‘Invasion of Europe series’
I can’t believe this was even published in The Hill. It’s an op-ed by Palestinian Osamah Khalil (entitled ‘Between the devil and the deep blue sea’) in which the author blames the deaths of illegal aliens attempting to break into Europe (having launched from Libya) on Republicans (say what?).
After many column inches of sob stories and stats, Osamah says this:
Bilal [the star of this particular sob story—ed], however, never made it to Libya. He and his family were turned back at Beirut’s airport. Unable to return to Syria or stay in Lebanon, they plan to try again. “We have no other choice,” he explains. [Just a reminder it is the Obama administration that turned Libya into a major lawless hellhole instead of a minor hellhole thus making it the go-to place for launching the invasion of Europe!—ed]
I hope the Republicans are questioning the security issues involved with US State Department (Obama!) plans to admit 2,000 Syrians this fiscal year, but frankly Congress can’t stop it, if Obama wants 2,000 now, Obama can take 2,000 now!
Thankfully, somewhere in the Obama Administration there are people who have not allowed the flow of Syrians to the US to begin in any significant way. Why?
Osamah should be complaining about Obama!
In February, the Obama administration announced it was loosening asylum rules but acknowledged that less than 2,000 Syrians would be accepted. Republican lawmakers criticized the decision due to national security concerns. Only a few countries have agreed to resettle the refugees — and even then it is just a trickle. Instead, the richest nations in the world, including the U.S., are placing downward pressure on the countries least able to deal with the massive refugee crisis. The main beneficiaries of the status quo are the traffickers and corrupt officials who prey on desperate refugees. While these criminal networks are often described as national security threats, they have been empowered and rewarded by ineffectual American and European policies.
The boats will continue to sail. Some will make it and some won’t. This reality will not change as long as the Syrian conflict continues and the U.S. and EU are unwilling or unable to adopt more humane immigration and asylum policies or even provide the necessary funds to assist the refugees.
*Khalil is assistant professor of U.S. and Middle East History at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He is also a co-founder of Al-Shabaka, The Palestinian Policy Network.
Don’t get me wrong, we should all be grateful that Obama hasn’t flung America’s doors open to Syrians yet, but I sure would like to be a fly on the wall and know why!
See our complete ‘invasion of Europe series’ by clicking here.