Due to the president’s executive action barring the entrance of refugees, a great deal of misinformation and “alternative facts” seem to be floating around.
4 myths about Trump’s executive action & refugee resettlement:
1) We don’t know these people. An article from the Economist regarding Syrian refugee resettlement explains:
They undergo investigations of their biography and identity; FBI biometric checks of their fingerprints and photographs; in-person interviews by Department of Homeland Security officers; medical screenings as well as investigations by the National Counter-terrorism Centre and by American and international intelligence agencies. The process may take as long as three years, sometimes longer. No other person entering America is subjected to such a level of scrutiny.
Refugee resettlement is the least likely route for potential terrorists, says Kathleen Newland at the Migration Policy Institute, a think-tank. Of the 745,000 refugees resettled since September 11th, only two Iraqis in Kentucky have been arrested on terrorist charges, for aiding al-Qaeda in Iraq.
2) This action makes you safer. A recent risk assessment by the Cato Institute which is a libertarian think tank discovered the following:
From 1975 through 2015, the annual chance that an American would be murdered in a terrorist attack carried out by a foreign-born terrorist was 1 in 3,609,709. Foreigners on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) killed zero Americans in terrorist attacks, whereas those on other tourist visas killed 1 in 3.9million a year. The chance that an American would be killed in a terrorist attack committed by a refugee was 1 in 3.64 billion a year. Of the roughly 768,000 total murders committed in the United States from 1975 to the end of 2015, 3,024 (or 0.39 percent) were committed by foreign-born terrorists in an attack… The annual chance of being murdered was 252.9 times as great as dying in an attack committed by a foreign-born terrorist on U.S. soil.
For reference, you have a greater statistical chance of dying from taking a bath, riding a bike, or walking outside than a terrorist attack perpetuated by refugees.
3) We’re keeping terrorists out. The following chart speaks for itself.
4)Refugees are takers not contributors. Although it’s not explicitly stated by our president, its definitely another misplaced fear not rooted in fact. Within 120 days after arrival 89% of refugees attain Economic Self Sufficiency and 92 % within 240 days.
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