Clarity on refugees
I see confusion about who refugees are. First, who they are not. They are not illegal aliens. Nor are they ordinary immigrants. Besides being vetted by five U.S. security agencies, which takes about two years, to be eligible for the U.S. refugee resettlement program, refugees must also meet this strict legal definition: an individual who is outside his or her country of nationality or habitual residence who is unable or unwilling to return due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on his or her race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.
A person who is already part of the U.S. refugee resettlement program has already been in this process for at least two years. Furthermore, if they are turned away at the border and put on another waiting list, their security clearances could lapse, and they could have to start the process all over. Entering the U.S. as a refugee is the most stringent, difficult, slowest way to enter the U.S. These are not the people we need to fear. These are the people who need hope.
Margaret Drumm
Spokane