Sponsored by: Nathan Soltz Approved: 11/22/2015
A RESOLUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF OREGON
WHEREAS Syrians are being rampantly displaced from their homes due to war; and
WHEREAS both the United States and Oregon have a moral duty to help peaceful citizens of the world and, as President Obama said, we have a “tradition of compassion”; and
WHEREAS the 18-month or longer application process of refugees1 is sufficient for our national security; and
WHEREAS this review process is even stricter for Syrians2; and
WHEREAS the roughly 2,200 Syrian refugees admitted to the United States since the Syrian civil war broke out in March of 20111 have posed no security threat; and
WHEREAS the United States ought not turn away Syrian refugees as we did Jewish refugees in 19393; and
WHEREAS of the approximately 745,000 refugees admitted to the United States since 9/11, zero of them have been apprehended on charges of domestic terrorism4; and
WHEREAS we should not let blind fear undermine good moral sense.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF OREGON THAT:
Section 1: President Obama’s and Governor Brown’s decisions to welcome Syrian refugees into the United States and Oregon, respectively, are lauded.
Section 2: The Statue of Liberty’s words, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” are not forgotten.
Section 3: No person should be discriminated against on account of their religion or lack thereof.
Section 4: Refugees of war, Syrian or otherwise, should be welcomed by a nation as deeply rooted in immigration as ours.
Section 5: We acknowledge and sincerely appreciate that the United States has the most rigorous screening and processing system of refugees in place to ensure our safety while remaining a country that welcomes those fleeing persecution.
1http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/16/politics/syrian-refugees-u-s-applicants-explainer/
