Editorial: York County Council should reject anti-refugee proposal

On Monday, the York County Council once again will consider a resolution that opposes admitting Syrian refugees to South Carolina. We hope the ongoing hysteria that has accompanied the refugee debate does not affect the council’s decision.

When first confronted with a similar resolution in November, the council was sensible enough to reject it. The proposal, which was introduced by Councilman Bruce Henderson, died for lack of a second.

Since then, however, terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., have raised public concerns about terrorism and prompted increasingly outrageous statements by public figures – Republican presidential candidates, in particular. Leading the pack in that regard is billionaire Donald Trump.

Earlier this month, Trump proposed barring all Muslims from entering the country. He called specifically for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”

Later, when critics questioned the constitutionality of such a policy – not to mention its humanitarian consequences – Trump merely shrugged them off. And on Tuesday, the GOP frontrunner actually managed to top himself, suggesting that the United States should kill the family members of Islamic State terrorists to defeat the jihadist group.

“We’re fighting a very politically correct war,” he said during an interview with “Fox and Friends.” “And the other thing is with the terrorists, you have to take out their families.”

Despite the fact that this would be regarded as a war crime under the Geneva Conventions, Trump defended the idea again during Tuesday night’s Republican candidates’ debate.

Some might dismiss this as an example of Trump’s uncanny ability to hog the media spotlight. Or maybe these are just more outrageous utterances from a woefully uninformed political novice.

Either way, voters seem to like it. Trump still is riding high in the polls.

And that is why this lunacy is relevant to the motion York County Council members will consider Monday. Do we really want our county government to reflect the fear, the xenophobia, the irrationality that have tempted some Americans to declare war on an entire religion?

Before Syrian refugees are admitted to the United States, they have to undergo a vetting process that involves the FBI, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and other agencies. The process can take up to two years.

Applying to enter the country as a refugee would be among the least efficient and most time-consuming ways for prospective terrorists to come to America. They can enter far more easily on a temporary work or student visa, or simply as visitors with a passport.

Even if U.S. authorities decided to bar all Muslims, how would agents identify them? We can’t expect terrorists to self-identify. So, do we simply block everyone who we think resembles someone from the Middle East?

And don’t forget that Indonesia, consisting mostly of Asians, has one of the largest Muslim populations in the world. We would have to bar all Asians, too, just to be safe.

Of course, a significant segment of Americans would like to see an end to immigration by all groups, not just Muslims. Their view is that we need to pull up the drawbridge and keep the rest of the world out.

But that would deprive the United States of essential skilled and unskilled workers just as baby boomers are about to retire and vacate the work force. It would deprive the U.S. of brilliant scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, teachers and other talented people from around the world who yearn to try their luck in the United States. It would deprive the U.S. of all those who still view this country as a beacon of hope and prosperity, those who, throughout our history, have injected America with new energy, new traditions and new outlooks.

Do we really want to live in an America that no longer welcomes immigrants?

Proponents of the effort to keep Syrian refugees from coming to South Carolina might argue that the resolution is relatively harmless, that it would only affect a few people, that it just might prevent a terrorist from coming here. But the harm comes less from the effect than the intent – the foggy, simplistic and, yes, racist thinking that inspires such a resolution.

The best way to protect the state is to stay strong and not give in to panic and hysteria. With that in mind, we hope the County Council once again will reject this ill-conceived proposal.

This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Editorial: York County Council should reject anti-refugee proposal."