Though the Paris attacks launched heated debates over Syrian refugees, President Obama pledged to accept 10,000 over the next year. Recently, many U.S. officials have had second thoughts, and 31 governors were opposed to the resettlement of refugees into their states. The only problem is that governors don’t have this authority, and as Oliver points out, “Syrians can just walk between states like anyone else. The lines on maps are not crocodile-filled moats.†But U.S. officials still don’t seem to understand what they’re doing, because the vetting process is, in fact, extremely thorough. While there is risk in everything we do, Oliver reminds us, “You cannot completely eliminate risk. You can only manage it.†Refugees may be part of this risk, but they’re also worth it.
