings that ISIS
could attack the United States by sending over fighters as refugees, the massacres in Paris and
San Bernardino made Americans fearful about terrorism on their soil. This new legislation passed
by the House would require that the director of the F.B.I., the secretary of the Department of
Homeland Security and the director of national intelligence confirm that each applicant from
Syria and Iraq poses no threat.
On the other hand, antiwar activists, other politicians and other lawmakers argue the opposite.
They posed that the U.S. has a moral obligation to aid and shelter refugees has they are partly
responsible of the issue - it is tied to the Iraq war and its aftermath. The new legislation to
toughen the refugee-screening process means shutting our doors to the desperate men, women
and children who are risking their lives to escape death and torture in their homelands. Stephen
Lendman, - a retired Chicago businessman who hosts a thrice weekly "Progressive Radio News
Hour” states that, "If America stopped waging wars against independent countries, the refugee
crises would not happen (Williams). The way to help the refugees is to stop these wars.” In fact,
according to the public opinion, the underlying cause of the crisis is Syria's relentless civil war.
And, as some of politicians pointed out, the implication of the west has a lot to do with it. As a
world leader, America has a responsibility to take in more refugees to aid in the crisis (Newland).
Thus, solving the conflict in Syria and elsewhere is essential for any lasting solution.
Furthermore, according to Bashar al-Assad, “The West is "responsible" for the refugee crisis in
Europe.” “The West now is crying for the refugees with one eye and aiming at them with a
machine gun with the second one," Assad said "If you are worried about them [refugees], stop
supporting terrorists" (Burke).
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Policy Options
The following are three policy options that offer the most humane and effective possibilities on
how the United States can assist in resolving the severe humanitarian crisis of refugees.
1. Diplomatic resolution to stop Syria’s war
Numerous analysts have suggested that the best way the United States can prevent the creation of
additional refugees is to use military force to remove the violent leaders causing them to flee
(Jones). However, there are a lot of dangers in starting a military operation in Syria. It will create
even more damage and force the rest of population to escape the region. Therefore, the safest and
least costly solution to resolve the problem is to use diplomatic means.
With the recent detection of Russian and Iranian financial and military backing of Syrian
president Bashar al-Assad’s regime, United States officials should immediately initiate a
conference with all sides involved in the conflict. U.S. officials need to propose models of
political transition for the formation of a new government in Syria. Through negotiations among
the involved sides, the resolution should include Russia, Iran as well as Assad’s army to stop its
military actions in the region. This resolution should also achieve a cease-fire in Syria and
establish further strategies to eradicate ISIS.
2. Financial and technical support to Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan
With opinions divided among Americans as whether to accept more refugees into the U.S. or not,
one scenario that can appease both sides is to look at an option that involves the U.S. devoting
more resources to the refugees outside the United States. Turkey and the less developed countries
in the Middle East including Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt are shouldering the majority of the
burden. With close to five million refugees between them, the major challenge these countries
face is the lack of resources. They lack the resources to provide adequate shelter, food, water,
clothing and health services for the huge influx of refugees. It will cost less money and pose
nearly no security threat if America will provide financial and technical support to these
countries. The United States should help these countries to develop their ability and capacity to
quickly build housing and other facilities needed for the refugees. The United States needs to also
aid these countries with military and security resources to help them improve safety and maintain
a sheltered environment for the large influx. With additional external help, these countries will
have the ability to take in and care for more people. It will reduce the pressure on America and
the European countries. This will significantly reduce the security threat that most Americans
believe will arise with the intake of the refugees.
Latest data and reports states that the US has provided- as September 21,2015 – nearly $419
million for people affected by the war in Syria. This new funding brings the total U.S.
humanitarian assistance in response to this conflict to more than $1.6 billion in fiscal year 2015
and over $4.5 billion since the start of the crisis. U.S. humanitarian assistance has provided
critical, life-saving support to more than five million people across Syria. More so, it will provide
funding for shelters, water, and sanitation and hygiene projects to help those affected by the
crisis. It also will provide critical relief supplies and much-needed counseling and protection
programs to help the most vulnerable, including children, women, persons with disabilities, and
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the elderly. It will help mitigate the impact of the crisis on governments and communities
throughout the region that are straining to cope with the mass influx of refugees from Syria and
other Middle East countries affected by the war. Part of the new funding will respond to the 2015
appeals of $8.4 billion from the United Nations for Syria and the region. It is important to note
that even with this contribution, the UN appeals for humanitarian aid to address the crisis in Syria
are only 38% funded, resulting in cutbacks to food and other essential services. Contributions
from other donors are urgently needed and the United States continues to advocate for increased
contributions through diplomacy and outreach (Office of the Spokesperson, 2015).
3. Increasing intake of refugees in the U.S.
The European Union has agreed to take in an additional 32,500 refugees from Syria and Eritrea
over the next 2 years by a quota system (“Why is EU struggling”). If the United States
implemented a similar quota system it would counter act the influx in population growth as
opposed to taking large lump sum at once similar to Germany’s 800,000 applications for asylum.
