Agarwal 1

Annika Agarwal
Mrs. Van Deventer
Written Expressions 8C
4 December 2015

Syrian Refugees: Threat or Asset?

Recently, Syrian refugees have been pouring into multiple countries because of the civil
war transpiring in Syria. These refugees have become victims of the war; in order to save their
lives, they are seeking shelter in European countries, as well as Turkey, Libya, and Jordan.
Although the majority of these refugees are destitutes, many people believe the refugees will be
harmful to the countries they reside in. However, Syrian refugees are a minimal danger to
national security, they will benefit the economy, and they are accepted by most people.
Therefore, despite popular belief, Syrian refugees do not pose a threat to countries who conduct
extensive background checks of these refugees.
To begin, Syrian refugees are a nominal danger to domestic safety. Because many
countries administer broad historical verification, the refugees who resettle generally have no
intentions to harm the nation. For instance, A refugee applying for resettlement in the U.S.,
must endure a screening process that takes as long as two years before stepping foot on American
soil (Berman). On the other hand, some people believe that Syrian refugees could prove to be a
considerable danger to national security. While this may only apply to certain countries, it does
not apply to countries that conduct extensive background checks on the refugees. According to
data from the Migration Policy Institute, among the 784,000 refugees that the United States of
America has resettled, three people have been arrested for terrorism-related crimes. Two of the

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men were attempting to join terrorist groups overseas and none of them were planning to execute
an attack inside the country (Berman). With this in mind, 0.00038% of the refugees the United
States has resettled tried to commit terrorism-related activities. A much larger number are
innocent people trying to escape the danger in their country. All in all, due to the fact many
countries administer broad background checks, Syrian refugees are an insignificant hazard to
national security.
Moreover, Syrian refugees are generally accepted by most people. As of September 10,
2015, countries such as Germany, Sweden, France, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Hungary,
Spain, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Italy, and Greece, have been accommodating
for these refugees (Martinez). Therefore, many countries do not view these people as a danger.
On the contrary, others believe Syrian refugees will cause uprisings in the countries in which
they resettle. Although this may occur in few cases, global figures have been accepting Syrian
refugees and are encouraging others to do so as well. Early in September, 2015, Pope Francis
called on every parish, religious community, monastery and sanctuary to take in one refugee
familyan appeal that, if honored, would offer shelter to tens of thousands (Faiola and
Birnbaum). Essentially, if an individual as influential as Pope Francis, the 266th pope of the
Roman Catholic Church, is prompting others to welcome these refugees, most people will follow
their footsteps and do so as well. Hence, Syrian refugees are not a danger to nations that accept
these exiles because they are welcomed by most people.
Furthermore, Syrian refugees will benefit the economy. According to a report from the
Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, because of the influx of
refugees, the Turkish economy is increasing by ...three percent this year and will grow by four
percent next year. Lebanons economy is also growing, at a rate of about two percent this year,

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which will expand to more than three percent next year (Cassidy). As shown by this statistic,
Syrian refugees are beneficial to the economy. In contrast, others believe that Syrian refugees are
harmful to the economy because they reduce job opportunities. While this is only true in few
cases, most refugees are working in occupations with minimal employment. For example,
when the authors of the report [which was conducted by the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic
Studies] investigated these claims [which was the idea that there is unfair competition between
businesses that hire illegal workers and companies that do not employ illegal workers], they
found that Syrians are generally employed in areas that locals [residents in Turkey] are not
willing to work in (Cassidy). Therefore, most refugees meet the demands of unskilled labor; as
a result, they are an asset to global economies.
Overall, Syrian exiles do not represent a risk to nations that conduct broad historical
verifications of these displaced people. Desperately in need of safety, the majority of refugees are
of minimal risk to these countries and, for the most part, are welcomed by many. Contrary to
prevalent beliefs, the most significant effect of these refugees is the fact they will improve the
economy. Despite these benefactors, many people believe that Syrian refugees will only have a
recusant impact on nations. These people seem to forget, however, the fundamental principle of
humanityeven the poorest destitute deserves a second chance.

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Works Cited
Berman, Russell. "Can Terrorists Really Infiltrate the Syrian Refugee Program?" The Atlantic.
N.p., 18 Nov. 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/11/can-terrorists-really-infiltrate-the-s
yrian-refugee-program/416475/>.
Cassidy, John. "The Economics of Syrian Refugees." The New Yorker. N.p., 18 Nov. 2015. Web.
2 Dec. 2015.
<http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/the-economics-of-syrian-refugees>.
Faiola, Anthony, and Michael Birnbaum. "Pope Calls on Europe's Catholics to Take in
Refugees." The Washington Post. N.p., 6 Sept. 2015. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/refugees-keep-streaming-into-europe-as-crisiscontinues-unabated/2015/09/06/8a330572-5345-11e5-b225-90edbd49f362_story.html>.
Martinez, Michael. "Syrian Refugees: Which Countries Welcome Them - CNN.com." CNN.
Cable News Network, 10 Sept. 2015. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.
<http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/09/world/welcome-syrian-refugees-countries/>.