Canada’s Justin Trudeau and America’s Hillary Clinton Share Similar Views On Need To Reach Out To Syrian Refugees

“It would be a cruel irony indeed if ISIS can force families from their homes, then also prevent them from ever finding new ones.” – former U.S. secretary of state and presidential contender Hillary Clinton.

A Brief One from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper

While we Canadians discuss and debate plans to welcome thousands of Syrian refugees to our country, a similar debate is brewing across the border in the United States.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton

And as much media attention as the likes of Donald Trump, a front-runner in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, is getting on cable channels for proposing to build border walls to keep Mexicans and now Syrians out, and to make all Muslims in the U.S. register their names in a national data bank for surveillance purposes, it is important to know that there are prominent political leaders in the U.S. who agree with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s position that countries as blessed as ours have a responsibility to reach out to others in times of crisis.

Not least of the leaders who embrace that position is former U.S. secretary of state and now front-running Democratic contender for the White House Hillary Clinton, whose answer to the question of whether or not we should help refugees fleeing what have become the killing fields of their native Syria is as relevant to our country as it is to hers.

Here is Hillary Clinton’s position on the Syrian refugee issue as she outlined it this past November 20^th during an address she delivered to members of non-partisan U.S. Council of Foreign Relations –

“Since Paris,” said Clinton in reference to the bloody terrorist attacks in that city this past November 13^th, “no homeland security challenge is being more hotly debated than how to handle Syrian refugees seeking safety in the United States. Our highest priority, of course, must always be protecting the American people.”

“So, yes, we do need to be vigilant in screening and vetting any refugees from Syria, guided by the best judgment of our security professionals in close coordination with our allies and partners,” continued Clinton. “And Congress needs to make sure the necessary resources are provided for comprehensive background checks, drawing on the best intelligence we can get. And we should be taking a close look at the safeguards and the visa programs as well.”

“But we cannot allow terrorists to intimidate us into abandoning our values and our humanitarian obligations. Turning away orphans, applying a religious test, discriminating against Muslims, slamming the door on every Syrian refugee—that is just not who we are. We are better than that,” Clinton said. “And remember, many of these refugees are fleeing the same terrorists who threaten us.”

“It would be a cruel irony indeed if ISIS can force families from their homes, and then also prevent them from ever finding new ones. We should be doing more to ease this humanitarian crisis, not less. We should lead the international community in organizing a donor conference and supporting countries like Jordan, who are sheltering the majority of refugees fleeing Syria.”

For Clinton’s entire address click on – http://www.cfr.org/radicalization-and-extremism/conversation-hillary-clinton/p37266 .

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