Misplaced Fear

The buzz and fear generated by ISIS around the world can be felt here at home amidst political campaigns and foreign policy. On Saturday November 21, 2015, President Obama vowed to keep America’s borders open to the world’s refugees. However, with the most recent terror attacks in Paris, the House passed legislation that calls for restrictions and stricter screening for refugees hailing from Syria. This screening process can take up to two years. The bill passed by a vote of 289 to 137, 50 of which were Democrats. If passed in the Senate, the numbers might override President Obama’s veto. During President Obama’s visit to the Dignity for Children Foundation in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 21, Obama noted America should not be closing its doors to the children and orphans around the world facing persecution, discrimination and ethnic violence, like the kids in the center who fled violence in Myanmar. Obama stated, “the refugees from Myanmar- again, mostly Rohingya, Muslim- those young children up there, they’re deserving of the world’s protection and the world’s support.” He went on to explain that America’s global leadership is expressed in its willingness to help people who have been discriminated against, tortured or subjected to violence. Upon his return he is scheduled to meet with President Francois Hollande to discuss the terror attacks in Paris.

The legislation passed by the House spurs from the fear of allowing members of ISIS into the country under the guise of refugee status, leaving America vulnerable to an attack. Unfortunately potential perpetrators are more likely to be native-born Americans. A survey of Americans who have been charged with helping ISIS concludes that out of the 68 charged, none are Syrian or Syrian-American, and only 3 are refugees. Fordham University Law School’s Center on National Security data shows that four out of five U.S. residents charged are American citizens, and about two thirds are U.S. born. The center found no trend suggesting refugees are more likely than not to be involved in ISIS cases.

The center came out with a series of data points replicated below:

• 55 of the 68 arrested are U.S. citizens. Of the 55 citizens, 12 were naturalized, the rest American-born.
• Of the 25 not born in the U.S., seven were born in Europe — all from the states of the former Yugoslavia; another six in Africa –Somalia, Ghana and Sudan; six were born in the Middle East — one each from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Egypt and Palestine; five were from Central Asia –Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan; and one was from Cuba.
• At least one-third of those arrested are converts to Islam.
• More than half of those charged, 36, allegedly wanted to travel to Syria to fight. Eighteen allegedly aspired to be domestic plotters, and Greenberg said the Justice Department’s most recent investigations appear to be more focused on domestic plotters. The other 14 were a mixture of alleged aspiring recruiters and cyberterrorists.
• Eight have previous criminal records and many had been prescribed psychotropic drugs.
• Eight have family ties to others charged, which supports Greenberg’s long-held belief that family radicalization is at least as important as radicalization through exposure to online jihadi propaganda.
• Most were men, but 10 of the 68 were women. The average age is 26.4 years, with the youngest in their teens and the oldest 44.
• The 68 come from 20 states, with New York and Minnesota accounting for 21 cases — 12 in New York, nine in Minnesota.

The fear and response to refugees being terrorists is misplaced. Currently the FBI has over 900 open investigations into homegrown extremists. These extremists have either been radicalized by ISIS or by sympathizers already in America. According to Time, the number of homegrown followers is in the thousands immensely surpassing the number of followers that al-Qaeda ever had. The former director of the CIA predicts that the threat from ISIS against America will become a matter of when. The recent attack against Paris is a demonstration of the strength and ability ISIS has, keeping in mind that that attack’s initial planning began less than a year ago. Foreign policy and strategy is vital in combating ISIS’ growing strength and influence, but shutting the doors to those who most need it isn’t the answer.

Ginny Nunez is a 3L and a Senior Editor for the Journal of Law and International Affairs at the Penn State University Dickinson School of Law.

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