The United States currently takes about 70,000 refugees each year; to remain the leading country
in moral and humanitarian efforts we must increase this number drastically, the 1,500 Syrian
refugees taken in this past year is a number to be laughed at compared to the millions taken in by
Turkey and Lebanon (Sengupta). However, we do acknowledge America’s efforts of agreeing to
host 100,000 refugees from Syria this fiscal year beginning October 1st (Harris).
All asylum seekers have to go through a complex and expensive legal process to prove that they
are at risk of persecution and should be protected. To complement the vast scrutiny and thorough
background checks of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, we should be assessing if refugees
have friends or family already in America and look to unite friends and family before random
placing. It is easy for people who have a warm bed and place to call home each and every night to
cast immediate suspicion on taking in refugees. The claim that the refuges have ties to terrorist
cells is a popular topic in politics especially during the current presidential campaign. Republican
candidate Ben Carson state, “U.S. should bar refugees from war-torn Syria because they are
"infiltrated" with Muslim extremists who seek to harm America” (Beaumont). This type of
prejudice should not discourage you from keeping the policies and beliefs America to hold true.
The policies and procedures laid out by U.S. Refugee Admissions Program will ensure the very
people we are trying to help are not going to hurt us in the end. Refugees have a history of
valuing education, hard work, and have been proven to help build our economies.
Recommendations
The current refugee crisis is not one that can be easily resolved because the issue here is multifaceted. There is far too much violence occurring in the Middle East – both from the political
factions as well as extremist terrorist groups such as ISIS. Unless a resolution can be reached that
will quell the carnage, the crisis will continue until every oppressed Syrian has fled from their
country and found refuge elsewhere.
The implementation of a combination of all proposed policy options presented will ensure safety
and security for millions of victims of the conflict in the Middle East region. The diplomatic
negotiations must be continued in order to begin the process of stabilizing the country in order to
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make it a safe place for the Syrian people to return. This proposal is one that is currently being
tackled by the U.S. administration as well as the governments of several other countries. This
conflict is complex, but a diplomatic solution must be found.
The second proposal is to provide greater financial and technical support to the neighboring
Middle Eastern countries. This option would help in the humanitarian effort by reducing the
number of refugees who are risking their lives on perilous journeys trying to get to Europe in
search of safety and a better life. The millions of displaced people in Syria and the neighboring
countries are causing a major economic strain and depletion of the countries’ resources, an impact
on their job markets and growing hostility from their citizens. It is ultimately causing the
neighboring countries to turn away refugees who are in desperate need of help and asylum. We
believe that equipping the neighboring countries with the resources they would need to take in a
greater number of refugees may be significantly less costly than other options, and would provide
these countries with the financial support to build housing facilities and secure necessary
resources for the refugees.
The implementation of the third proposal to increase refugee intake to 70,000, with fifty percent
coming from Syria consisting of mostly women and children, will directly help victims of the
conflict. If the recent bill to toughen refugee screening passes the Senate, we recommend
President Obama to stay on his course and veto the bill. Mr. Obama in his speeches emphasizes
that refugees are already subject to “the most rigorous vetting process that we have for anybody
who is admitted” (Steinhauer). These individuals will be subject to the already established
refugee security screening, which is detailed and rigorous, in order to ensure our citizens that the
refugees do not pose a national security risk. The non-governmental agencies that carry most of
the preparation casework for Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) interviews can speed
up their involvement process of accepting refugees. These processes involve pre USCIS approval
and post USCIS approval. It involves interviewing applicants, helping prepare the applications for
the USCIS and arrange medical examinations and background checks for those refugees approved
by USCIS. They also prepare the resettlement arrangements for the refugees after they have been
approved.
We understand the vital importance and time associated with background searches and security
checks cannot be compromised. We are suggesting no change in that portion of the admissions
process however what we are proposing is that the most relevant part of the process that can be
expedited is the preparation, the medical examination and the resettlement arrangements. Here in
lies practical areas that can be moved along while not posing a security threat to the United States
and continuing to make Americans feel safe at home. In addition, priority will be given to those
refugees who have family members that are U.S. citizens and can provide an affidavit ensuring
financial sponsorship of the refugee. This clause will decrease the costs endured by our
government to financially support the refugees and would accelerate and ease the assimilation
process. Decreased costs and a path to assimilation are advantages that can be used to positively
influence public opinion to welcoming refugees into our country.
The movement of refugees is expected to continue on a significant scale. This humanitarian crisis
requires urgent attention. Refugees face severe humanitarian and protection challenges related to
extreme poverty, the suffering throughout the crossing, abuses of smugglers, and the closure of
the borders. Our recommendations offer the most humane and effective possibilities on how the
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United States can remain one of the key faces of the refugee crisis without causing harms to
America. We need to make sure that we do not allow fears about what the refugee crisis
represents to override our concern for our fellow human beings.
Thank you for your attention and support for this issue.
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Appendix
As demonstrated in the chart bellow the Refugee Admission Process is intricate.
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Sources: Population estimates, CIA World Factbook; refugee estimates UNHCR 30th Nov 2015
Video of Secretary of Homeland Security Jah Johnson explaining the process of screening Syrian
refugees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQUIxQ6TFZc
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