Syrian Refugees In The U.S.A. Questions Answers

It’s been a couple of weeks since the Paris Attacks, and much of the world is struggling to find new homes for thousands upon thousands of Syrian refugees that have suddenly found themselves without a comforting place to live. Countries like Turkey and Germany have accepted hundreds of thousands of refugees, yet the United States have only agreed to take in a very small percentage of the nearly 4 million Syrian refugees, according to the New York Times.

Many questions have been raised about the United State’s participation in assisting with refugee relocation after the Paris attacks. In 2016, Obama has stated that they will open their gates to up to 10,000 Syrians, however how does this compare to other groups of people coming into the US, permanently or otherwise?

In the past 10 years, the US has taken in a total of approximately 70 to 85 thousand refugees, but between 2012 to 2015 alone, Germany took in close to 92 thousand refugees. When comparing these numbers with the amount of tourists that are let into the country every year, it becomes apparent just how few refugees are in fact being let into America. This chart might help put the amount into perspective:

This Chart was made with the Infographic maker Venngage.

In 2013, the US let in close 48 million tourists, suggesting that the priority remains in boosting the country’s immediate economic value, versus an attempt at rehabilitating lives that could contribute to its long-term value.

In 2014, only 1,800 refugees that were Syrian were let into the United States, 31% of which were Muslim, the other 69% were non-Muslim. One of the most frequently asked questions about the acceptance of Syrian refugees is how it will impact the Islamization of the Western World.

According to the Pew Research Center, the Muslim population in 2014 was approximately 0.9%, which is around 2.9M people of the 318.9 million people. An addition of around 30,000 Muslim refugees would increase the Muslim population in the USA only slightly. The Muslim population would still stand at around 0.9% in the short term. If current immigration trends and birthrates continue, the Pew Research Center predicts that the Muslim population will double to 2.1% by year 2050, which is still a very small part of the entire population, considering that currently 70.6% of the population practice Christianity, 1.9% are Jewish, and 22.8% are entirely unaffiliated.

Many are also concerned about the costs associated with letting a large population of Syrian refugees into the country. The US federal government estimates that it will spend close to $1.1 billion on refugee resettlement during the year 2015, while it is estimated that for 2016, spending will reach a height of $1.2 billion. The money will be allocated to three departments for each step: refugee processing ($32 Million), refugee admissions ($500 million) and refugee resettlement ($610 million).

This amount compared to spending on veterans and the homeless is as follows:

This Chart was made with the Infographic maker Venngage.

The amount of spending per capita of homeless people, veterans and refugees is depicted in this chart:

This Chart was made with the Infographic maker Venngage.

The amount spent on veterans is remarkably higher than that spent on refugees, however the fact remains that there are substantially more veterans in the US than there are refugees. A more detailed analysis of these costs can be read here: How does refugee spending compare to spending on veterans and the homeless?

The charts and statistics above are only a fraction of those that have been brought up in lieu of recent events. Many individuals are attempting to respond to such questions, however lack accuracy in their research. The goal of this post is to shed some light on Syrian refugee immigration to the US, backed up with credible sources. It’s easy to lose sight of what’s true and what is fiction, especially around a subject that happens to be so emotional for many. Sometimes it is better to let the facts speak for themselves.

Photo courtesy of REUTERS/Osman Orsal.