Hanna Zinn | Blogger

In light of current events around the world, I would like to focus my blog this week on the refugee crisis. Many political candidates have come up with various solutions and ideas to make sure the United States is secure while taking in refugees who need a place to go.

Currently thousands of people are fleeing Syria and the Middle East to escape the Syrian government, as well as terrorist organizations like ISIS and Al Qaeda. ISIS is an acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and the organization’s main issue is the Westernization of the Middle Eastern countries. This group claims to use the Islamic religion as a way to justify their actions, however, I refuse to acknowledge this “idea” of the terrorist organization’s motives.

With ISIS instilling fear in the people in the Middle East, and now people all over the world, more and more questions are being raised about how to handle the refugee crisis in the United States. Many candidates such as Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush have said they would like the vetting and screening process for refugees to have more requirements and, at least for Jeb Bush, a process where refugees would be able to prove they are Christians and not Muslims.

While I realize not all candidates are going to agree on one solution, I wish there could be more productive conversation about what is actually possible when one of these candidates takes office. Throughout this election season, I have become increasingly concerned with some candidates apparent lack of knowledge of the United States Constitution. As a political science student, I find this to be a crime that someone could run for president without knowing there is no religious test required to hold office, or that the First Amendment protects people from having to take a religious test to become a citizen of this nation. I am also unsure of some candidates in regards to if they know what the actual role of the president is. If you look under Article II in the Constitution, there is no language that states a president may build a wall to keep out people from this nation, even if there is a door in it, and there is no provision that grants the president power to make college education free in this country. The legislature holds the purse of the budget, the president can make suggestions, but ultimately the legislature has the final say.

For all my readers out there, I want you all to remember this is a blog, and this is just one person’s opinion on the matter of the presidential race. I believe the refugee crisis is a serious issue that candidates may never have the right answer to. I am personally for accepting as many refugees as needed because I see these Syrian refugees as people fleeing from terrorism, and if the nation of the United States is so focused on erasing terrorism, why shouldn’t it also be focused on helping people rebuild their lives after this terrorism?

I encourage all students, faculty, staff, and other people reading this to dive deeper into the refugee crisis situation and make your own generalizations, form your own opinion and have good discussion with people around you. This is just one woman’s opinion, and a piece of politics from the mind of Hanna Zinn. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for next week’s piece!

Graphic by Nic Gibson